CEDAR COUNTY, NEBRASKA - PVT. JAMES SUDBBECK TELLS ABOUT SOLDIER'S LIFE IN SICILY; ATTEMPTS TO LEARN ITALIAN ==================================================================== NEGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the NEGenWeb Archives by Kristi Bergman Lam. Permission granted by: Rob Dump, Editor, Cedar County News ====================================================================== NOTE: TWO ARTICLES APPEAR BELOW. NOTE: [...] DENOTES TEXT NOT LEGIBLE DUE TO CRIMPS IN PAPER. PVT. JAMES SUDBECK TELLS ABOUT SOLDIER'S LIFE IN SICILY; ATTEMPTS TO LEARN ITALIAN EDITOR'S NOTE--Some of the incidents in the life of a soldier in Sicily are told in the following letter which was written by Pvt. James Sudbeck to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. A.F. Sudbeck of Hartington. The letter was written on an Italian typewriter. Pvt. Sudbeck is recovering from a recent operation at an army hospital. "The dust is surely awful around here. It is impossible to keep clean or even try. Right here where we sleep the dust is about five inches deep. Every time a vehicle is driven over [...] dust that you can't see for a few minutes after it has passed. Maybe when the rainy season starts we will wish we had some of that dust. I guess a soldier is never satisfied. I don't believe any of us will be until this is all over. "I met an old [...] in town here and every time he sees me he invites me in and between his dictionary and his [...] English we get along fairly well. [...] are really nice. I was with an Italian family the other day and they were trying to teach me to speak Italian and every time I said a word they would [...] must have sounded very funny. Some of these words I could never pronounce. There are a few words from my old Latin that I took in school that are the same, so I can catch the general drift of what they are trying to say. "They do everything backwards, it seems to me. When they want a horse to go faster they say "whoa," and when they want him to stop they say "giddup." They do lots of things that seem strange and funny to us. "It seems that all the natives want to come to the United States. I even had one come up and ask me how he could get to the U.S. now. I told him I would like to know myself. [...] they have to live for here. "[...]hold of a German pro[...] and are trying to make a ring out of it. It is good material for this. Of course we get ahold of a lot of strange things. "This place is sure full of flies and fleas. I'm bit up so that I look like I'm covered with scars. But I hope that is all the scars I get. "I haven't much to complain about because I'm not the only folk's son who is over here even going through lots worse than I am. Every day it seems like you can see someone who is worse off than yourself. What would make me mad would be to hear a soldier [...] in the states say he had it tough. There isn't anything rough over there like it is here. However, we get three square meals a day and bread that tastes like cake and a smoke once in a while. So you see, we are okay. We also have our fun as far as that is possible here. They are even setting up shows for us now. "The more you stop to think of things the more you realize that we are very lucky to be from the country we call home. If you don't believe me just ask any guy who was over here. He will tell you the same thing. I don't care where you go you will find no place that is anywhere equal to the U.S. for [...] soldiers that get better treamtment than us. You should see the modern hospital they have set up here in tents. They are kept clean and nice and they can take care of any kind of an operation. "It is almost [...] and I have two months pay coming me. I was away and didn't get to sign the payroll last month. We have little use for money [...] care it [...] though [...] owe about [...] which I [...] when I bought this watch. And then I have to donate a little money [...] Of course where [...] soldiers you find those dice." SIX MEN ORDERED REPORT FOR ARMY INDUCTION OCT. 21 Six Cedar county men have been ordered to report at the Omaha induction station October 21 for their final physical examinations to determine whether they are qualified for military service. The men who have been ordered to report are: William E. Bottolfsen, Jerome M. Dreesen and Marvin G. Noecker of Hartington; Ralph H. Boeckman of St. Helena; Doyle L. Hattig of Laurel, and Robert K. Keegan of Wynot. OCTOBER 14, 1943 CEDAR COUNTY NEWS