September 8, 1943
No letter from René between September 2 & 9. Fortunately, we can get some important news – and local reactions to it – from Philip Westdahl‘s journal entry on September 8, 1943 ITALY SURRENDERS!! What news! It came while I was on my ward and even my sickest patients shouted for […]
September 2, 1943
September 2, 1943 No 53 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Yesterday I was kept plenty busy all day long, doing spinals for the most part, but also some pentothals. Nothing big, but just kept doing something all day and the early evening. Did get a chance, however, to get off a couple of short letters, […]
August 31, 1943
August 31, 1943 Continuation of No. 52 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, I have been rather on the punk side the past few days. Friday the 27th, I felt only fair, but not bad. The next day, however, I developed a constant mid-epigastric dull pain, which lasted all day. My temp. began to climb in […]
August 27, 1943
August 27, 1943 No. 52 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Since my last letter, I’ve been kept plenty busy. After the first several days of running around at various headquarters, arranging for medical corps prisoners to work in the hospital, etc., things slackened up, and as the hospital was awfully busy, I was put in […]
August 25, 1943
Here are excerpts from a letter that Lois McFarland wrote to family back in California. August 25, 1943Palermo, Sicily Dear Gang, I’ve been trying to write to you for ages, but, golly, we’ve been so, so busy. I never do anything but work, eat and sleep. And the whole night – from 7 to […]
August 17, 1943
August 17, 1943 No. 51 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Yesterday I had a “first” — you know, doing something for the first time. The Colonel wanted some pictures taken of our area just as he had done in Casablanca, and as a consequence, someone was needed to make the arrangements and to take our […]
August 16, 1943
August 16, 1943 No. 50 Palermo, Sicily Dear Folksies, Before I get started, thanks oodles for the birthday presents – received the soapy wash-rag or whatever you might call it, and it has been put to good use several times already. ‘Tis really swell. Also got more photo paper and more films. Have several […]
August 11, 1943
Between August 1 and August 15, René doesn’t write any letters to his parents. Fortunately, we can follow the activities of the 59th Evac. Hospital through the entries in the journal kept by Philip Westdahl and photographs from René’s albums. Below is Dr. Westdahl’s journal entry for August 11, 1943 Palermo, Sicily […]
August 7, 1943
Between August 1 and August 15, René doesn’t write any letters to his parents. Fortunately, we can follow the activities of the 59th Evac. Hospital through the entries in the journal kept by Philip Westdahl and photographs from René’s albums. Below is Dr. Westdahl’s journal entry for August 7, 1943 Palermo, Sicily […]
August 6, 1943
Between August 1 and August 15, René doesn’t write any letters to his parents. Fortunately, we can follow the activities of the 59th Evac. Hospital through the entries in the journal kept by Philip Westdahl and photographs from René’s albums. Below is Dr. Westdahl’s journal entry for August 6, 1943 Palermo, Sicily During […]
August 5, 1943
Between August 1 and August 15, René doesn’t write any letters to his parents. Fortunately, we can follow the activities of the 59th Evac. Hospital through the entries in the journal kept by Philip Westdahl and photographs from René’s albums. Below is Dr. Westdahl’s journal entry for August 5, 1943 Bizerte, Algeria We start […]
August 1, 1943
Between August 1 and August 15, René doesn’t write any letters to his parents. Fortunately, we can follow the activities of the 59th Evac. Hospital through the entries in the journal kept by Philip Westdahl and photographs from René’s albums. Below is Dr. Westdahl’s journal entry for August 1, 1943 Bizerte, Algeria I take […]
July 30, 1943
July 30, 1943No. 49Bizerte, Algeria Dear Folksies, The mail finally caught up with us and the whole outfit is now reunited. All, incidentally, hale and hearty. Roy and our gang officially rejoined yesterday, but I had been with the Col. on the night of July 25th, one gang arrived the following A.M. and then […]
July 23, 1943
René’s journal entry for July 23, 1943… On July 21, I went in from the Lake after lunch and went up to the 56th. I talked with Col. Winans first and then with Major Rippey, who informed me that the Capt. had left about half-hour before – having talked himself out. They […]
July 21, 1943
René’s journal entry for July 21, 1943… Coming into the harbor at Bizerte on the A.M. of the 20th, with the Captain running the ship, we scraped our propellers somewhere on the side of the channel, thus taking a chunk out of one of the propeller blades. Then the Captain turned […]
July 20, 1943
René’s journal entry for July 20, 1943… Got back after midnight July 16, and stayed in the outer harbor until morn, coming in around 8 A.M. Again we loaded up after the many hours it took to clean out our tank deck – what a time they had shoveling out the sand and the […]
