September 13, 1943

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

Mon., Sept. 13, 1943

Camp Grant, Ill.

Dear Mom & all:-

Just a few lines to let you know I'm still here. After tomorrow I'll be the only one left here from Staunton. Sherfy left last Saturday; Teufert left this morning and Muentnith leaves in the morning. I have to get another shot tomorrow at 1 P.M. The last one never bothered me a bit and I hope this one acts the same way.

Well I got myself a weekend pass and went into Chicago or rather Maywood to visit with the Howards & Sassones. I really enjoyed it. Edward is home on a furlough until Thursday. He showed us some movies from his camp and when they were on a vacation out west in 1941. The Howards have a real nice house and is furnished swell. Evelyn lives in a apartment up on the 3rd floor. They have a nice place also. There boy is a year and a half old and is real cute but into every thing. I had a chicken dinner at Evelyn's and supper at Edna's. Maywood had a celebration yesterday but I never saw any of it as it rained all day. Gov. Green was there to unveil a memorial for the men in service.

The Howards got a telegram yesterday from the Chicago Tribune paper asking for a picture and information about Vincent. They sent it right away so I'll buy a paper in the morning and if it has anything in about him I'll send it to you whenever I can. It cost me only $2.00 to go to Chicago round trip. That was real cheap. It only cost 13 cts. to ride the elevated railroad out to Maywood. I caught that right above the Union station. You don't even have to go outside. Soldiers ride free on the buses & streetcars in Chicago. I thought maybe Fritz had called one of them but he never. I wish he would have as I would like to know how he came out. I had a notion to call you already. Sure wish I would get shipped so I could get some mail. If I knew it took this long I could have gotten some letters.

Well I'll close and write you more later. We haven't a very good place to write letters here. I'm writting this one on the floor. Tell everyone Hello for me and I'll write them all when I get time.

Love,
Pvt. Gus.


In this letter Dad wrote about visiting his cousins, the Howards and the Sassones. The Howards are Francis D. "Frank" and Edna J. McCarron Howard. Their daughter Evelyn married Frank Sassone. I haven't figured out who Edward, who he mentioned in a previous letter, is, though it does sound like he is also a cousin. Fritz is Dad's brother Fred. Dad also mentions some of the men from Staunton who had been at Camp Grant with him. According to the 1940 Staunton City Directory, the Teufert family owned the Teufert Bros. Bottling Co. in Staunton.  

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.