Letter #14
October 29, 1944
Dear Dad,
I'm waiting now, but I'm waiting for my orders and not for my physical. I didn't go to the Fort on Monday, because I had an all-day appointment with the dentist, but I did go on Tuesday, and I had to go back Wednesday to wait for the report of the X-ray on my leg that they took on Tuesday. This time they said that the callous was greatly enlarged even over what it was the last time they X-rayed it, but they thought that it would be all-right, so I passed.1 I'm eleven pounds underweight,2 but that is not too much, considering everything. I was then supposed to be sworn in on Thursday, but they hadn't received my papers from the Fort yet, so I went back Friday and went through the process. I was fingerprinted, information about my name, birthplace and time, home address and other details were verified. Then I was at last sworn in as a Pvt. in the Enlisted Reserve Corps. If they don't get my papers to Omaha soon enough I won't start to school until Dec. 1st, but otherwise, I will leave in five or six days if my orders come by Wednesday.3
I still cannot decide which profession would be my wisest choice, but I shall wait until all my obligations to the U.S. government are fulfilled, and see how I feel then. I wonder how many young men actually do decide definitely their vocation at seventeen, and then go ahead and achieve their goal. Jesus spent the first thirty years of his life training for his task, and many tasks are present today which need just as much preparation.4
The weather has stayed nice this far, so I didn't get the last of the storm windows up until yesterday.5 I finished sawing the wood up some time ago.
Notes:
1 I continue to marvel that the Army doctors thought Stewart could handle the physical demands of the Army with a not-quite-healed, or badly-healed, broken leg bone! But I guess they were right.
2 I wish Stewart had reported what his actual weight was. I think it was probably not over 160lbs., but I don't know that for sure.
3 I can't help wondering what my mother's reaction was to this development. It must have been very hard on her. I not only have no memory of how she felt, I don't even remember how I felt about my brother leaving home. I think that in the weeks after he graduated from high school, when he wasn't working, we might have done some things together like playing board games or making airplane models - two activities I remember doing together a lot - but I don't know exactly when we did them, and whether it was at this particular time. This period after his graduation from high school was partly summertime, and I might have been outside most of the time, and he also was having a lot of dental work done and maybe we were already sort of going our separate ways. But I do know that it was a huge change when he left because then I was the "man of the family" so-to-speak and it fell to me to do a lot of chores around the house and even more, to take care of mother when she needed help. I remember, e.g., that there were times when she was sick and I prepared meals and brought them to her in bed! These were very hard years for mother and that fact fell fairly heavily on my 11-year-old shoulders.
4 It's really interesting that Stewart uses the example of Jesus here. He makes no mention in any of these passages about his future about becoming a Social Worker, so I don't think that idea had formed in his mind yet. I think courses he took at Grinnell College after the war contributed significantly to that vocation.
5 There were wooden storm windows that had to be installed on the many windows of the house - they were heavy and had to be wrestled into place while on a ladder - not an easy job.
Page 2
October 29, 1944
Dear Dad,
I'm waiting now, but I'm waiting for my orders and not for my physical. I didn't go to the Fort on Monday, because I had an all-day appointment with the dentist, but I did go on Tuesday, and I had to go back Wednesday to wait for the report of the X-ray on my leg that they took on Tuesday. This time they said that the callous was greatly enlarged even over what it was the last time they X-rayed it, but they thought that it would be all-right, so I passed.1 I'm eleven pounds underweight,2 but that is not too much, considering everything. I was then supposed to be sworn in on Thursday, but they hadn't received my papers from the Fort yet, so I went back Friday and went through the process. I was fingerprinted, information about my name, birthplace and time, home address and other details were verified. Then I was at last sworn in as a Pvt. in the Enlisted Reserve Corps. If they don't get my papers to Omaha soon enough I won't start to school until Dec. 1st, but otherwise, I will leave in five or six days if my orders come by Wednesday.3
I still cannot decide which profession would be my wisest choice, but I shall wait until all my obligations to the U.S. government are fulfilled, and see how I feel then. I wonder how many young men actually do decide definitely their vocation at seventeen, and then go ahead and achieve their goal. Jesus spent the first thirty years of his life training for his task, and many tasks are present today which need just as much preparation.4
The weather has stayed nice this far, so I didn't get the last of the storm windows up until yesterday.5 I finished sawing the wood up some time ago.
