August 25, 1944
August 25, 1944Southern France No. 46 Dear Folksies, Lazy day – loafed around the whole time, sleeping and reading. Weather comfortable instead of scorching as yesterday, so it was possible to sleep without too much difficulty. Paul and Chuck just returned from an unsuccessful hunt for grouse, rabbits, boar or whatever […]
August 24, 1944
August 24, 1944Southern France No. 45 Dear Folksies, Last night, under “Cohn‘s whip,” we again turned out the work, doing practically as much work at our one table as was done in the whole neighboring operating room of three tables and three teams. Actually, we were working so fast and the other team in […]
August 23, 1944
August 23, 1944Southern France No. 44 Dear Folksies, Am sitting on a little rise in ground slightly above the new location for the hospital. As yet, no business, though our team was complimented by being the only outside team to be in the forward echelon. Had a nice ride through the countryside in […]
August 22, 1944
While René, Paul Stratte, Roy Cohn and Chuck Schwartz landed on French soil on August 15, as part of Operation Dragoon, the rest of the 59th didn’t board ships in the Naples harbor until August 19 — with their convoy sailing on the evening of August 22, 1944. Here’s an excerpt from the journal of […]
August 21, 1944
August 21, 1944Southern France No. 43 Dear Folksies, We continued very un-busy yesterday – Roy and Chuck went foraging in the nearby country-side, while Paul and I hitched a ride and went to a town some miles away to see if we could find George Davis and maybe bum a vehicle off of him. […]
August 20, 1944
August 20, 1944Southern France No. 42 Dear Folksies, ‘Tis Sunday and looks as if it is going to be a day of rest alright for us – which means that in a very short while we will probably start out for a hike around the country-side or perhaps find George Davis, who we understand […]
August 19, 1944
No letter from René on August 19, 1944 – the day the Liberation of Paris begins – but here’s a heart-breaking excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl. On August 18, I had one of the greatest shocks of my life. Arriving back in the staging area, I saw a letter lying on […]
August 18, 1944
August 18, 1944Southern France No. 41 (conclusion) Dear Folksies, I’m sitting in our tent in a dustless field, between two small vineyards containing rather luscious red and green grapes. The owner of our present area, and very happy to have us here, is a French physician who has been enjoying himself making rounds in […]
August 15, 1944
August 15, 1944Near St. Tropez, France No. 41 Dear Folksies, Our landing here turned out to be, instead of a grim and determined ordeal, a tiring but swell experience. In fact, on looking back it was really lots of fun. (Perhaps that’s a bad viewpoint to take for, one could, and probably will, use […]
August 13, 1944
August 13, 1944“Somewhere” No. 40 Dear Folksies, I head this letter as “somewhere” because that is actually just about what describes our situation — we know not where we are, though we have been officially told tonight that we can write saying that we are “Somewhere In Southern France.” Of course, by the time […]
August 12, 1944
August 12, 1944Somewhere on the Mediterranean Sea No. 39 (conclusion) Dear Folksies, It’s hotterin ‘ell and “bloody” sticky. As I write, the sweat is pouring off me and the paper is rapidly beginning to curl. Don’t let anybody ever tell you that a Mediterranean cruise is a pleasant thing, at least at this time […]
August 11, 1944
August 11, 1944Somewehere on the Mediterranean Sea No. 39 Dear Folksies, Shortly after I wrote my last letter I was kept sort of busy assisting Jones and Fadley in Supply, and then even went to the city [Rome] with Bergie (Medical Supply Sgt.) on business for two days. We took a few of the […]
August 7, 1944
No letter from René on August 7, 1944, so here’s an excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl. He writes about his brother, as well as what René and some of the other doctors are up to. It was early in August when I learned that my brother Dick had been wounded […]
August 3, 1944
August 3, 1944 was a fateful day for Jean-Guy Bernard (the husband of René’s second cousin Yvette Baumann Bernard). Unbeknownst to René, on July 31, 1944, Jean-Guy was “deported” from Drancy Prison in northeastern France aboard Convoy No. 77. Destination: Auschwitz, Poland. Passionate for aviation, Jean-Guy had enlisted as an aviation fighter in 1939. He […]
August 1, 1944
August 1, 1944Battapaglia, Italy No. 38 Dear Folksies, I sent my two watches home to you yesterday. How these two got broke I know not, but they had both been busted in Sicily and fixed there, but they went haywire soon after without dropping or anything else. Perhaps you will think me extravagant, […]
July 30, 1944
July 30, 1944Battapaglia, Italy No. 37 Dear Folksies, Some six days since last writing, but during that time I cannot say that I have been busy. It has been so hot during the daytime that it has not been very conducive to staying in one spot to read, write or what-have-you. Have sat around […]
