April 1, 1942 - Drafted
Welcome to the story - Dear Audrey: WWII
Happy April Fool’s Day, 84 years ago! It’s off to the Army day. Leonard, aka Joe, aka Dad will travel today so the first letter starts tomorrow - April 2nd. And maybe it’s a spoiler alert but let me set expectations, in this first year, this WWII story has no battles or fighting. There are no warships or fighter planes. There will be big guns and a lot of beach action. It’s what Army life was actually like in 1942 - the mundane, day-to-day. Don’t get me wrong, there are shenanigans. But the most action Dad is going to see this month is probably during intake at Fort Devens. He reports it as a madhouse, especially when soldiers are shipped out.
It’s a tough goodbye. Mom and Dad have been together as married folks since March 7th - almost one whole, wonderful, glorious month and they have to have been dreading this day. But here it is and it’s no April fool's joke. Probably not as graceful as it could be but they part ways mid tears- well, Mom’s tears. Dad will steel himself and submit to the new way of life. In my mind, it’s a dramatic train scene.
So, it’s off to the Army, Mr. Main, and there’s a lot to get used to and learn. First stop is Fort Devens, then off to Fort Banks. The overall theme is confusion and uncertainty otherwise known as basic training. That’s marching, drilling, and inspections. These inspections will prove challenging along with everything else. Like blackouts. Only 3 weeks until 24-hour passes can begin but at least the weather is warming up. Double-click to enlarge the image:
Blackout success continued:
First letter is postmarked tomorrow. Comments Welcome :)
