Looking for someone? Check Who’s Who for nicknames.

April 29, 1943

April 29, 1943No. 23 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies,           My last letter was written 8 days ago. I would have written sooner if I hadn’t been kind of knocked under the weather for this last week. It all started with a typhoid shot. The following day I felt sort of subnormal and loafed around all […]

April 21, 1943

April 21, 1943No. 22 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies,             I was kept busy all afternoon today, giving a couple of spinals and helping Bert put a cast on a leg that was nicely chewed up by bullets. Have been seeing quite a few of these and all are being treated by closed casts, leaving the […]

April 19, 1943

April 19, 1943Continuation of No. 21 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies,             The non-coms party is coming up in two days and it ought to be pretty good. There will be about 30 of the nurses and some French nurses also, I believe. When Miss Diffley told George the other day about how many of the […]

April 18, 1943

April 18, 1943No. 21 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies,             You asked about malaria prophylaxis. Well, beginning in two days we start to take Atabrine, 2 tablets twice a week, i.e. Monday and Thursday – why those days were picked, I know not. We haven’t had much malaria around here, but the mosquitos are beginning to […]

April 15, 1943

April 15, 1943No. 20 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, I finished No. 19 yesterday, so there isn’t anything of note to add, but I will devote this whole epistle to a couple of things made up by Roy Cohn – a parody to “Pass the Ammunition” and a poem he wrote for George Davis’ promotion party. […]

April 14, 1943

April 14, 1943Final portion of No. 19 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies,           Yesterday Lois and I went down to the beach for the whole afternoon, as it was her day off and I wasn’t on call. We stayed down there, not swimmin’ as it ain’t safe, but in bathing suits getting, we hope, a tan. […]

April 13, 1943

April 13, 1943Continuation of No. 19 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies,         Last night ago we had quite a soiree — not quite a night at the opera, but anyway some singing at the local theater. The program began with a movie, “Three Loves has Nancy” with Janette Gaynor, Robert Montgomery, and Franchot Tone. And speaking […]

April 12, 1943

April 12, 1943Continuation of No. 19 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies,        I have about $180 plus $40 in Traveler’s Checks on hand, so I shall wait a little and then send some on. I am waiting to see what new stuff might have to be bought when we change into summer clothing, instead of the woolens […]

April 11, 1943

April 12, 1942 marks the one-year anniversary of René writing his first letter home (on April 11, 1942) from Ft. Lewis, Washington. Below is a photograph of all the doctors (and the chaplain) who were in the 59th Evacuation Hospital Unit at the time. Next letter… Doctors & Chaplain of the 59th Evacuation Hospital Unit […]

April 10, 1943

April 10, 1943Continuation of No. 19 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies,          First of all, let me assure you that both of us are feeling right in the pink again. I am not working nearly as hard on the ortho and anesthesia service as I did on Isolation, but, of course, on the latter service I had […]

April 7, 1943

April 7, 1943No. 19 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies,           Yes, I’m sometimes bad and sometimes good, this time having been bad and having let so many days slip by since the last letter. I have really been busy. After getting back to work on the 29th, I found we had another meningitis case and then […]

April 6, 1943

Here’s are excerpts from a letter that Lois McFarland wrote to René’s parents and his sister, Barbara (known as Bobsy). April 6, 1943 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Mommie, Dad, Bobsy and all,             Today is my day off, so I’m waiting for your son to finish up his work and sign out to someone, so we […]