July 24, 1944
July 24, 1944Battapaglia, Italy No. 36 Dear Folksies, Things continue to hum along pretty much the same, but we all have become accustomed to listening to the radio news several times a day lately. Things seems to be happening so fast and furiously up in Prussia and now internally in Germany, that there are […]
July 22, 1944
July 22, 1944Battapaglia, Italy No. 35 (conclusion) Dear Folksies, Today is another day and here I am back at my own typer. Nothing particularly new today, except for a few improvements in our ward routine – now we are the Kaiser production plant of the 59th. We run our patients through so fast that […]
July 21, 1944
July 21, 1944Battapaglia, Italy No. 35 (continued) Dear Folksies, Well, we can’t say that we haven’t been in spots that at least were once hot-spots – but we get there after things have cooled down considerably – doggone cool, as far as this spot is concerned. I don’t mean to infer that we aren’t […]
July 20, 1944
July 20, 1944Battapaglia, Italy No. 35 Dear Folksies, Yep, I’ve been a bad boy again, but unfortunately due to circumstances beyond my control for the most part. I admit that I could have scrawled a short note to you by writing on the fender of the command car, but it would not have been […]
July 18, 1944
No letter from René on July 18, 1944, so here’s an excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl about the unit’s new locale – “a field between Battipaglia and Paestum” – about 30 miles south of the Amalfi Coast. Salerno, like so many cities on the coast of Italy, as well as Sicily, […]
July 12, 1944
July 12, 1944 is Rene’s 29th birthday, but since we don’t have a letter from him, here’s an excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl about the unit’s departure from Anzio. By July 12, the day of our departure from Anzio, the old beach head had become a desolate spot, far out of […]
July 4, 1944
July 4, 1944No. 34Anzio, Italy Dear Folksies, Nothing of much consequence in the last few days. Continuing with slow business and also continuing with the usual civilian stuff. Have just now finished giving my French a work-out talking to a couple of French Lieutenants concerning a couple of their patients that I have. They […]
July 2, 1944
July 2, 1944Anzio, Italy Dear Judy and Dave, For the last month I have been meaning to answer your very swell letter of May 9, which I received just before pulling stakes in Sicily and heading for this considerably fairer country. Sicily really wasn’t too bad, despite its filth, squalor, beggars, etc. I […]
June 30, 1944
June 30, 1944Conclusion of No. 33Anzio, Italy Dear Folksies, Have been pretty busy the last few days with the V.D.s, as we had a bunch dumped on us from elsewhere. The rest of the hospital, however, is busy being a hospital for the beat-up civilians, it seems. The majority of our surgery cases have […]
June 29, 1944
June 29, 1944No. 33Anzio, Italy Dear Folksies, A few days ago I had an opportunity to travel to Rome for a visit as Don Vallar had to go up there to pick up some things and the Old Man O.K.’d someone else going along. Morduant went also sort of half and half on business […]
June 24, 1944
June 24, 1944Conclusion of No. 32Anzio, Italy Dear Folksies, Yesterday Mattie came back from his visit to the General Hospitals in the rear and gave us a most interesting talk on what is going on there. They are truly doing some amazing things – things that would not have been dared nor thought possible […]
June 23, 1944
June 23, 1944No. 32Anzio, Italy Dear Folksies, In reading your last letter, I was rather amazed at what you quoted as having appeared in the paper regarding Nan Drew expecting Bill home in July. But was even more surprised when I told Kuzell about it, to find that Bill (who died on May 23) […]
June 21, 1944
June 21, 1944No. 31Anzio, Italy Dear Folksies, Enjoyed the clippings, Dad, particularly the one about the Stanford guy operating on the Cal man. Posted that one up on the bulletin board and all got a big kick out of it. I never have understood why the physical requirements for an officer are higher […]
June 17, 1944
June 17, 1944No. 30 (conclusion)Anzio, Italy Dear Folksies, Our “friends” have bothered us several nights since we have been here — not quite like Morocco and Sicily, when they paid the 59th one visit and that was finis for the 59th’s stay in those places. Why they bother us here when they are being chased […]
June 16, 1944
June 16, 1944No. 30 continuedAnzio, Italy Dear Folksies, The hospital had a new “first” yesterday — the first WAC [Women’s Army Corps] as a patient — in fact the first one any had seen except for those who were lucky enough to get into Naples. And appropriately enough, this one was a bit “wacky” […]
June 15, 1944
