The Free Newsletter of the
314th Infantry Association of WWII
314usa.org
By Joseph Piekunka, Webmaster, Board Member

 April 2021

Articles

  1. 2021 Reunion Information
  2. We Will Soon Eliminate Postal Mailings
  3. 314 Face Masks
  4. Please Share Your Father’s War Stories
  5. This Free Newsletter Is Sent Only Four Times Each Year  


1. 2021 Reunion Information

The 2021 joint reunion with the 314th and 315th Infantry associations will be held at the Charleston/Mt. Pleasant, SC Doubletree by Hilton October 21-24.  Each year the two associations take turns organizing the reunion – this year’s reunion is being planned by the 315th.  More information will be forthcoming in future newsletters, on Facebook, and on our website.  The most current information will be posted here.


2. We Will Soon Eliminate Postal Mailings

Since the great majority of our members have email, and since postal mailings are both costly and sometimes ineffective (when members move and don’t give us their new address), the 314th Board has decided to rely mostly on email, Facebook and our website for communications.  Those who do not have email can remain on our limited postal mailing list by writing to us.  Everone must either complete a short form  or write us a note by May 31, 2021 to remain on our contact lists.  Those without direct email access (or access via a family member) should write a short note to: Joseph Piekunka, 9 Kellogg Road, Cortland, NY 13045  by May 31 asking to remain on our postal mailing list.


3. 314 Face Masks

The active 314th at Fort Dix, NJ has a special 314 mask with the unit’s Falcon emblem.  They are made by a spouse of a 314th service member and are for sale for $10.  Please consider supporting a military family by purchasing a mask.  (U.S. Army families move every 2-3 years and make many other sacrifices to support their soldier in service to our nation.)  For a picture and to purchase a mask, please follow this link https://forms.gle/LRg8T4B4qftmJLrTA


4. Please Share Your Father’s War Stories

Our fathers and grandfathers told us much about the war.  Most of our veterans are gone now, but their stories do not need to die with them.  In each newsletter, we will attempt to share your veteran’s stories.  If you do not like to write and would like to relay your story by phone, please send us an email with your phone number to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   We will call you and take your story over the phone.  Stories should be kept short and do not need to be about combat.  The stories can be about any wartime related activity.  Below is our first attempt at recording and relaying their stories.

Military Life When Not in Battle - Field Showers, by Joseph Piekunka

Dad told his sons how the soldiers would clean themselves while in the field.

- a truck would pull up with two tanks of water, one heated, one not heated
- men would form a U-shaped line around the sides & rear of the truck, nude of course, and no curtains
- a man on the truck bed would pour one bucket of warm water on each soldier in line
- the soldiers would wash & shampoo while the next soldier would be getting a bucket of warm water
- when everyone had gotten wet, the man on the truck would go back to the first soldier
- the first soldier who had by now shampooed & washed would then get one bucket of cold water
- as men finished rinsing off, they would form a new line to get deloused with DDT powder, still nude
- often they would also get shots in their butts to keep them healthy during battle
- they were told what each shot was for, except there was one mysterious shot that was a military secret
- we surmised that shot may have been steroids; dad said no one ever got sick, even in winter
- they had no field showers during winter. Captured buildings with showers were used during winter
- sometimes in friendly nations they would bathe in homes just liberated. This was rare, and the liberated villages would have to freely agree to take in soldiers for a bath and maybe a hot meal.

Do you have a war story your father told you? Please keep it short and email it to:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   Longer stories would be posted at our website with a short reference in our newsletter.


5. This Free Newsletter Is Sent Only Four Times Each Year

Would you like to subscribe to our free newsletter?  You would not be bombarded with numerous emails.  We limit email messages to four times each year for subscribers. (314th members may receive one or two additional email messages each year.)  To subscribe, click here and give us your name and email address.  If you would like to become a member, click here to complete a form.  There are no dues associated with completing the form.

Resources

314th Facebook      https://www.facebook.com/314thInfantryAssociation/
315th Facebook      https://www.facebook.com/315thinfantryregimentwwii/
Friends of the 79th  https://www.facebook.com/groups/301455523233899/
79th Div. of WWII    https://www.facebook.com/79thInfantryDivisionWWII/