Oct 27

Dear Mom & All–WWII Letters from Herb (part 3)

This is the next installment of the letters my dad wrote home during his WWII service and during his training time leading up to the war.

My dad, Herbert Miller, was 18 years old in 1944 when he volunteered for the draft. He graduated from Willshire High School the spring before and worked on the local pipeline during the year before he entered the service.

After spending 2 days at Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio, for his pre-induction physical in May 1944, he arrived at the Reception Center at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, Indiana, on or about 29 June 1944, where he was inducted into the Army.

In his last letter from Fort Benjamin Harrison he wrote that he would be shipping out for basic training on 8 July 1944, headed for Fort McClennan, Alabama.

Herb Miller, Fort McClellan, Alabama, 1944.

His letters continue from Fort McClennan:

Postmarked 12 July 1944, Fort McClellan, Ala, from Pvt. Herbert Miller, Co A-12th Bn, 8th Regt, I.R.T.C., Ft. McClellan, Alabama. To Mr. & Mrs. Carl F. Miller, Willshire, RR#1, Ohio

United States Army
Fort McClennan, Alabama

11 July 1944

Dear Mom & All,

Well it is night again and will have time to write a letter or two. We don’t have so awful much time to spare. This camp is a very big camp and its trained infantry men are the second best in the United States. So will probably be trained good and the going tough.

Back at Indianapolis I was sworn in by a War Officer. They brought in some 18-20 Japanese (American born) to be trained. I talked to one for quite a while. He said he would fight the Germans but not the Japs. We also had a full blood German who was 39 years old, he came to the U.S.A. twenty years ago and boy he is a really nice guy. They drafted one guy from Indiana who was 45 years old and had nine children. They sent him a notice and he didn’t get it so they sent 6 M.P. after him and brought him there.

Here at this camp they have lots of prisoners of war (German). They don’t even guard them. In fact they are glad they are out of the war and don’t even try to escape.

Camp McClennan is built on about 15 or 20 hills and covers some 29,000 acres. So it is quite a large place. It is very old and we stay in little shacks which will hold about 6 men.

I’m not with Hoblet or any of those other guys, but there are a lot of guys from Celina who I know. Say would you send me my pipe. It is either in the car or in the house. I would like to have it and I could use stationery. I imagine youins know I’m buying a $25 bond every month and $6.58 out for insurance. There will be a laundry fee. So quite a bit will come out of the check.

You say Norval bought the pigs? How were they, fat? Has Dale heard from the Army yet?

I imagine the wheat and oats are about all cut, shocked and thrashed and hay ready to cut again.

Do you know how far Ft. McClellan is from Willshire? Aprox 800 miles!

Can’t think of much more to write. Am fine, have gained about five lbs. but will that & some more worked off.

Will close for now & write later.

Love,
Herbert

Herb Miller, Fort McClellan, Alabama, 1944.

His next letter to his parents:

Fort McClellan, AL
14 July 1944

Dear Mom & All,

Well today is Friday. They issued us rifles, bayonets and all other equipment. The rifle is a 30 cal. 9 shot automatic-gas operated or the M-1 (Winchester).

I haven’t heard from you yet here but mail call will be in about five minutes. We have mail call at 12:30 and at 5:30. Today they showed us around the camp. It is quite large. They have two amphitheatres, 4 theatres, and a lot of other things. We won’t start our training until Monday.

There hasn’t been much happening lately. In our hut there are two Kentuckians, two Ohioans, and two New Yorkers. I would like to get Don Hoblet’s and Fred Betzel’s address if you could get them.

In our training we have 14 weeks of Physical Training, called P.T., and marching and drilling. Then in the last three weeks we have maneuvers. That’s where we crawl under machine gun fire, mines, and explosives going off around us, and mortar and cannon fire ahead of us.