July 17, 1943
July 17, 1943No. 48 Bizerte, Algeria (His parents think he is still in Casablanca) Dear Folksies, Yesterday I finally managed to get some mail from you, tho’ with the mail situation still messed up, I see that I’m missing one of Mom’s letters and some of Dad’s. All were certainly most welcome, as that […]
July 16, 1943
July 16, 1943No. 47 Bizerte, Algeria (His parents think he is still in Casablanca) Dear Folksies, Unfortunately there isn’t much that I can say at the present time, but nevertheless I wanted to get a brief note off to you to tell you that I’m still fine, never felt better. In fact, the only things […]
July 15, 1943
René’s journal entry for July 15, 1943… We got back finally late on the night of the 11th, the commander of the convoy having wandered around and taken longer than he should have — and we had to anchor out in the outer harbor, going in early on the morning of my birthday. The […]
July 12, 1943
July 12, 1943(René’s 28th birthday) No. 46 Bizerte, Algeria (His parents think he is still in Casablanca) Dear Folksies, Well, today it’s my birthday, and, in normal times I would be up there at Lake Tahoe with you celebrating it. I had at least hoped that I would be with Lois. But no, luck was […]
July 10, 1943
René’s journal entry for July 10, 1943… On the night of the July 8th and all during the day and night of the 9th, the weather was fierce — the water was rough and there was a 40- to 60-mile-an-hour gale blowing the whole time. I decided to spend most of my time on my […]
July 7, 1943
René’s journal entry for July 7, 1943… On the 7th, as we were completely loaded we had orders to go to the outer harbor and anchor, so I went up early to the 56th and found that three of our boys could come back to the ship, so I brought them back with me. […]
July 6, 1943
René’s journal entry for July 6, 1943… We had several air-raid alarms, generally one or even two a night, and some during the daytime, but nothing happened until the early morning of the July 6th. “General-Quarters” sounded around 4 A.M. and it wasn’t long before all hell broke loose. We were in at the […]
July 5, 1943
René’s journal entry for July 5, 1943… After the pontoons on our ship were hoisted on the sides, it became obvious that the ship I was on was really the experimental ship, for they started building a “flight-deck” for Piper-cub planes. They had to build this forward of the cabins and wheel house and […]
July 4, 1943
July 4, 1943No. 45 Bizerte, Algeria(His parents still think he is in Casablanca) Dear Folksies, Today being the 4th, I can remember “when” — when we were all much younger and everyone participated in the 4th of July games and contests on the lawn of the Feather River Inn — and then in the […]
June 29, 1943
June 29, 1943No. 44 Bizerte, Algeria(His parents still think he is in Casablanca) Dear Folksies, Please excuse the delay in writing – it has been unavoidable. I imagine that Lois has written to you in the interim, so that you haven’t been entirely without news from this side of the world. A couple […]
June 27, 1943
René’s journal entry for June 27, 1943… On the 27th, I took 3 of the trucks and the jeep in to the Ordnance office and turned them in. Then tried to find the dope on getting the men paid, but was unable to find anyone who knew anything about it. When I returned, I […]
June 26, 1943
René’s journal entry for June 26, 1943… On the 26th, we loafed around and I turned in the extra rations we had and the quartermaster equipment. I got to see some more of the town that way and found it all the same – a total wreck. That afternoon we went swimming at […]
June 25, 1943
René’s journal entry for June 25, 1943… On the last day the convoy didn’t leave so early, getting our start only at 7 A.M. From there on in we began to see plenty of interesting things — bomb craters, cemeteries, and German, Italian and British tanks, trucks, etc. wrecked by the side of the […]
June 24, 1943
René’s journal entry for June 24, 1943… June 24 we left bright and early at 5:25 A.M. Roy would always tell us the night before at what time we were expected to pull out and then, long before that time would arrive in the morning, he would be prancing around like a caged lion […]
June 23, 1943
René’s journal entry for June 23, 1943… Today we left even earlier, at 6:15 A.M. and I drove over the tough winding hills. There were really some tough ones, hair-pin turns and all. Of course, with those trucks and the load, one couldn’t go over 15 m.p.h. up any of those good inclines. With […]
June 22, 1943
René’s journal entry for June 22, 1943… June 22, we left at 6:25 A.M., and this was our shortest day, for we only traveled 205 miles, having gone 239 miles the second day. The reason we stopped early (4:40PM) this day was that we had some tough hills on the next stretch and we […]
June 21, 1943
René’s journal entry for June 21, 1943… Today we left at 7:00 A.M. and when we stopped for gas at 8:30 A.M., Roy went to a phone and soon who did we see coming towards us in an ambulance, but Paul Stratte. Gee, we were all sure glad to see him, and vice-versa. We […]
June 20, 1943
