Tomorrow is the day! Monday, Jan. 7th—also it marks completion of 2 ½ years’ service overseas for me. We have been extremely busy today—fixing up our French “40 and 8” boxcar so that it is in a livable condition. It seems likely that we will go to one of these two ports: either Le Havre or Antwerp. The journey from Erding to either of these ports will require three days and two nights, including delays and stopovers. All day we have been working on the car: “weather-stripping” the walls and floor, building six triple-decker wooden bunks, spraying and powdering the thing with DDT insecticide, putting in a couple of plexiglass windows, setting up a pot-bellied stove, rounding up wood and coal (such as there is), obtaining water, K ration and toilet tissue, and such stuff as that. No other railroad system can make that statement! My being car chief gave me additional work. Also I have had my records completed, and have just finished packing my duffle bag (had to throw a lot of junk away). Also washed out all my dirty clothes, as this may be my last opportunity this side of the states.
The 26th S.C.U. is losing seven men on this shipment. Nearly 500 are leaving from all of Erding. We’ll be getting up early tomorrow, for we must get our baggage down to the train and be ready to go at 8:00 a.m. Actually, the train will pull out between nine and ten o’clock, judging from past performances.
Needless to say, this is my last post from the ETO.
Now I warn you: I can’t be expected home before a reasonable date! Bear in mind all the complications that come up in a long trip of this kind, and remember how far away I am from Spokane. I suppose some will want some idea of how long it’s going to take—I can only give my own personal guess, and that is: from Erding to Spokane, anything between three and five weeks. There is no standard time for these trips—different shipments vary. Just for the fun of it, I’ll compromise my estimates above and guess that I arrive in Spokane a civilian one month from tomorrow.
We are due at the port on the 10th—then we start sweating out a ship. We may stay there from three or four days to two weeks or more, waiting. Some boats are faster than others, so the ocean trip itself will probably require from five to twelve days. Landing in the states, I will likely be at a reception camp in the New York or Boston area for a couple of days. The transcontinental train-ride to the West Coast will take up another five days or so. I understand that my actual discharge will be handled at Fort Lewis, Washington. Figure a couple of days there, and another day to get to Spokane.
I mailed a parcel containing my camera, a book, and some very valuable underwear yesterday. I hope Mom and Dad are on the lookout for it.
“Mr.” Mackliet!!—-can you imagine that?
[letterstohome copyright 2008]