A Company of Heroes (39 page)

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Authors: Marcus Brotherton

BOOK: A Company of Heroes
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Dear folks,
 
Well I am in Benning now. The biggest camp in the U.S. it’s about the size of Wenatchee. I am jumping every day now. I’ll make my last jump Christmas Day. The general will pin a pair of silver wings on me and give me my diploma. Then a bunch of movie stars will give us a big party and a dance.
I’ll start my furlough December 31. I only get 10 days so I won’t be home, but am going to New Orleans. After I get back we will be shipping out and leaving the U.S. I can’t say when but it won’t be long. That will give me a raise in pay to 138 bucks a month. The same as a lieutenant gets in the infantry.
Well, I have to sign off now as I have to go up and jump this morning. It takes me about 56 seconds to come down from 1,500 feet.
Don’t worry about jumping me into combat as I’ll only be in the air 5 or 6 seconds from about 350 to 400 feet. It will also be dark when we jump.
 
So long,
Bob
Dear Johnny and Susie,
 
Received your letter and was glad to hear from you guys. I am going to New Orleans as I can’t get any traveling time, so I won’t be home.
Well, I’ve made 6 jumps from a 300 foot tower and haven’t hurt myself. A guy doesn’t hit hard if he makes his downward pull at the right time. I landed pretty hard last night when we jumped in the dark. I couldn’t judge the ground, so I got my feet in position and relaxed. A quite a few of the boys got hurt. Two guys got busted legs and about a dozen sprained ankles. It sure makes you feel funny standing up on the tower and watching them carry one of your buddies off the field on a stretcher. It makes you wonder if you’re the next one.
The shock harness is a son of a gun. They take you up 150 feet. You lay on your belly to put the harness on and take you up in that position. When the sergeant counts 3 you pull the rip cord and freefall for 25 feet. When you hit, the risers hit you. It snaps you up straight and bounces you about 10 feet in the air. It almost shakes your teeth loose.
Well, tomorrow I go up for my first jump out of a plane. I got my chute all packed. We hook up to a 15 foot static line which snaps on the anchor cable in the plane, and stand in the door. When the jump-master says to, you let go of the static and jump out as far as you can, also make a left body turn. The static line rips off the pack cover and pulls out the chute. Then the break cord at the top of the chute breaks and lets the chute free. You fall about 100 to 125 feet before the chute opens.
It sure is a funny feeling. When you jump you are scared as hell. When the chute opens and jerks hell out of you and you start slowing up, it’s the grandest feeling you ever felt. It’s so peaceful and quiet, just like floating on thistle down. You wonder why you got so damned scared when you jumped. It’s one extreme to the other.
I make my last jump Christmas day if my chutes open and don’t break a few legs. The general is going to pin the silver wings on us then we’ll have a big feed of turkey.
I am going to my girlfriend’s house in New Orleans. I might get married, but I won’t say for sure.
 
So long,
Bob
P.S. I had to fall out to police up, so I get a little more time to write.
 
We haven’t made up our minds yet, we might wait till after I get out of the Army. I figure it’s better that way as I’ll be seeing action within a month and a half after I get back from my furlough. There is also a darned good chance of me not coming back.
We go swimming most every day in the Chattahoochee River, so you see the weather is warm. I’m sorry I can’t come home, but I’ll have a good time at my “ole lady’s” house, so don’t expect me.
 
Bob
 
He received his jump wings at last, and described some of the dangers in jumping:
December 29, 1942
Fort Benning, Georgia
Dear Johnny and Susie
 