Just had chow. We had mashed potatoes, gravy, Southern cream chicken, lettuce salad, and pumpkin pie. Oh yes, 1 salt tablet to help stand the heat. But they didn’t have mail call. Me and my buddy has a way of getting out of extra work. We change from fatigues to sun tans right away before chow. They usually call out 15-50 men in fatigues for detail work or K.P.

There is a guy in the hut across the street who has a guitar and boy he can really play and sing.

How are things coming along at home?

If I hadn’t been shipped from Ft. Harrison last Sat. & Sun. I would have come home. I had a 24 hr. pass and was going to surprise youins but they canceled all passes because of the train wreck and they had to send some men on Sunday to make up for them.

So will wait for my 15 day furlough at the end of my Basic. Well must close for now and will write late or soon I mean.

Love,
Herb

Helen & Herb Miller, sister and brother, 1944. Herb, after basic training, home before leaving for Europe.

My dad also wrote letters to his siblings. The following letter was written to his sister, Helen, who lived at home with their parents. It is dated Sunday 17 July 1944, from Fort McClellan:

Dear Helen,

I went to church this morning and am sending the bulletin. I have the day off but I think I will go to a show this afternoon.

Friday night I went to a stage show at the U.S.O. amphitheater. It was really good.

It seems like it is getting hotter every day. Yesterday it was 98 degrees in the Day Room and it has an electric fan, and about 105 outdoors. I keep taking salt tablets all the time.

Yesterday afternoon our Lieutenant took us swimming and was it ever nice.

The hut I stay in is built on a hill. Down one side of the hiss is the mess hall and down the other side is the latrine. There are about 43,000 acres around here that the government owns. Everywhere you look there are hills.

Oh yes, when we were swimming yesterday some WACS came to the pool but the corp. told them to come back in the eve, because we were all in G.I shorts (underwear) & I would get through swimming at 4:00.

Tomorrow the rest of the guys start training. I don’t because I noticed my name was on the bulletin board for K.P. Mon. & Tues. So will have two days training to make up. Lot of them had K.P. last week.

Last week we would go out on detail one day and get off the next. The PX’s don’t open up until about 4:30-9:00 so I slept then.

It is pretty hot down here and ice cream tastes pretty good. So the guys in our hut usually buy a pint a night but that runs into money.

I’m not spending as much money here as I did at Indianapolis. Outside of buying the kids those things I haven’t spent over 75 cents, fifty of which went for stationery. Stationery is pretty expensive around here so you can send that what Em bought.

At Harrison we didn’t have hardly anything to do and I bought a few cakes [?].

Well am getting about to the end of the page so will close.

Love,
Herb

Interesting to read that my dad wrote about eating ice cream. He loved ice cream! I remember him saying that he got his taste for ice cream while he was in the service. That he was too young to drink beer so he ate ice cream instead.

The next letter was written to his sister Catherine “Kate” and is dated July 20, 1944:

Dear Catherine & All,

It’s Thursday night, about 9:30 to be exact, and I am trying to write. I’ve been watching some of the guys trying to weave helmet netting. It is woven the same way that fish netting is woven. It looks as hard as the devil. I think I will weave mine on the wall of my barracks instead of a nail driven in the desk here.

I feel like a pincushion tonight. It took us all morning to take shots. We had three shots, one for lock jaw, two for typhoid, a small pox vacc. & blood test and type. Three in one arm, one in the other, and one in the end of my finger.

Yesterday we went out on a hike. While we were coming back it started to rain so we stopped and put on our rain coats and kept on walking. Today we started to take exercises and it started to rain. It was about 5:00 so we went back to our barracks and had mail call then chow. Something must be wrong with the mail. I’ve only been getting one letter in the last five days. I haven’t even been hearing from Dorothy. There is a guy in our barracks who has received 24 letters in the last five days and his mail comes through like that all the time.

You say dad has been having trouble with his tires. Vernie said he blew out one on his car.

Is my calf growing very much? How are the grain crops turning out?

