The young soldier above is not identified in this snapshot except by an address: "70 Pratt Street, 1943." The photo appears to have been taken at his base.
Although African-American soldiers in World War II faced extraordinary discrimination, particularly northern African-American soldiers assigned to bases in the South, PFC Ralph Campbell writes below in the Buffalo Criterion newspaper from his base in Westover, MA in a playful vein. His unit, the 35th, was a support unit attached to the Army Air Force.
(From the The Buffalo Criterion, January 15, 1943)
The Army Takes Over
By PFC Ralph Campbell
Hello dear readers of the Buffalo Criterion! Take special care and read the latest from Westover Field, an air base of the United States Army.
They say that it never gets very cold up here in the New England states. It was 30 below zero last week. It's a good thing that we come from a "freezing" town - Buffalo, where we are just used to taking it.
History was made out here New Years Even when a popular soldier named Pvt. Oscar Rounds was married to a lovely little lady from Buffalo, Miss Rosabell Williams, on the post area. It was the first of its kind insofar as Westover Field is concerned. The company responded to the "brave" act by wishing him all the luck in the world, and naming him the "pioneer of the 35th." It must frankly be admitted that Rounds has courage. He got married... It seems to us that there must be an epidemic of "matrimony" circulating around the camp. Within the past week no less than six of Uncle Sam's best went and did that thing. The grapevine stretches long and keeps winding, and it tells us that there will soon be a few more. A certain few "playboys" from the home town might be in that list, but of course one never knows, does one... We know but we would never tell you.... I received a fine letter from a lovely brownskin beauty recently, and she asked me to tell her what the soldiers talk about most of the time. Well, I told her, but it was very embarrassing. I don't ever intend to do it again, at least not like this last time.
Christmas was such a sad day for the Buffalo soldiers. A few got home such as Sgt. Mitchell Simpkins, Pvt. Herb Tillman(PFC), and a few others. Outside of a little exaggerated spirit in the afternoon when the USO in Springfield presented us all with some welcomed Christmas gifts, it was a sad camp. Believe me when I tell you! ... General Bass (Corp.) had two or three on his mind, Pvt. Leon Edwards had three or four on his mind, and I had 5 or 6 in mine (?). Pvt. Oscar Rounds had but one, but he had the beginning of his troubles to think about. We are referring to the feminine sex of course.
The papers tell us that there is a big draft coming soon. It includes the 18, 19, 20 year olds and the half married men. This really leaves the women in a pitiful state. Tough, tough! But they need not have any fear, for when we fall in for furloughs, we will make up for lost time. Are you ready, willing and able? ... PFC Henry Barbour says that he is well acquainted with Vashti Sylvahn. He is quite a lad... Corporal Richard Tobitt suffered slight injuries in a recent crash, but this old New York City slicker is up and around again. He is not as good as of old yet, but it is only a matter of time.
In a previous column, we made a plea in ernest, and now it is almost in desparation -- won't somebody please write to a soldier named Pvt. Henry Waymer. If something isn't done soon, I fear the result... Almost as bad as the case of Pvt. James Pigford, a Lackawanna lad, and big Sherwood Smith.It makes us wonder what these soldiers "put down" when they were in civilian life. They must not have been on any kind of time... On second thought, who, if you can dig what we mean... The fact still remains that Pvt. Clyde Hudson, former gallavanter of the "turf" received more mail than anyone scope in the camp... Pvt. Leon "Disney" Edwards plays Hartford in all styles, from the "rogue" to the "digney" ... It is lovely, little town, take it from us, variety truly is the spice of life...Once again, yours truly takes time out: this is for his "heart and soul," - "Keep cool, the world is before us!" ...Oscar Tidwell wants to be known, especially to his many friends in business on Main Street, and to the many women of his affections that is fighting for them and them only.
The Army really changes a man. If you're tough you get tougher. If you've never cussed before, you'll cuss now. If you've never gambled before, you'll gamble now. If you never were the serious type, you'll get serious now (confinement beats you). If you were quiet, you'll get noisy. If you're an athlete, you'll have to prove it. If you're a "creep," you can't hide it anymore, and your personal business becomes a thing of the past, it's everybody's business.... We don't say it's true all the time, but the majority of times, it is.
[ed note: all punctuation, including ellipses, are the writer's.]
