"i Sure Wish This Dam Thing Was Over": The WWII Letters and Experiences of Private Carl E. Meyers

This book outlines the World War II experiences of Carl E. Meyers, an Ohio man, from registering for the draft in 1940 to fighting in the European Theater of Operations in 1944. A large part of the book is the letters Meyers wrote home from his basic training and from Europe. This volume traces his military experiences from 1940 to 1944, showing how an average American went through registering for the draft, being drafted, basic training, and combat during World War II.

The primary theme is an examination of the ordeals of a common, everyday American draftee, Carl E. Meyers, as he experienced World War II. He registered for the draft when the Selective Service Act passed in 1940, and surprisingly enough was drafted in 1944; his being selected was surprising because he was a Pre-Pearl Harbor father and Selective Service tried not to draft those men. He experienced the boredom and monotony of basic training in a state far from home, and after completing his training was shipped to Europe and fought in that theater, in General George S. Patton’s 3rd Army. In Europe he again experienced the mundane of waiting for his unit to be sent into combat, which happened in the November 1944 offensive. He was killed in that campaign, making the ultimate sacrifice for his country.