I received a box from youins and from Johnnies yesterday at the same time. Clara sent stationery, Bible with a steel plate, and some chewing gum. I am chewing some of the gum now. Thanks a lot for the box. It sure feels good to get boxes even if I don’t get very much mail.

The other day when we were out on the hike I heard a heck of a noise coming up the road aways. Looking up I saw a group of tanks coming about 35 miles an hour.

Well can’t think of much more to write. Tell Vernie, Kenny, and Ann not to get mad because I don’t write. Tell them the letter is for all of them. It is pretty hard to find much time but I’ll try to write them later.

Love,
Herb

P.S. I receive that special delivery from Mr. Morrison but it won’t help any. I’ve about as much chance of getting in the radio outfit as the rest of them.

I wonder how my dad got the time to write all these letters. After all, he had to be very busy and tired. One thing for certain, they looked forward to receiving letters and packages. Mail call was probably the high point of the day. I also noticed that my dad always wanted to know how things were going at home, on the farm and with the family.

The letters continue next week.

Oct 24

Tombstone Tuesday–Ferdinand & Barbara (Schott) Huffman

Ferdinand & Barbara (Schott) Huffman, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Ohio. (2011 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Ferdinand and Barbara (Schott) Huffman, located in row 7 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Chattanooga, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

HUFFMAN
Mother
BARBARA
1847-1929

Father
FERDINAND
1847-1929

Ferdinand Huffman [spelled Hoffmann in Zion’s Familienbuch] was born in Fechingen, Rhein-Prussia, on 4 January 1847 to Jacob and Carolina (Hoffmann) Hoffmann. According to Zion’s records his parents married in 1846 and immigrated to America in 1849. According to records, Ferdinand was the only child born to Jacob and Caroline Hoffmann.

The records also indicate the Ferdinand was baptized in Europe and confirmed in Mercer County, Ohio, although there is no record of his confirmation in Zion Chatt’s records.

Ferdinand Hoffmann married Barbara Schott on 14 November 1867. Their Zion Chatt marriage record names their parents as Jacob and Carolina Hoffmann and Michael and Catharina Schott. The bride and groom were both 21 years of age and Jacob Schott was the witness to their marriage.

Barbara Schott was born 22 February 1847 in Iffenheim, Elsass, France, the daughter of Michael and Catharine (Brechheisen) Schott. Barbara immigrated to America with her family in 1855. Her father Michael Schott died in 1858 and her mother Catharine then married Nicholas Martin. After Nicholas’ death Catharine married Dietrich Sundmacher. Barbara (Schott) Huffman had three siblings: Maria, Jacob, and Michael Schott.

In 1870 four generations of Huffmans lived in one household in Liberty Township: Jacob, 48; Caroline, 48 [Ferdinand’s parents]; Ferdinand, 23; Barbara, 23; Mary, 1; Caroline, 2 months [Ferdinand and Barbara’s children]; and Margaret, 75 [Ferdinand’s maternal grandmother]. They lived very close to Barbara’s mother and step-father, Catharine and Nicholas Martin. Ferdinand was reportedly a farmer. [1]

The Ferdinand Huffman household in 1880: Ferdinand, 33; Barbara, 33; Mary, 11; Caroline, 9; George, 7; Henry, 1; Caroline, 65 [Ferdinand’s mother]. Ferdinand and Barbara’s 4 children are listed, but their fourth child, Henry, is a mystery. I wonder if this should have been Anna instead. She would have been 1 year old then. [2] 

In 1900 Barbara was listed as the head of household and living with them was their married daughter Anna Bollenbacher, son George, and Ferdinand’s widowed mother Caroline.  Ferdinand and Barbara had been married 34 years and Barbara had given birth to 4 children, all of whom were living at that time. [3]

In 1910 Ferdinand and Barbara lived with Ferdinand’s 87 year-old widowed mother in on a farm in Liberty Township on “Willshire Pike.” Ferdinand and Barbara had been married 44 years. Barbara had given birth to 4 children and they were all still living. [4]