Well, I got my jumps all made and got my wings and diploma which says I’m allowed to jump from a plane in flight. I am sure a happy guy. I’ve waited for those wings a long time.
They say the 2nd Bn. has the highest percentage of qualifications of any outfit that went through Benning. Our average was 87% for 650 men, that’s pretty good. I’ve made 9 jumps so far from 3,000 to 800 feet. For some unexplainable reason you sweat every jump out. It’s something like buck fever only there is a lot of fear to it. The first 2 or 3 times your mind goes blank from the time you hook up and start to the door till the chute opens. Then you have a good time guiding your chute and talking to your buddies around you. When you land it feels like you’re going through the ground.
When I get back after the war, I’ll be gray-headed and my legs will be all stove up. I’ve got 2 torn muscles now.
About 80% of this jumping is guts. Lots of the guys get up to the door and pass out. The prop blast grabs him and he goes out head first. I’ve seen more guys get hurt in the last week than I ever saw before. Anything from broken legs and necks to cracked minds. I saw one guy tear 2 fingers off and take all the flesh off the other three when he grabbed his static line as he went out. He came down alongside of me holding his hand. 12 men go out of the plane in 10 seconds—some speed, huh? Wish you could go out once, that’s the only way of knowing how it feels. A guy just can’t find the words to explain it.
 
I have to sign off now, so wish me good luck,
Bob
After the New Year he wrote to say he had quit demolitions, considering it too dangerous, and that he was in love with his girlfriend, Joyce. He also described an unorthodox way of commuting back to camp after furlough:
January 19, 1943
Dear Johnny and Susie,
 
I guess you think I am dead by this time, being I haven’t written you since I left on my furlough. I had to go up to Tulsa Oklahoma to see Joyce. She’s a riveter in the Douglas Aircraft in Tulsa.
Johnny, I am the happiest man in the U.S. The little lady is going to wait for me to get out of the Army. She is a girl any man could be proud of. If I don’t get killed or shot up too bad, you’ll see her and me coming back home. She is 23, the same age as I am. She has been married once. Her husband got killed about 2 years ago and she has been pretty lonesome. Johnny, maybe you think I am a damn fool for going with a girl that has been married. I don’t care what you or any of my relatives think about it. Al that matters is that we love each other.
I darned near went AWOL. I sure hated to leave her. We both cried when I got in the plane in Oklahoma City. It cost me a buck for a chute. When I got over the camp I stood in the door and picked me a spot. I jumped out and said, “Joyce, this one’s for you,” and pulled the rip cord. The opening shock knocked hell out of me, but I am so darned happy that nothing can hurt me. I am sorry I didn’t get home, but I think you understand how things are.
Say Johnny, I am doing all right. I hear a rumor I am getting a corporal rating in about a month.
Say Susan, will you make Johnny write me a letter. I want to know what he thinks about the situation. Just ride herd on him and make him write. Well so long.
 
Jump Happy,
Bob
Always Optimistic
In early 1943, Robert’s father died. Robert received an unexpected furlough back home to Washington, then in February he wrote another letter. It showed some of the family man in him, about his endearment to his younger nephew, Walt, and how he wished to have children of his own someday.
Dear Johnny, Susan, Walt and Sleepy
 
Well I am back in camp again and found the rest of the outfit. Boy were my buddies tickled to see me. They thought I was AWOL. They didn’t know about the extension.
I hope Susie doesn’t feel too bad about my leaving there so soon. I hated to leave, too, but it’s just one of those things that has to happen. I sure had a good time coming back.
How did Sleepy act when I left? Hope he didn’t feel too lonesome. The poor little rascal.
Walt is sure a sweet little guy. I sure wish I was back home and had a cute little fellow like him to take care of.
Well, I have to sign off now. I have to write on to my “old lady” tonight. She only wrote 11 letters to me while I was on furlough.
 
So long kids,
Bob
There was a lapse of several months, then he wrote a letter dated simply “Spring 1943”:
Dear Johnny and Susie
 
Boy, you should have seen the first platoon last night. We had to sleep out back of the hutment as a punishment. They let us go to town Saturday night and all day Sunday. Well when we came back we each had a pint or a quart of whiskey. Then we bought 5 cases of beer for chasers. Boy it really was a wild party. We sure got skunk drunk.
Say Johnny, I bought another guitar the other day. Gave 30 bucks for it. It sure is a honey.
 
