Excerpt from "Lieutenant, Your Cap's on Backward!" A warm story of the Cold War by John J. Thomason
Letters to the Folks Back Home
Neither of my parents had been to Europe, nor had I. Rather than keeping a journal, I wrote home frequently and in detail. I asked my parents to keep the letters and they did. In these letters to the folks back home I described what I saw, what I did – at lease most of what I did – the people with whom I worked, my impressions of Germany and the Germans, some of the military trials in which I was involved and particularly illustrative and amusing stories. Not only did the letters provide basic material for the book, they triggered recollections of other events long since forgotten. Here’s an example from page 209:
Dear Folks,
10 December 1953
For the second morning in three we have been "alerted." For me this procedure means I have had to get up in the middle of the night (actually, 3 a.m..) put on my field gear, collect my weapon, then sit around doing nothing until notified the alert is over. The alert is in force throughout the VII Corps command; not just here. I am sure the combat units are very busy demonstrating readiness. Thankfully, I am not included among them.
While am waiting for the "all clear," I shall drop you a line.
Speaking of weapons, my official "GI" (government issue) firearm is a Colt .45 caliber, semi-automatic pistol, Model 1911. It shoots very large bullets, has remarkable stopping power, almost jumps out of my hand when I fire it and makes a lot of noise. Oddly, it is a simple weapon, having relatively few parts. I can take it apart and put it back together very quickly, even in the dark!
For the pistol to be authorized as my weapon I have to qualify with it on the firing range every six months. Otherwise I would have to carry a carbine, which is a rifle, heavier and more cumbersome than the pistol. I prefer the pistol. Yesterday I was due for another six-month pistol qualifying day. The experience had a humorous aspect. ...