In 1920 Ferdinand and Barbara lived next door to their son George and his family. [5]

Barbara (Schott) Huffman died of bronchial pneumonia and old age in Liberty Township on 2 November 1929. According to Zion Chatt’s records she was 82 years, 9 months, and 10 days old, but according to her death certificate she was 82 years, 8 months, and 11 days old.  She was buried on the 4th and Egger and Ketcham, Rockford, Ohio, were in charge of the arrangements. Their son George was the informant for information on her death certificate. [6] Survivors included her husband, 1 brother, 1 son, 2 daughters, 18 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren, according to Zion Chatt’s records.

Barbara’s husband Ferdinand Huffman died less than two weeks later in Liberty Township. Ferdinand died of stomach cancer on 14 November 1929, at the age of 82 years, 10 months, and 10 days. He was buried on the 16th and Egger and Ketcham, Rockford, Ohio, were in charge of the arrangements. Their son George was the informant for information on the death certificate. [7] Survivors included 1 son, 2 daughters, 18 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren, according to Zion Chatt’s records.

Ferdinand and Barbara (Schott) Huffman had the following children, all born in Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio:
Maria “Mary” Elisabeth (1868-1961), married John Gibbons; married Charles Bollenbacher
Carolina Margaretha “Caroline Margaret” (1870-1924), married Perry Gibbons
George Heinrich (1873-1956), married Barbara E. Leistner
Anna Barbara (1879-1986), married Fred Bollenbacher

 

[1] 1870 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, p.149A, dwelling 111, family 102, Jacob Hoffman; Ancestry.com; FHL microfilm 552742, NARA microfilm M593, roll 1243.

[2] 1880 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, ED 188, p.472C, dwelling, family, Ferdinand Hoffman; Ancestry.com; NARA microfilm T9, roll 1048.

[3] 1900 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, ED 85, p.9A, dwelling 164, family 169, Ferdnand Hoffman; Ancestry.com; FHL microfilm 1241304, NARA microfilm T623, roll 1304.

[4] 1910 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, ED 119, p.16A, dwelling 344, family 304, Ferdinand Huffman; Ancestry.com; FHL microfilm 1375227, NARA microfilm T624, roll 1214.

[5] 1920 U.S. Census, Liberty, Mercer, Ohio, ED 140, p.10A, dwelling 195, visited 211, Ferdinand Hoffman; Ancestry.com; NARA microfilm T625, roll 1418.

[6] “Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” database with images, FamilySearch.org, Barbara Huffman, 2 Nov 1929; FHL microfilm 1992020.

[7] “Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” database with images, FamilySearch.org, Ferdinan Huffman, 14 Nov 1929; FHL microfilm 1992020.

 

Oct 20

Dear Mom & All–WWII Letters from Herb (part 2)

Continuing on with the letters my dad wrote home during his induction and basic training.

My dad, Herbert Miller, was 18 years old in 1944 when he volunteered for the draft. He had graduated from Willshire High School the year before. He spent 2 days at Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio, for his pre-induction physical in May 1944. He arrived at the Reception Center at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, Indiana, on or about 29 June 1944, where he was inducted into the U.S. Army. He left for basic training at Fort McClennan, Alabama, on 8 July 1944.

Herbert M. Miller, WWII.

Below are two more letters that he sent home while he was at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis.

Reception Center
Fort Benjamin Harrison
Indianapolis 16, Indiana
July 7, 1944
Dear Mom & all,

It is Friday morning here and not much to do if you know how to work it.

I’ve had K.P. for one night and two special details so far, the rest of the time I’ve been doing nothing to speak of.