So long,
Bob “Rip” Van Klinken
On April 17, 1943, Robert wrote to say he was dumped by his girlfriend, Joyce, who had met another guy. Bob remained upbeat and optimistic, or at least wrote through the lens of a paratrooper’s bravado. He had also spent some time in the camp hospital, along with fellow paratrooper Wayne “Skinny” Sisk.
Dear Johnny and Susie,
 
Have only had about 8 hours of sleep in the last 2 nights and sleeping out on the ground. It’s cold too. I am on guard tonight so I won’t get any sleep. I am very unhappy as I got a date for tonight to go boat riding and can’t get out of the camp. Who wouldn’t be? You should see the Carolina moon.
We got 25 miles for next Monday with full pack. That’s going to be tough.
You heard of that bobcat we swiped? Well we got another jump coming up around the 20th so we are going to jump him too. Sure wish you could see us hit the silk. It really is quite a sight. About 100 chutes in the air at once.
Well it looks like I got “outranked” by a 1st lieutenant from Fort Sill, Oklahoma. She figures the duration is too long to wait. Anyway, it’s all over and it makes no difference. As Johnnie Rogers says, “I can get more women than a passenger train can haul.”
I think I’ll stay in the Army the next 30 years or so and get a pension. After all, it’s a pretty soft life in peace time. That is if I am lucky enough to come back in one piece.
You should have seen me and Skinny when we were resting up in the barracks after we got out of the hospital. We really went on a good one. We were drunk for 3 days. The last night we had 3 quarts. We were so drunk we couldn’t stand up, so we wound up shooting craps laying across a bed. We couldn’t get up.
 
So long,
“Rip”
Life in the army continued. Robert moved around on maneuvers from Benning to Fort Mitchell in Alabama, then to Camp Hoffman in North Carolina, then to Camp Mackall. He wrote about getting into a bar fight:
Dear Johnny and Susie
 
Sure sorry to hear that Walt has the flu. Sure hope he is better.
There isn’t much to write about except getting myself in a jam up in Raleigh a few weeks ago. I got fined 20 bucks and 3 weeks restriction. A civilian pulled a knife on one of the boys, so 3 of us 506th and 2 from the 505th cleaned out the joint. We did a pretty fair job too. I ruined my blouse in the deal so I have to buy a new one. It cost about 9 dollars. I’ve just pulled 17 hours K.P. in the officer’s mess hall so I am pretty tired. Tomorrow we pull out for another week in the field. Go ahead and send the cookies to the address on the envelope.
 
So long,
“Rip”
 
The grueling training continued.
 
Dear folks,
 
I am back in camp again after being out in the field for 3 days. This is the first full night’s sleep I’ve had in 7 days. I am so fried there’s no feeling left in my legs and shoulders. Have been only getting about 2 hours sleep out of the 24 for 6 days.
I hear some of us are going to be shipped out this week. If I am in that bunch, it looks like I’ll be long gone. I’ll write and let you know where I am when I get across. Maybe I won’t ever be called.
 
So long,
Bob
Wounded in Training
In late spring 1943, Bob was injured in a jump and initially told he would be washed out of the paratroopers. He wrote from Post Hospital ward B-108 in Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky, and let his disappointment show:
I bailed out about 350 feet and the next thing hit a tree. The thing that hurts most is that they have disqualified me, which means I won’t jump anymore. I think they will keep me on jump pay till the outfit ships out and then send me to a replacement center.
Anyway, it has been nice knowing the 506th.
The last 4 jumps were hell anyway, everyone in trees, and we had about 80 pounds of equipment on.
Damn it all. I am stuck in a hospital and the rest of the outfit is down in Tenn or Ala. I’ll have a hell of a time finding them.
 
So long and don’t worry about me,
Bob
In summer 1943 he wrote from a different hospital in Fort Bragg, North Carolina:
Dear Johnny,
 
My papers came through and they read physically unfit as a soldier so that doesn’t sound too good. I don’t know where they are going to ship me or when. Most likely I’ll spend a couple months in the hospital getting in shape again.
Johnny, I want you to do me a favor. Here’s the setup. I got paid the other day and got 190 bucks. The first chance I get to town I’ll send you $100. I want you to put it in the bank in your name or hold it for me. When I get out of this outfit I may not be paid for 2 or 3 months if I go to a convalescence hospital.
 
So long,
Bob

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