June 15, 1944No. 30Anzio, Italy Dear Folksies, Have not been busy these last few days — have been running the V.D. ward besides a medical ward. Surgery wards have calmed down considerably, but it certainly looks as if these poor civilians in Italy are going to be having a bad time of it for […]
June 14, 1944
No letter from René on June 14, 1944, so here’s an excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl about the difference between the air raids in Anzio and those they experienced in Sicily. Our reaction to air raids has noticeably changed since our arrival in Anzio. We have far greater respect for shelter […]
June 13, 1944
June 13, 1944No. 29Anzio, Italy Dear Folksies, We are all very surprised at the rapidity with which the War Dept. notified Bill Drew’s family about his death. As you know, no casualties can be mentioned in letters for 90 days, unless word has definitely been received from the U.S. that the person’s family has […]
June 12, 1944
June 12, 1944End of No. 28 Anzio, Italy Dear Folksies, The next day we heard the Invasion [D-Day Invasion of Normandy] had started and were sort of griped to be sitting here and being attached to another bloomin’ Base Section again. We are supposedly a part of another Army in another section, but so […]
June 11, 1944
June 11, 1944No. 28 Anzio, Italy Dear Folksies, No mail in over two weeks now, so none to answer. That, of course, is all screwed up again and if we get all our mail up to date within the next month it will be a miracle. What with two moves in as many weeks, the […]
June 9, 1944
No letter from René on June 9, 1944, so here’s an excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl about their early days at Anzio – June 8 and June 9. On June 8, we started receiving patients by the carload figuratively, the majority of which were battle casualties being evacuated from forward hospitals. […]
June 6, 1944
No letter from René today, so here’s an excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl about their journey to and arrival at Anzio on June 6, 1944 — the same day as the Allied Invasion of Normandy — D-Day. On June 6, we headed for Anzio by truck convoy. Traveling along Route #7, […]
June 5, 1944
June 5, 1944No. 27 Somewhere in Italy Dear Folksies, Today is your birthday, Dad, and my thoughts are with you. Wish I could be there to celebrate with all the rest. I didn’t realize until today, when I got ahold of my carbons, that it had been a full two weeks since my #26. […]
June 3, 1944
No letter from René today, so here’s an excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl about one morning during their stay in Sessa – perhaps June 3, 1944. One morning during our stay in Sessa, we became aware of a continuous and gradually increasing drone approaching overhead from the direction of Naples and […]
May 31, 1944
No letter from René today, so here’s an excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl with his comments about visiting Gaeta and Formia with Chuck Schwartz on or about May 31, 1944. While waiting for our equipment to catch up with us at Sessa, Chuck Schwartz and I took a side jaunt up toward […]
May 30, 1944
No letter from René today, so here’s an excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl with his observations of the 616th hospital where the 59th is temporarily bivouaced on May 30, 1944. The 616th was acting as a holding hospital just a mile away from the advance point of the hospital train that […]
May 29, 1944
No letter from René today, so here’s an excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl about what the 59th was up to on May 29, 1944 — including details René can’t tell his parents because his letters are subject to censorship in ways that Phil’s journal is not. We left Naples behind us […]
May 28, 1944
No letter from René today, so here’s an excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl about what the 59th was up to on May 28, 1944. Shortly after noon on May 28th, we steamed out of Palermo harbor on a Liberty ship as part of a small convoy accompanied by special sub-chasers, a […]
May 23, 1944
No letter from René today, so here’s an excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl commenting about what happened on May 23, 1944. Because of Army regulations, René can’t mention this news in correspondence to his parents until June 13. On May 23rd, Bill Drew left this world suddenly and tragically. One of […]
May 21, 1944
May 21, 1944No. 26 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Sorry to hear, Dad, that you have again had teeth trouble. How many does that leave you, anyhoo? Yes, our food is O.K. though there are forever grumbles that one has gotten to take as routine. But then, maybe I’m not so particular as some of […]
May 18, 1944
May 18, 1944Conclusion of No. 25 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, I’m Medical O.D. today so have to stick around and it has been most boring. Have caught up on all my reading and nothing else is handy. The baseball game the other afternoon was really a good one. Wy played his first game […]
May 16, 1944