Notes:
1 I continue to marvel that the Army doctors thought Stewart could handle the physical demands of the Army with a not-quite-healed, or badly-healed, broken leg bone! But I guess they were right.
2 I wish Stewart had reported what his actual weight was. I think it was probably not over 160lbs., but I don't know that for sure.
3 I can't help wondering what my mother's reaction was to this development. It must have been very hard on her. I not only have no memory of how she felt, I don't even remember how I felt about my brother leaving home. I think that in the weeks after he graduated from high school, when he wasn't working, we might have done some things together like playing board games or making airplane models - two activities I remember doing together a lot - but I don't know exactly when we did them, and whether it was at this particular time. This period after his graduation from high school was partly summertime, and I might have been outside most of the time, and he also was having a lot of dental work done and maybe we were already sort of going our separate ways. But I do know that it was a huge change when he left because then I was the "man of the family" so-to-speak and it fell to me to do a lot of chores around the house and even more, to take care of mother when she needed help. I remember, e.g., that there were times when she was sick and I prepared meals and brought them to her in bed! These were very hard years for mother and that fact fell fairly heavily on my 11-year-old shoulders.
4 It's really interesting that Stewart uses the example of Jesus here. He makes no mention in any of these passages about his future about becoming a Social Worker, so I don't think that idea had formed in his mind yet. I think courses he took at Grinnell College after the war contributed significantly to that vocation.
5 There were wooden storm windows that had to be installed on the many windows of the house - they were heavy and had to be wrestled into place while on a ladder - not an easy job.
Page 2
Minnesota has played five games thus far, two of which were pushovers, but she lost the other games, and just because
the opponents were better.6 But, however, Bernie Bierman7 has been released from the Marine
Corps, and is in an advisory position under Hauser, refusing to accept the head position until
next year because he is not familiar with the present material. Minnesota therefore ought to pull
itself from the ranks in a few years, beginning when the war is completely won.
With both sides ranting and raving against each other, one does not draw much sense from the presidential campaign, and I cannot help but think that it is just as well that I will not be eligible to vote for four years yet.8
Meanwhile, I am attending the Pilgrim Fellowship meetings for the university group on Sunday nights as though I were attending the U. I always have to explain that I am not going to the U. and what I am going to do. I hope that there will be a Congregational Church wherever I go, although if there isn't, I shall go to some church, probably the nearest Protestant Church.
After I have my basic training, probably late next summer, or middle fall, I will apply first for ASTP training,9 which I will have a good chance of exploiting, but if I can't get into that, I shall apply for OCS,10 since the training that an officer receives is good for the discipline and general education of the individual except, perhaps, that he absorbs the Army ways too thoroughly, but that would happen no matter what I did in the Army. Anyway, I will make the best of whatever I can lay my hands on, and try to lay my hands on the best.11
Your son, Stewart
Notes:
6 The Minnesota U. football team, the Golden Gophers, had played five games in the season by October 29th (which was a Sunday). They were members of the Big Ten Conference and in their third year under Coach George Hauser, who was 51 years old and thus had not been drafted. He was the head coach during the war years. The war must have affected the manpower available for the team. The five games were against Iowa (a pre-season game which they lost 13-19); Nebraska (won 39-0), Michigan (lost 13-28), Missouri (won 39-28) and Ohio State (a game played the day before this letter was written which they lost 14-34). The Gophers went on to tie Northwestern 14-14 in their homecoming game, which was attended by almost 47,000 people! They then won the final three games of the season, against Indiana (19-14) Iowa (again! a 46-0 blowout. I suspect that the lop-sided wins against Nebraska and Iowa might have been due to those schools having a hard time fielding a team during the war) and Wisconsin (28-26). So they ended up with a 5-3-1 season record, not too bad. I don't think Stewart actually went to any of these games. That would have cost money which he didn't have. He would have listened to them on the radio, and sometimes I listened with him. There was a period (I'm not sure when) when we had an elderly woman, Mrs.Fritz was her name, living with us - I think she paid rent and it was a way to get a little extra income for the family. She listened faithfully to all the Minnesota U football games and I listened with her. It was a Saturday ritual.
