Salem State Archives WWII Letters

Cpl. A. Sudentas, Hq. + Hq. Co., 68th Sig. Bn. Camp Polk, Louisiana

April 25, 1944

Dear Miss Mc Glynn:

Please consider this letter as a poor apology for not writing sooner. Although I have been very busy, there have been several opportunities for dropping you a line or two; but, like any other "black sheep," I just didn't get around to it.

Do you remember my writing about a commendation from Corps Headquarters regarding my math school? A month or so ago, there was an I.G. (Inspector General) inspection in this battalion -- sort of a C.P.A. check-up in civil life. The inspector spent a full day at my school observing my classes, scrutinizing records and, in general, producing a little perspiration under my collar.

His report turned out in my favor.

A day later, two stars walked into my room and sat down. It was General Milburn, the best tactician in the Fourth Army. He wasn't very much to look at -- unimpressive in a way, and yet, there was something about him saying he knew his business.

At the end of the hour, he spoke to me for over two hours regarding background, education, business and several other things I am not allowed to write about. Then he began "pouring on the oil" ("tossing the blarney") saying my work had caught his attention several times and that I had been selected for a special assignment.

From that day my work has been in a liason line questioning the German prisoners of war on this post, analyzing their statements, piecing certain information together, and graphing my findings.

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I submitted the report three weeks ago. It must have been a fairly important, if not vital, one because it was submitted by the Corps directly to the War Department for their consideration.

Well, my promotion to corporal came through and full credit for the report was given me in a War Department circular issued last week. It's probable that something better than corporal is in store. I dare not venture a guess though.

There are indications today that my work will be less with teaching but more with the Secret Service from this day on. If I remain with this outfit, it means more advanced work in signal analysis. That is all I can divulge officially at the moment.

Incidentally, I've been able to acquire eight semester hours credit for a master's degree at Chicago University. My studies have been in advanced mathematics, surveying and German conducted via correspondences through the Armed Forces Institute. I've studied in my own spare time under Prof. Everett's guidance and have taken supervized final exams for degree credit over a period of five months. In a way, it really is an advantage to study alone. One can proceed so much faster in certain subjects.

Hoping to hear from you again soon.

Cordially,

Al

Sgt. L E Tripp 310958[?]

8th P.O.E APO 780

c/o Postmaster, N.Y.

Florence, Italy

30 August 1945

Dear Miss McGlynn,

I am a little late in writing you but I have been busy getting settled up here in Florence.

I came up here by plane on the 2nd of August as an instructor at the University Study Center. It was my first plane trip and I was quite thrilled. It only took us two hours from Naples to Florence and the jaunt was very comfortable and most interesting. I hope I'll be able to do more flying from now on.

Getting down to the University and what it is like. We have a very beautiful campus with modern buildings. The buildings are quite new having been completed in 1938. Originally this place was a school of applied aviation where they trained pilots for the Italian Army or Air Corps. The buildings and campus are as nice as many of our own back in the states and in some instances even better. Each building has been given a name of some college or university back home -- Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Duke, etc. I am living in Yale hall, one of the dorms. There are four of us to a room -- ample living quarters.

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We have our own private showers and what have you, real mattresses, sheets, pillows, pillow cases, brand new blankets, etc. Our room opens out onto a porch and we have a lovely view from there. There is plenty of light and fresh air with two large windows and the door onto the porch serving us in such capacity. Really the rooms are equal to anything I have seen in many of the colleges back home. We have more than enough wardrobe space with the built in wardrobe closets and drawers. I can't complain about our quarters nor can any of the other faculty. So much for our living conditions. The University has a wide variety of sports which one may participate in if they so desire. Outside of Yale Hall is a beautiful outdoor swimming pool, next to the pool is a gym where they have basketball, beyond the pool are beautiful tennis courts, volley ball courts, badminton, horse shoes, etc. We have our stables so one is able to go horse back riding on shaded bridal paths. There is an 18 hole golf course a few miles away for the golf enthusiasts. This is beginning to sound like a

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playground or summer resort doesn't it? It is by far the best set up I have had in the Army. I have to pinch myself every now and then to make sure that it is real.

Yes, we do a little work here now and then. I am teaching salesmanship -- two classes a day -- each class fifty minutes. My time is my own outside of class but you know how it is in teaching -- always papers to check and lessons to plan. On the average to or three hours a day outside of my class is sufficient for preparing the next day's lesson. This is really better than civilian teaching as I don't know anyplace where one only has two classes a day. There are no classes on Saturday or Sunday so we have nice long weekends. We have about 180 members on the faculty including officers, enlisted men, and civilians. The student body is approximately 3,000 -- both male and female -- officers and enlisted personnel. We don't have too many women enrolled but there are enough to make the University coed.

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I could go on at great length about the University but there is not time. Perhaps you have read about it in the newspapers back home. It has been getting wide publicity and there was quite a write up about it in either Time or Newsweek about a month ago.

S.T.C. will be opening its doors again soon and it will mean back to the old grind again. Now that the war is over the male enrollment should increase again. I'll be interested to hear what the figure is this year.

It seems as though America went wild over the news of the war being over. The G.I's over here took the news more calmly than they did the surrender of Germany. Now all we have to do is sweat out getting back to the states and discharged. I don't expect to return to America until Spring 1946. After I finish teaching here at the University I'll return to the 8th Port which will be about the last outfit to leave Italy. I expect the school to close down in a few months as

the troops are being redeployed so rapidly from this theater that there won't be enough to attend the university. Perhaps they may send occupational troops down from northern Europe and in that case they will probably continue operating here. One can never predict anything in the Army.

Before your eyes give out from reading this very bad penmanship I will give up writing. I have about exhausted most of the news of interest from here at this time so I had better quit. Florence is a very nice city -- clean -- which is more than one can say of Naples. I hope to visit Milan and Genoa while I am up here, also Venice.

I trust you had an enjoyable summer and were able to take a little vacation. Your garden must keep you quite busy. All my best wishes.

Sincerely,

Lloyd E. Tripp

June 9/44

My Dear Edna: (Imagine me a maried man too. I do that to make sure my mail doesn't get put up on your board.)

I received your most welcome letter last night as well as the form letter with all the addresses on it. I am glad to hear you are going to take a vacation and that our lovely sister Priscilla is going with thou. Let me warn you to get pullman reservations, bring along a folding cot or else prepare for a rough trip. It is no fun traveling south of Washington. As a matter of fact it is rough traveling any place now. If you can fly, by all means do it, as it is well worth the extra cost. (Listen to me. I must sound like an old lady.)

I am at present undergoing jungle training in the Philip Hawaian Islands, (I almost made an untrue statement.) and am enjoying myself very much. I enjoy doing anything new (one seldome does anything new in the army after his basic training) We spent two nights learning not to travel in the jungle at night unless it is absolutely necessary. You step over vines, and step up on vines, and gradually realize that you are proceeding about thirty feet above the ground. Suddenly you realize you havent put your foot on the muddy ground for an hour. This