Yesterday they shipped out around 800 men. They went on a troop transport. They don’t tell you until the morning when you leave and you don’t know where you are going until you arrive at the station. As I was saying this bunch that left. The train had a wreck around Chattanooga, Tennessee, close to the Kentucky border. Two cars or coaches were upset in the river and two coaches upset and caught fire. There about 20-30 Mercer Co. boys on it. We haven’t heard anymore about it except around 200 were injured and 7 or 8 killed. The ones from Mercer Co. that went that I know were Bob Andress, Floyd Brehm, Joe Solerno [?], Edson Smalley, and Luther Case. And some more I can’t think.

I got a letter from Johnnie & Clara awhile back, a card from Howards. The only reason I’m not going to write to them now is because I might be shipped out anytime. Will write to Bernice and all of them when I get stationed.

Friday-G.I. Day- the day when you get on your hands and knees and scrub out the barracks floors and latrine.

I got Helen’s letter yesterday and am sure glad that she is getting along ok with my car. Gee wizz. A Grade 1 tire! How is the Gasoline holding up?

If I’m still here Saturday I’m eligible for a pass to town maybe a 12 hr, maybe a 24 hr.

I’m writing this from the Recreation Hall here from camp. It’s crowded with G.I.s. They have a G.I. band playing now.

Must close,
Love,
Herb

P.S. You say Helen hasn’t heard from Red yet. Sure hope none of the Mercer Co. boys were hurt.

The following was the last letter he sent from Fort Benjamin Harrison, the day he shipped out to Fort McClellan, Alabama:

July 8, 1944
Dear Mom & all,
Just a line, can’t write very much. We are shipping out today. Floyd Brehm, Bob Andress, and some guys left day before yesterday. About all of the rest of the Mercer Co. guys ship out today except Hoblet.

It’s about 6:15 Sat. morning and we don’t know where we are going. I’ll write as soon as I get to the next camp.

Must close.
Love,
Herb

The train wreck my dad referred to in the first letter was one of the most deadly, if not the most deadly non-combat U.S. military accident. The Louisville & Nashville passenger train was heading south, transporting 1,006 new recruits to their first Army unit assignment at Fort Benning, Georgia. The speeding train could not make a sharp curve over the deep Clearfork River gorge near the town of Jellico, in Campbell County, Tennessee, on the Kentucky-Tennessee line. The engine and several cars plunged down the 50+ foot gorge where 44 soldiers were killed and several hundred injured. At least one Mercer County native was on-board, Clarence L. Eckstein of Celina. He was not injured and went on to serve in Europe during WWII. You can read about this disaster on-line: WWII Troop Train Wreck of July 6, 1944.

Scary to think my dad could have been on that passenger train that night.

I will continue with my dad’s letters from Fort McClennan, Alabama, next week.

Oct 17

Tombstone Tuesday–Infant Sons of J & M Bollenbacher

These are the tombstones of two infant sons of J. & M. Bollenbacher, located in row 10 of Kessler Cemetery, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio.

Infant Sons of J & M Bollenbacher, Kessler Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio (2017 photo by Karen)

The markers are inscribed:

INFANT
Son of
J. & M.
Bollenbacher
Born Nov.
24, 1888
Died Nov.
24, 1888

Infant son of J & M Bollenbacher, Kessler Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio (2017 photo by Karen)

INFANT
Son of
J. & M.
Bollenbacher
Born Oct.
1, 1893
Died Oct. 2
1893

Infant son of J & M Bollenbacher, Kessler Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio (2017 photo by Karen)

Although I cannot be certain, these are likely two sons of Jacob (1848-1929) and Margaret (Huffman) Bollenbacher (1855-1921), of Adams County, Indiana.

The boys were very likely brothers and the tombstones are nearly identical. Their births would have occurred during Margaret’s childbearing years.

According to both the 1900 and 1910 censuses Margaret had given birth to eight children. Five of their children were living in 1900 and four were living in 1910. [Their daughter Dora C. died in 1902.] These two infant boys could account for two of their three unknown deceased children. Their five living children were named in the 1900 census as August William, Dora C, Jesse Charles, Abraham, and Rosa C. [1] [2]

If these two boys were Jacob and Margaret’s children, one of their children would still be unaccounted for.