May 16, 1944No. 25 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Saturday afternoon we had a good baseball game with the same Headquarters outfit that beat us the first day that we played. This time we did better, coming from behind to whip them in the last inning. They’ve challenged us to another game, and we will […]
May 15, 1944
May 15, 1944No. 24 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Had a nice letter from George Wood and also from George Davis. Thursday nite had good dinner with Fran & Hal and Serge & Ann. Had some good raviolis with good sauce and cheese, and also had some small mackerel that were very good. We […]
May 12, 1944
May 12, 1944Continuation of No. 23 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Tuesday evening I went walking with Chappie before the show and we walked for a little over two hours, before wending our way back toward the theater. ‘Twas a swell walk. Show only fair, but we stuck it out and then walked home after […]
May 11, 1944
May 11, 1944No. 23 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Well, the so-called Sirroco wind has gone, thank goodness. We are now back on a Spring basis once again – late Spring, however. At least we are once again to sleep at nite, and, in fact, can find adequate use for one blanket. We continue to […]
May 9, 1944
May 9, 1944End of No. 22 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Yesterday morning we all awakened alright, but it was torture to climb out of bed. Every one of us was stiff as the dickens. Particularly behind the knees and thighs. We finally managed to live through the calisthenics, however. Whether the knee-bending in calisthenics […]
May 8, 1944
May 8, 1944No. 22 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Here I am again and it’s hotter than Hades on a Sunday morn in May. My typer is cached away at the moment and the only free typer I could find was over here in Don’s Detachment Headquarters Tent. He used to have an office in […]
May 5, 1944
May 5, 1944No. 21 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, I agree with your feelings regarding the Jap situation. One cannot help but have a certain reservation in one’s mind when thinking of them as a whole group, for there are plenty of Japanese-Americans fighting just as hard as the rest of the Americans. There have […]
May 3, 1944
May 3, 1944No. 20 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Father Clark is leaving us to go to George Wood’s outfit. He and George always got along together well. The Col. was not the least bit sorry to give him the transfer. In fact, when Clark’s request came in, the Col. was put in a fine […]
April 28, 1944
As reported earlier, unbeknownst to René, on January 28, 1944, Yvette Baumann Bernard(his second cousin) and her husband Jean-Guy Bernard were arrested by the Gestapo in their apartment in Paris. Both held senior positions in the Resistance, and Yvette, who was 25 years old, was 8 months pregnant. Alone in her cell, three weeks later, […]
April 27, 1944
April 27, 1944No. 19 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, It’s really a wonderful feeling to be absolutely up-to-date with letter writing for the first time, I think, since being overseas. I don’t owe a bloomin’ person a thing right now – or at least I won’t after I answer Henriette and Spiro’s sweet letter that […]
April 25, 1944
April 25, 1944No. 18 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Nothing new except the deluge of V-mail pages that I received from you this A.M., so, while I still have time I figured that I better answer them pronto. I was interested in Lois’ letter to you, Bobsy. I haven’t heard from her in a few […]
April 24, 1944
April 24, 1944End of No. 17 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, We had a feast the other night. My pal, Eddie Accomando really dished up a swell one! We had real live, honest-to-goodness steaks, fresh off the fire, cooked to the taste of each individual concerned, as we went through the mess line. It […]
April 22, 1944
April 22, 1944No. 17 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, We had an excellent U.S.O. Show out here the other night and it certainly went over with a bang. Act I: Blond songstress who hails from Whittier, California by the name of Rose Marie Meyers. Her most popular song was “Take Me Back To the San […]
April 18, 1944
April 18, 1944No. 16 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Things are really beginning to be “Springy” around here now — the blossoms are coming out, the flowers are beginning to bloom “tra-la, tra-la,” and some of the men have even taken up Victory Garden planting. One of the boys, the fellow who runs our showers, […]
April 14, 1944
April 14, 1944Un-numbered Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Our Officers Club and Bar is still a popular hangout and Pete Joseph keeps the varied liquor supply always plentifully on hand. Besides the usual local drinks of cognac, vermouth, brandy, etc. we even go in for such funny things as Planter’s Punch, Crème de Menthe frappe, […]
