First Letter Home ~ September 5, 1943

Pvt. August Haferkamp 36684775
Co. D Brk 141   1633 S.U. R.R.C
Camp Grant, Illinois

Don't Write Yet

Sunday 8 A.M. Sept. 5, 43

Camp Grant, Ill.

Dear Mother:-

I'll write you a few lines to let you know I got here alright. It was 7:15 that night. We had an awful train coming here from Chicago.

I won't write much as I'm setting on the floor and I can't write much doing that. I wrote Dora a letter telling her about everything and I told her to show you the letter so you'll have to see that she does.

I called Evelyn when I was in Chicago and they still have hopes for Vincent. They have had company from Kansas City and Edward is to come home on a furlough. I didn't call Edna as I wouldn't have known what to say.

We have been treated good so far here and the eats are swell if things would stay that way it would be OK.

Well Mom I won't right anymore now as you can read Dora's letter and I'll write to you when I get to a new camp and have time. Tell everyone Hello.

Love--
Pv't Aug Haferkamp
Don't write as I'll be gone in a few days.


In this first letter home, which he starts off by writing at the top of the page "Don't Write Yet," he refers to the letter that he had written to my mother. Unfortunately, when Mom and Dad moved to California in October 1946 he insisted that she throw away the letters he had written to her. They travelled to California in their car, taking just what would fit in the car. I remember Mom telling me that Dad's reasoning was that he was home, he was safe, there was therefore no reason to keep them. There is one of her letters from him, which I will include later in this blog. I don't know if she kept that one because it meant a lot to her or if it was simply missed when she was tossing the others.

He mentions calling Evelyn. Evelyn is his cousin Evelyn Howard. Her brother Vincent had recently been reported missing in action. Edna is Edna J. McCarron Howard, the mother of Evelyn, Vincent, and their two younger siblings. Vincent, I believe, was never found. As I recall, he was in a plane that went down in Africa. The Howard family lived outside of Chicago in Maywood.