Margaret (Huffman) Bollenbacher died in 1921 and Jacob Bollenbacher died in 1929. They share a tombstone and are buried nearby, in row 8 of Kessler Cemetery. Their daughter Dora C. (Bollenbacher) Anspaugh is also buried there and her tombstone is in row 9, the next row east of her infant brother’s markers.

Infant sons of J & M Bollenbacher, 2 markers in front; their Dora C (Bollenbacher) Anspaugh’s marker behind and to the far right. (2017 photo by Karen)

 

[1] 1900 U.S. Census, Jefferson, Adams, Indiana, ED 4, p.6A, dwelling 104, household 104, Jacob Bullenbacher; Ancestry.com; FHL microfilm 1240357, NARA microfilm T623, roll 357.

[2] 1910 U.S. Census, Jefferson, Adams, Indiana, ED 4, p.2A, dwelling & family 29, Jacob Bollenbacher; Ancestry.com; FHL microfilm 1374351, NARA microfilm T624, roll 338.

Oct 13

Dear Mom & All–WWII Letters from Herb

A few weeks ago I purchased a book, Home Front to Battlefront, An Ohio Teenager in World War II, by Frank Lavin. Frank’s father Carl Lavin was from Canton, Ohio, and was a high school senior when Pearl Harbor was attacked. When Carl turned 18 he enlisted in the Army and eventually was part of the 84th Infantry Division, the Railspliters, and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. The book is based on Carl’s personal letters, his recollections and those of the people he served with, official military history, and private papers.

This book is of special interest to me because that is almost the same WWII experience that my dad, Herbert Miller, had during the war.

My dad volunteered for the draft in 1944, when he was 18 years old, and was drafted in May 1944. After his basic training he sailed to England and from there went to the Replacement Depot in France, where he was put in Company L, 333rd Regiment, 84th Infantry Division on 23 December 1944.

Herb Miller, U.S. Army veteran, WWII.

My dad and Carl Lavin would have had very similar experiences during the war. As I read through the book I recognized the names of European towns and places that my dad had also mentioned.

A large portion of the book contains transcriptions of the letters Carl wrote and sent home during the war.  Likewise, my grandparents saved many of the letters my dad wrote and sent home during that same time. We found a large stack of those letters among my dad’s papers last year. I was thrilled and thankful that they had saved them after all this time.

I have sorted through the letters, put them in chronological order, and inserted them in sheet protectors. They fill at least 3 3-ring binders. The Lavin book has given me the inspiration to do something similar—to transcribe my dad’s letters and put some of them in blog posts.

With Veterans Day less than a month away I thought this would be a good time to start the project.

My dad said he volunteered for the draft mainly because he wanted to go into the Army with his friend Donald Hoblet.

The Willshire Herald, 25 May 1944.

From The Willshire Herald, 25 May 1944:

Mercer county young men called for their pre-induction physical examination include Herbert Melvin Miller, son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Miller, south of Willshire, who reported Monday at Fort Hayes, Columbus, O., for that purpose; Dale Caffee, son of Mr. and Mrs. Howard Caffee, and Blaine High, son of Mrs. Hershel White, both of south of Willshire, who left Wednesday for their first appearance before the medical examiners. Homer Alan Koontz, son of Mr. and Mrs. Dale Koontz, of Rockford, and husband of the former Miss Martha Byer, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L.O. Byer of near Willshire, is another Mercer countian called for pre-induction examination. 

My dad spent 2 days at Fort Hays in Columbus.

He then spent a week at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, Indiana. These two letters are from his time spent there. The first letter indicates that he was inducted with some other friends from the area.

30 June 1944, from Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, Indiana

Letter postmarked 30 June 1944, 9:00 a.m., Indianapolis, Indiana. There was no postage stamp. Instead FREE was written in place of a stamp.

