WW II Letter From a Man eager to avoid combat

[Championhilz]

Many heroes were made during World War II...This is not one of them. I picked up this letter along with a number of others from ebay recently. It was written by N. R. Hawthorne from Camp Peary, Virginia, on June 4, 1944. He wrote to his mother:

 

"I am getting along swell & having a good time. I only told Evelyn (his wife) what might happen to me. That is what is going to happen to an awful lot of fellows who don't talk up and ask for what they want. There are an awful lot of fellows who want to ship out as quick as they can & don't care what they do. They are going quick. But because I signed up for non-combat service I will 99 times out of a hundred stay right in this country. I have a special classification & that not only keeps me from non-combat duty but out of combat areas too. I still don't know what I will do or where I will go, but I know that much. I can't think of any place out of this country where they might send me because they are fighting everywhere so figure it out for yourself...The reason I told Eve all this is because when I signed up for non combat duty she thought & even told me that it was cowardly & I shouldn't do it. She really wanted me to go into the service because she thought it would be fun for her & something to talk about."

 

He then went on to say that his wife had written to him about her troubles at work, which annoyed him as, "I just wanted her to know that I have more to gripe about than she does." He then goes on to talk about how well he is eating and that he had two dinners that day - he ate the second meal just to get the extra ice cream that went with it. He then talks about the kind of job he hopes to get in the Navy: " If I get the hours off these fellows that work at this camp get I want Eve & Ronny to come with me. They work 24hrs. then have 24hrs off & 48hrs off every other weekend. If I can get something like that I never want to come out of the navy & go to work again."

 

He closed the letter with the following warning to his mother: "PS - Don't show Eve this letter or even tell her about it. Signing up for non combat duty is about the only thing saving me & if Eve knew that she wouldn't like that. There are sometimes even a wife can't take the place of a mother. Don't worry about me I am getting more out of this navy than I am giving it, but that is the only way to do business."

 

What a piece of work...

 

 

[R Michael]

Makes you wonder if in later years he didn't beat his chest and proudly state he fought for his country to keep it free.....

 

Mike

[siege1863]

Jeff---

 

Interesting letter! It reminds me of a collection I have from a guy in the 37th Infantry Division. His letters begin upon his arrival at Camp Shelby in October 1940. The division, which was previously a National Guard division from Ohio, had been federalized. In his letters he shows little concern that he or the unit will see any fighting. Although most of the rest of the World is at war, he does not believe the US will be involved. The thinking at the time was that the 37th ID would only be bound to one year federal service, to "expire" October 1941.

 

Even as the country approached that fateful day in December 1941, he still believed war would be avoided. After the US declaration of war, his attitude changed only slightly. He still was of the opinion that the division could not be sent outside the Western Hemisphere! This guy was in no way a coward. In fact, he looked for all opportunities to better himself as an infantryman since he knew his life depended on his abilities. Ultimately, the division was sent to the South Pacific. Sadly, in July 1943, the soldier was killed in action. He had been in combat only a couple of weeks. His body was never recovered.

 

---Mike

[shrapneldude]

Many heroes were made during World War II...This is not one of them. I picked up this letter along with a number of others from ebay recently. It was written by N. R. Hawthorne from Camp Peary, Virginia, on June 4, 1944. He wrote to his mother:

 

"I am getting along swell & having a good time. I only told Evelyn (his wife) what might happen to me. That is what is going to happen to an awful lot of fellows who don't talk up and ask for what they want. There are an awful lot of fellows who want to ship out as quick as they can & don't care what they do. They are going quick. But because I signed up for non-combat service I will 99 times out of a hundred stay right in this country. I have a special classification & that not only keeps me from non-combat duty but out of combat areas too. I still don't know what I will do or where I will go, but I know that much. I can't think of any place out of this country where they might send me because they are fighting everywhere so figure it out for yourself...The reason I told Eve all this is because when I signed up for non combat duty she thought & even told me that it was cowardly & I shouldn't do it. She really wanted me to go into the service because she thought it would be fun for her & something to talk about."

 

He then went on to say that his wife had written to him about her troubles at work, which annoyed him as, "I just wanted her to know that I have more to gripe about than she does." He then goes on to talk about how well he is eating and that he had two dinners that day - he ate the second meal just to get the extra ice cream that went with it. He then talks about the kind of job he hopes to get in the Navy: " If I get the hours off these fellows that work at this camp get I want Eve & Ronny to come with me. They work 24hrs. then have 24hrs off & 48hrs off every other weekend. If I can get something like that I never want to come out of the navy & go to work again."

 

He closed the letter with the following warning to his mother: "PS - Don't show Eve this letter or even tell her about it. Signing up for non combat duty is about the only thing saving me & if Eve knew that she wouldn't like that. There are sometimes even a wife can't take the place of a mother. Don't worry about me I am getting more out of this navy than I am giving it, but that is the only way to do business."

 

What a piece of work...

 

 

Just a small observation I've made...

I went to war, and got blasted and disabled...I know of guys who opted out for non-deployable billets and stayed home going to college. 3 years later, those guys are college graduates who used their GI Bill benefits and Tuition Assistance programs through the military.

 

In a sense, I guess one could say these guys and the man who wrote your letter are "cowards" but, on the other hand, who's better off after the war? That guy, if he was smart, took advantage of every single program the military offered and was a success long after the hostilities ended. Doesn't make for a good war story, or a great piece in a military collection, but he didn't risk being injured or killed, never had nightmares about the great dinners he had at stateside chow halls, and probably knew where his wife was and what she was up to the entire time!

 

Is he a brave hero? Heck no! So long as he never went around calling himself a Medal of Honor recipient or anything crazy like that, I don't see a problem with the guy. Some folks just don't belong in combat. There's plenty of guys who end up there because it was the cool thing to do, or they wanted to prove something, and THEN decide they don't want to be there, and by then it's too late and they're putting others at risk.

My 2 cents...take it or leave it.