Erin Sullivan
855 Springfield Pike
Wyoming, OH 45215
USA
Dec 12, 1941
e-
It’s finally here. The thing I knew was coming all along. On December eighth they rounded us all up and sent us to the common rooms to listen to the radio. I think the officers knew what was about to happen. But when they said it I could see all that hope leave the faces of the ones who remained in denial all along.
I met a guy on the train on the way down. Frank was his name. He was one of them. The whole time he was thinking it would blow over. That all this training was just to scare the Japanese and the Germans into thinking we were more serious than we were.
But here we are. Right after the speech they put the whole regiment in formation and the Colonel made a speech in front of us… One of those “rah rah” ones that’s supposed to make you excited and proud that you are about to go overseas and maybe die. And I have to admit… it worked. The men felt it. I even felt it. I looked over at Frank and he was tearing up. I’m not sure if it was the pride, or if he was just scared.
We spent the next two days getting ready to move, they didn’t tell us where. Cleaning the barracks. Loading the guns. Four hundred loaded trucks for our regiment alone. We left the in the morning and drove all day. I can’t remember where it was, but we stopped somewhere and slept in tents. Then the next day driving again. It’s funny… I always considered myself a good navigator, but I had no idea where we were going… without the big interstate signs and Google, I was totally lost.
It got colder and colder so I know we were heading north. And sometime after dark we pulled into Paterson, New Jersey, so that’s where I am now. It’s a real deployment apparently. They said we’ll be setting up the guns tomorrow. I’m in a tent outside a big armory building.
I wish I knew more that I could tell you… I mean… unless I am living in some alternate history, I don’t think the US does anything this side of the country for another year. I guess they could pull us and send us out to the Pacific. That sounds preferable to New Jersey in January… but then again… I know enough about all this that I don’t think I want to be anywhere near there.
This all happened so quickly. I’ll write again as soon as I can.
-J
PS: I’m with the 67th Coast Artillery… maybe you can just Google it and see where we go. Part of me want to know – but they’d probably shoot me as a spy or something if they found that letter. So don’t say anything for now.