April 9, 1944
April 9, 1944End of No. 15 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Last night we had a big party in celebration — or really in mourning — for our beginning our third year as a unit. The committee that arranged the party did an excellent job, but the credit has to go mostly to Wally Greene. […]
April 8, 1944
April 8, 1944Continuation of No. 15 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Surprise!! Last night I attended Passover Services. There were services in one of the local churches and then a Seder dinner conducted at the Red Cross. Went with Liz Liss and Martha Morris and two non-Jewish officers who just went because they were interested. […]
April 7, 1944
April 7, 1944Continuation of No. 15 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, This seems to be turning into a continued story and I do not seem to be able to get it done in one sitting. This week, you see, has been one of more activity than most of the previous ones. To continue with the […]
April 6, 1944
April 6, 1944No. 15 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Well, here it is our Second Anniversary – just two years since the 59th was activated!! Day after tomorrow there is to be the big celebration. The recently appointed Majors are giving a cocktail party late this afternoon, however. The reason the big party is to […]
April 1, 1944
No letter from René today, so here’s an excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl, written around April 1, 1944… April 1, 1944 During March several groups of officers took recreational trips around the island of Sicily. Chuck Schwartz and I took the trip together, which included five days. We started east along […]
March 30, 1944
March 30, 1944No. 14 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, I intended to write long ago to warn you of the arrival of my “foot-locker”. I think I told you way back in July that we were no longer allowed to pack them around with us and as a consequence some sold theirs and others of […]
March 29, 1944
March 29, 1944No. 13 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Yesterday I took a walk with Jack as ‘twas a beautiful day – wandered down around the water and though it was warm enough, the water did not look very inviting. The boys have been petitioning me to take another trip around the island with […]
March 27, 1944
March 27, 1944 Palermo, Sicily Dear Therese, Yes, my dear, I agree, women are strange creatures! The whole thing was a complete surprise to me, and that, I guess is what made it worse for me. I hadn’t had the slightest inkling of what was coming, until that 21st of December. The whole thing […]
March 20, 1944
March 20, 1944No. 11 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, On St. Patrick’s Day night I was roped into a bridge game by Collie. Usually those games are rather dull – Collie is good, but the Col. not so hot at bridge, particularly the bidding. Well, the other night turned out to be a very interesting […]
March 19, 1944
March 19, 1944No. 10 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Hal Williams & Pete Joseph finally arrived home after being almost 1 week AWOL. They had an even tougher time getting home than had Gil Bishop and Bob Treadwell. They got to Cairo alright, but it was just about then that things clamped down and one […]
March 14, 1944
March 14, 1944No. 9 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, George is still here, but we haven’t done anything very exciting at all during the week. In fact, we have spent most of our time just relaxing, reading and talking. The last two days, however, have been busy, for I have had to make rounds […]
March 10, 1944
March 10, 1944Conclusion of No. 8 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Some of the gals have gotten their first Lts. In the last week. Those that have arrived to date are: Danielson, French, Myren, Dottie Merrell and Ann Schleisman. There are several more to come yet, however. Incidentally, had Lois remained, she would have been […]
March 7, 1944
March 7, 1944No. 8 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Last Thursday night, being rather tired, I went to bed early — somewhere around 9 P.M. Then it seemed only a matter of minutes when I suddenly was wide awake again, with a familiar voice in my ear telling me to get up and have something […]
March 3, 1944
March 3, 1944Continuation of No. 7 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Remember a few months ago I was going to send my watch home to be fixed, well, I waited and waited and finally the other day when the stem on the watch Lois had her mother send me for my birthday last year came […]
March 1, 1944
March 1, 1944 No. 7 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Don’t be surprised at what might come out of this typer today, for it is the Chaplain’s typer, Wy being busy on some sort of requisitions on his typer – so I am not only using Daib’s typer but am closeted in his study while […]