7 I guess anyone familiar with Minnesota football would revere this name. Bierman (1894-1977) coached the Gophers from 1932-41 and then from 1945-1950. During that time they won five national championships, seven Big Ten championships and had five undefeated seasons. He had an overall career record of 153 (w)-65 (l) -12 (t). He is in the College Football Hall of Fame.
8 I'm a little surprised that Stewart is not a bit more enthusiastic about Roosevelt! Gov. Thomas Dewey was the Republican candidate.
9 This was a military training program instituted by the US Army during WW 2 to meet wartime demands both for junior officers and soldiers with technical skills. Conducted at 227 American universities, it offered training in such fields as engineering, foreign languages, and medicine.
10 Officer Candidate School.
11 Nicely put.
With both sides ranting and raving against each other, one does not draw much sense from the presidential campaign, and I cannot help but think that it is just as well that I will not be eligible to vote for four years yet.8
Meanwhile, I am attending the Pilgrim Fellowship meetings for the university group on Sunday nights as though I were attending the U. I always have to explain that I am not going to the U. and what I am going to do. I hope that there will be a Congregational Church wherever I go, although if there isn't, I shall go to some church, probably the nearest Protestant Church.
After I have my basic training, probably late next summer, or middle fall, I will apply first for ASTP training,9 which I will have a good chance of exploiting, but if I can't get into that, I shall apply for OCS,10 since the training that an officer receives is good for the discipline and general education of the individual except, perhaps, that he absorbs the Army ways too thoroughly, but that would happen no matter what I did in the Army. Anyway, I will make the best of whatever I can lay my hands on, and try to lay my hands on the best.11
Your son, Stewart
 |
| Coach Bierman |
Notes:
6 The Minnesota U. football team, the Golden Gophers, had played five games in the season by October 29th (which was a Sunday). They were members of the Big Ten Conference and in their third year under Coach George Hauser, who was 51 years old and thus had not been drafted. He was the head coach during the war years. The war must have affected the manpower available for the team. The five games were against Iowa (a pre-season game which they lost 13-19); Nebraska (won 39-0), Michigan (lost 13-28), Missouri (won 39-28) and Ohio State (a game played the day before this letter was written which they lost 14-34). The Gophers went on to tie Northwestern 14-14 in their homecoming game, which was attended by almost 47,000 people! They then won the final three games of the season, against Indiana (19-14) Iowa (again! a 46-0 blowout. I suspect that the lop-sided wins against Nebraska and Iowa might have been due to those schools having a hard time fielding a team during the war) and Wisconsin (28-26). So they ended up with a 5-3-1 season record, not too bad. I don't think Stewart actually went to any of these games. That would have cost money which he didn't have. He would have listened to them on the radio, and sometimes I listened with him. There was a period (I'm not sure when) when we had an elderly woman, Mrs.Fritz was her name, living with us - I think she paid rent and it was a way to get a little extra income for the family. She listened faithfully to all the Minnesota U football games and I listened with her. It was a Saturday ritual.
7 I guess anyone familiar with Minnesota football would revere this name. Bierman (1894-1977) coached the Gophers from 1932-41 and then from 1945-1950. During that time they won five national championships, seven Big Ten championships and had five undefeated seasons. He had an overall career record of 153 (w)-65 (l) -12 (t). He is in the College Football Hall of Fame.
8 I'm a little surprised that Stewart is not a bit more enthusiastic about Roosevelt! Gov. Thomas Dewey was the Republican candidate.
9 This was a military training program instituted by the US Army during WW 2 to meet wartime demands both for junior officers and soldiers with technical skills. Conducted at 227 American universities, it offered training in such fields as engineering, foreign languages, and medicine.
10 Officer Candidate School.
11 Nicely put.
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