On June 20, 1943, René embarks on a secret mission with 10 other doctors and 33 enlisted men from the 59th Evac Unit. The group is dubbed “Cohn’s Courageous Commandos” in honor of its charismatic leader, Major Roy Cohn. The journal entry from Philip Westdahl (in today’s sidebar) describes what the rest of the unit […]
June 16, 1943
June 16, 1943No. 43 (continued) Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, Sunday we were kind of tired so we loafed in the A.M. and then went swimming in the afternoon. The water was swell, it was nice and hot, and we had a few coats of tan added to our already tanning bodies. Some of the […]
June 15, 1943
June 15, 1943No. 43 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, Right now, Lois and I are both in the Rec. Tent typing letters. She is, as usual, using my typer and I am using the Evac. Office typer. As you no doubt have noticed, I am having eee trouble. The ‘e’ on this typer persists in […]
June 12, 1943
June 12, 1943No. 42 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, I’ve been able to pick up a fairly good pair of sun-glasses at our PX but they are small and do not cover one’s eyes nearly as effectively as did our others. So, if you do find a good pair – wide ones – ‘twill be […]
June 9, 1943
June 9, 1943No. 41 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, Last Saturday we went on another shopping spree and Lois couldn’t resist a really beautiful hassock, so we decided to give it to each other for our birthdays. It is being sent to you, Mom, for safe-keeping (maroon and gold) along with a green one for […]
June 3, 1943
June 3, 1943No. 40 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, Yesterday afternoon we just sat round and talked, as I had to stick around and Lois was off duty. For the last two days she has not been working in the ward, as she is one of the few with good printing, and consequently Miss Diffley […]
June 2, 1943
June 2, 1943No. 39 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, Monday night we played some bridge with George Armanini and Bert Halter, and then with George and Bill Kuzell. Suffice it to say that our hands were fierce and we were most royally skunked. It wasn’t the playing, tho’ Bert pulled a nice one by bidding […]
May 30, 1943
May 30, 1943No. 38 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Pop, Today is Memorial Day and there are ceremonies nearby. The cannon for the 21-gun salute was very close to us and it felt as if the top of the tent was going to fly off each time they saluted thusly. We also had our own […]
May 29, 1943
May 29, 1943No. 36 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, So thrilled you liked the book cover, Mom. Perhaps we shall be able to pick up a few more odd things. However, the town has been picked over pretty well and prices have gone up pretty high. One has to do quite a bit of looking […]
May 27, 1943
May 27, 1943No. 35 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, The other night I figured up how much letter writing to you I have done while I was on the various services and it’s really indicative of the amount of work I had each time. The last two weeks of working in Supply my average was […]
May 25, 1943
May 25, 1943No. 34a Casablanca, Morocco Dearest Bobsy, Today we had a fine time at the beach – it was a beautiful sunny day with just the right amount of breeze and the beach wasn’t too crowded. In fact, about the only people there were 59ers. Only a few of the officers went this […]
May 24, 1943
May 24, 1943No. 34 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, It is now 8:30 P.M. and both of us are sitting here in the Rec tent with typers while most of the gang have gone to the show. But there is one table of bridge, with Drew, Bryner, Hamilton and Gerbode hard at it. We […]
May 23, 1943
May 23, 1943No. 33 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, Lois’ face is now all cleared up. She has just a tiny scar at the angle of her jaw. Apparently what happened was the bloomin’ grasshopper came down like a dive-bomber, colliding with Lois, leaving a small piece of one of its legs embedded in her […]
May 21, 1943
May 21, 1943No. 32 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, Last night there was an “All Negro Revue” put on out in our area. The master of ceremonies, a colored boy who used to perform at the Cotton Club in New York, was the best of the bunch with all his side-cracks. They had a couple […]
May 20, 1943
May 20, 1943No. 31a Casablanca, Morocco Dearest Bobsy, On the night of the 17th, there was quite a party – all the medical gangs from this neck of the woods. Everyone all dressed up, i.e. all except the persons for whom the party was given. They appeared in sun-tan uniforms with field jackets on, […]
May 17, 1943
May 17, 1943No. 31 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, The party the other night was given at another school — this one occupied by some nurses from another outfit. They had a nice large room and we had a good eight-piece band. Sgt. Sateja put on his act which as usual went over big. That […]
May 14, 1943