Addressed to Mr. & Mrs. Carl Miller, RR #1, Willshire, Ohio
From: Pvt Herbert Miller 35845400
Company A, Reception Center
Fort Benjamin Harrison
Indianapolis 16, Indiana

Stationery letterhead: Company A, Reception Center
Fort Benjamin Harrison
Indianapolis, 16, Indiana

Dear Mom & all,

It is now 3 o’clock in the afternoon and we are off for awhile. We were held over at Greenville for 3 hours 48 minutes and hold over at Indianapolis for 15 minutes. We had another phys exam last night and today were sworn in and inducted today. We are waiting to get our uniforms. We will get 2 winter uniforms, 2 sun tan uniforms, 1 fatigue, 1 helmet, and 2 or 3 overseas hats. Tonight Betzel and me are going to a show. Do not write as we are only being held here while we are processing and will be sent somewhere else, so don’t write until I get situated at another camp. It may be anywhere from 10-20 days before we leave here. The eats are good and this is a swell [?] place. We got separated, Hoblet, Case, Brehm, Betzel, and me. Hoblet and Case and Brehm are together in Roster 1176, Betzel and me are in 1177. Each day there is a new group of recruits coming in and they keep saying to them “you’ll be sorry.” They just say it for fun. Roster 1176 has their uniforms already. Betzel is writing to his folks, too. We haven’t had any work to do yet.

Now about processing, it is something [?] so you can get acquainted with military terms and things. Must hurry. Our number was just read to get uniforms, so will close.

Love,
Herb

Address:
Pvt. Herbert M. Miller
Company A Barracks 2
Reception Center
Ft. Benjamin Harrison
Indianapolis 16, Ind.

5 July 1944

Letter postmarked 5 July 1944, Indianapolis, Indiana. Addressed to Mr. & Mrs. Carl Miller, RR #1, Willshire, Ohio.

Return address:

Herbert Miller 35845400
Company A, Barrack 2
Reception Center
Ft. Bej. Harrison,
Indianapolis, IN

4 July 1944

Dear Mom & all,

This is the fourth of July. I’m not on K.P. today or any detail today so I am staying in my bunk in case they call for me to “dive-bomb.” That means to walk around looking for cigarette butts and matches. You see we have a loud speaker system in every barrack and they call over it “all men not processing or on Detail work fall out between A-2 & A-3,” and that includes me if there is any odds or ends. This kind of work is trimming hedges, watering the grass with garden hose, or mowing the lawn. It doesn’t take over 2 hrs in the morning and about 2 in the afternoon and [?]. What are you all doing over the fourth of July?

Well they gave the call and it took 15 minutes as I was off for the rest of the morning.

Me and pvt[?] Knapke went to the recreation hall and listened to the music. He is from Minster, Ohio, and went the same day we did. The boy from Pittsburgh, Pa I was telling you about shipped out today.

I have some clothes to wash today. A towel, 2 sets of underwear, & handkerchiefs.

General Summerville[?] is coming out here at camp today so everything is being scrubbed and cleaned. We have plenty of ice cream, pop, candy, and [?] to eat. It cost quite a lot, but it is cheaper than back home. Now I don’t mean I’m running out of money because I‘ve only spent a couple of $.

They brought a bunch of men in from camp Atterbury last night around 3 o’clock.

Well it is about time for chow.

I wrote to Em & Norval this morning and also Johnnies. I’m not going to write very many letters until I get situated because the mail I would receive might get lost.

Got my pictures today from the photo shop so am sending them to you. You can send Ruth & Bob one if you wish. They aren’t very good.

Has it rained out there lately? How are the crops coming along?

Johnnies wrote and said you got my tire for the Chevy. Was it a first grade tire?

Have you had any trouble with the car? Well must close or miss dinner.

Love,
Herb
P.S. Don’t forget to check the water in the car.

More letters next week.