October 14, 1943
Storrs, Connecticut
Dear Folks,
I’m only dropping you this “jeep” cause I haven’t got time to write a full length letter. Got to get on my homework. And what homework!! Right now I have issued to me 10 books with two more to come.
Every subject is going to be tough. Especially the math & physics. What we take up in one hour normally takes up from one to two weeks in high school. That trigonometry sure is hard, but I’m getting a little help from some of the fellows. Physics, which is probably the most important subject, has the worst teachers, in the opinion of the last cycle & I confirm it.
Everybody takes for granted that you should know the stuff right away. In the last cycle, out of 400, 150 flunked out. I got a bunch of mail tonight but I don’t see how I’ll ever get it answered, cause they give us homework over the weekend, too. This is all the time I can afford.
Love,
Ben
About Me
- Pfc Benjamin Kaplow
- In 1943 I was drafted into World War 11 right out of Madison High School, Rochester, NY. This is my story as told in the letters I wrote home. They’re all here, all 192 of them. Spend some time with me as I describe my experiences in basic training and then off to war. They were written in an attempt to help me feel close to my family and to let them know what was going on in my life. It’s the first time I was away from home and I have to confess that I was homesick. My folks were Esther and Jacob Kaplow. We were four children in this order: Arnette, Ruth, Bob, and myself.
Tough Subjects
Ben is at the University of Connecticut for the Army Specialized Training Program. The program covers a number of subjects in a very short period of time, a big challenge for a June high school graduate without any background in one or more of the subjects.
Take It Easy!
Ben is at the University of Connecticut for A.S.T.P. school which is the Army Specialized Training Program. Link over to his website to listen to the ASTP song from "Take It Easy" musical about WW11.
October 7, 1943
Storrs, Connecticut
Wednesday
Dear Folks,
(That’s as far as I got before chow sounded). Speaking of chow, we still can’t get over the good food and atmosphere in which we eat. Leather chairs instead of benches, not having to wait for the command “eat” before we pitched in, a bottle of milk every meal, a napkin, jelly & butter, not having to dip our dishes (& hands) in greasy soapy water, getting another napkin after taking our tray to a disposal table. That second napkin astounded us. Oh, this is heaven. You can take that star out of the window, I’m not in the Army, at least not until Monday.
We started out today by getting up at quarter to seven after having a beautiful night’s sleep on a nice thick mattress. Then we had about an hour of close order drill, without rifles. That’s all we did all morning. In the afternoon we had a couple of lectures on history with a couple of international professors. The rest of the time was spent walking around the campus or in the College Store which has a fountain, toilet articles, etc. There’s also a post office connected to it.
Oh, I forgot to mention that there are about 850 friendly women here. We were talking with some of them in the Store & on the Campus. Probably won’t have much time after school starts. After I write some cards notifying people of my address, I’m going out for a while. There are also about 850 A.S.T.P. men here with about 200-300 4-F’s.
How about hunting around for a razor for me. My G.I. is made of plastic & is beginning to stink. Something on the order of Bob’s or anything you can get. These buildings remind me of the University of Rochester. Same type. They’ve got a beautiful library here, too. Well, haven’t got anything else to write about, so
Love,
Ben
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