Friday, April 22, 2016

April 22, 1943

Dear Mother,
          I received your letter yesterday and your
Easter card today. Also a card and letter from
Lenore. I wish I could be with you on
Easter but it is impossible. So I guess we
will just have to make the best of it.
          I received my promotion to Corporal
on the 15th but they didn't announce them
until the 20th. Today we had to have our
pictures taken at Public Relations. They send
the pictures to our home newspapers. So be
looking for it in the Toledo Blade. If it is
in there send it to me.
          What did you mean about the other
place looking queer with the house gone. Has
somebody bought it? You haven't told me
anything about it.
          I am going to go to church again tonight.
I went last night and will try to go tomorrow
night. They are haveing Holy week this week.

They have good services, but the attendance
is poor.
          It is about time to go over now so I
guess I will have to sign off for now. I hope
you have a grand time Sunday. Happy Easter
to all of you. Or as they say down here
"you all."
          Goodnight for now. Hope I will be able
to get home on a furlough soon.
                                                Love Ralph.


The next letter will be posted on April 25th.

Background Information (and comments):

  • The supervisors of the enlisted men were known as Non-commissioned officers (NCOs). These were corporals and sergeants who oversaw the day to day activities of the men. Generally they were the most experienced enlisted men, and at the start of the war most sergeants had many years in the Army. One of the main benefits of being an NCO was that you were excused from doing guard or fatigue details such as KP (Kitchen Police – working in the kitchen) or policing the area (cleaning up the grounds and picking up trash).  Promotion to NCO rank was officially done at regimental level (although by tradition always at the recommendation of the company commander) and announced in regimental general orders as described in Army Regulation AR 615-5 
  • US Army WWII CPL.svg

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