May 14, 1943No. 30 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, It has been pretty darn hot, and as Dad’s old saying goes: “the heat was not in the houses, but intense and in-tents.” With the sides of the tents rolled up and sitting on the side of the tent away from the sun, it isn’t so […]
May 10, 1943
May 10, 1943No. 29 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, Yes, Mom, Lois gets her share of razzing, both on and off her ward. It goes on continually in one form or another, but as you have guessed, it doesn’t bother us – in fact, we get a big kick out of it – especially when […]
May 9, 1943
May 9, 1943No. 28 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, Yesterday A.M. we got the news of the fall of Tunis and Bizerte and as it was apparently “Joan of Arc Day,” there was plenty of rejoicing in town. Some of the boys said that they went into town and ordered beer at a place they […]
May 8, 1943
May 8, 1943No. 27 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, Having written #25 and #26 yesterday, I am writing this and enclosing some pictures. They include: an Arab mother and child; Lois and Sgt. Heath in ward, “working”; Gert Brazil, me and “Bonnie Blue Eyes,” our prize jeep; and Arabian drummer “boys”. Loads of love, . Next […]
May 7, 1943
May 7, 1943No. 25 & 26 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, Not having much to do at the moment and just sitting in the Receiving Tent awaiting the slow flow of patients, and there being a typer handy, I figured that this is a good time to get a little note off to you. My […]
May 5, 1943
May 5, 1943No. 24 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, Since last writing my mouth has cleared up rapidly and now I have only one little tiny patch up around the same left upper molar that has been giving me trouble from time to tome. I am feeling swell now, no longer have any gastritis and […]
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 […]
March 30, 1943
March 30, 1943Continuation of No. 18 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself at Solari’s. Naturally we are longing for the time when we will be able to saunter in there also and get a taste of their wonderful cooking. But in the meantime, we aren’t doing so bad at all. What […]
March 29, 1943
March 29, 1943No. 18 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, I am taking the afternoon off and am over in the recreation tent, rather warm, but nevertheless not too uncomfortable. Lois is here doing the same – i.e. writing an occasional letter. Reasons for the afternoons off: For about the last week Lois was running a […]
March 25, 1943
March 25, 1943Continuation of No. 17 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, I have been kept darn busy during the last week or 10 days. Yes, I’ve got many more patients than I had in Ward 16 at the County. Mostly mumps and Victory Measles; a few true measles, a couple of meningococcemias (without meningitis), a […]
March 24, 1943
March 24, 1943No. 17 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, Since my last letter, I have been kept awfully busy and consequently have ended up in the evening pretty tired and unable to sit down and pound out any letters to you. The one day when I did have some time and could have written a […]
March 13, 1943
March 13, 1943Continuation of No. 16 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, Last Sunday, Fran Trembley, Pat Barry, two friends of theirs and Lois and I went out for the afternoon. We went to a place where, by golly, there was a waterfall and a cave very much like the Oregon Caves, only smaller and not […]
March 12, 1943
March 12, 1943No. 16 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, Tonight has been finally set aside for letter writing and I hope that it will actually turn into a letter writing night, instead of all good intentions going to h____ as they have in the past. I’m thrilled that the mail gets through as well […]
March 5, 1943
March 5, 1943No. 15 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, Things have been pretty busy for me the last few days, as my second ward got filled up in a hurry and I was temporarily swamped. Have had a few interesting cases, including a meningococcus meningitis, a couple of peptic ulcers, some bronchopneumonias, a true lobar […]
March 2, 1943
March 2, 1943No. 14 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, In a few days I will undoubtedly be sending you another money order for $100. Money seems to collect around here, as there isn’t a great deal of use for it. About $75 comes in cash each month, and I can’t possibly spend it all, even […]
February 27, 1943
February 27, 1943 No. 11 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, There is nothing particularly new today except that Lois got all the mail in the family for today, receiving three from her mother and one from you, Mom. The latter was the one in which you tell all about meeting the nurse whom we knew […]
February 24, 1943
February 24, 1943Continuation of No. 10 Casablanca, Morocco Dear Folksies, The hospital gets larger day by day, with medical patients being in the majority. For a week I worked on a surgical ward and was on call for anesthesia, but the medical service got swamped and consequently Paul Stratte and I were shifted over […]