Camp McCoy in the Words of My Uncle: POST FORTY-SIX ( Riots:Times Never Change) 22 June 1943

June 22, 1943

Tuesday

Dear Mother and All the Folks,

It sure has been a hot day here, also hot this evening. I just ran a patch through my rifle (cleaning the barrel of a gun) then took a shower and here I am soaking wet. I can wipe the water off my face. Guess, I wrote you a heck of a letter last night but I sure wish I was home. It's not so much the hard work because I can take it as well as the other fellow. I'm just a damn Yankee and you can bet your life I wish I was with a bigger bunch of Yankees.

Maybe you have read about the riot in Detroit, people killed, hurt, in jail. They called out the soldiers. The 9th Infantry from here was sent at 1 o'clock last night. The 9th Infantry and the 15th Field Artillery make up a combat team. (Uncle Charlie is in the 15th Field Artillery) My Outfit is on the alert if things get any worse we'll be called next.

Here is all I've heard all day. Those Southern boys keep saying. You Yankees may be smart but you don't know a damn thing about niggers. A nigger is a G.D. ^#@&@@&^ nigger no matter how you look at him. You Yankees can kiss their ass if you want too. I'd shoot every black B---- I could. etc.--etc.-- I guess there were a few Negros mixed up in that riot. (Some things seem to never change. I wrote the letter as my uncle wrote it. This is what others were telling him. It is NOT what he believed about African-Americans. )

(My uncle will mention numbers on some pictures. Sadly, we have not found those pictures.) I'm sending you a clipping of some of the things we went through in training. Notice the numbers on each picture in ink. No 1 is wrong, that is about 5 sticks but right near them is a small trench and when they set off a big charge you duck into the trench because of falling rocks. I was right there when 32 sticks went off at once. It sure did tear up the barbed wire entanglement. They are in a long pipe end for end. Slid it under the wire. Talk about keeping low, in picture #6 you almost eat the dirt. As you crawl (in picture #6) you head toward machine guns like in picture #3. One of my buddies got caught in the wire fence while on his back, that's the way you go under a fence. He turned his head and saw me, called out, damn the luck - Knight - crawl over my way and help me out. I had to go out of my way a little and believe me I wanted to get out from under that hell but I may need help someday so over I crawled, he had both feet caught. I gave him a hand, we passed a few words of cheer, joke, made believe laugh. He went under the rest of the way and I followed after that. I had to change my course again. You can see the men in picture #6. I was closer than the man marked "X" in picture #4. ( about 5 feet away from the edge of the hole when two sticks went off. Gee, did it give me a headache. The ground just bounced under my stomach. Did I put my head into the ground and wait. The dirt just rained down for what seemed 5 minutes. No rocks fell so on I went. I have a little arrow pointing to the soldiers in a fox hole in picture #9. Can you make them out? What a hot flame. I can not tell you any more about that picture. Now don't worry. It's all over and I'm O.K. If you do as you're told you can make it. Please keep the clipping.

We each have some brand new rifles. It's up to us to keep them clean. If an officer should ever come through and off hand look at a rifle and it wasn't clean boy oh boy - too bad - K.P. or what not. You see why I ran a patch through my rifle before writing.

Has Mr. Mains bought Phil Knight's place yet? Ha! Ha! Thanks for sending the clothes, Mom. Anything makes home seem a little closer. What's this (he drew 3 pigs) ? Don't look too close it may be bad for the eyes. (It's not three guns) Ha Ha.

You're right, Ma, Dad's a pretty good old scout and so have you been to him. I always said you could take a dollar and make it into $5.00. Tell Dad to keep up his courage. It's getting a little cooler here now.

I'm glad your letter to-night told me you were feeling good. It must have been a little poison in your system.

Have you got your package? Hope you like it. Not much to choose from.

I just went over a couple of your letters and guess I'm caught up on the answers to your questions. Also guess this will be quite a letter if I keep on. I'm going to send the clippings separate.

Pauline wrote she's sick with a cold. She's been sick about all winter.

Clarence Hanscom came over to-night. Said he had been home. Couldn't get much out of him except it was so dead he was glad to get back. That's not me I'm sure. Said he saw Eugene in Westbrook. He did say he guess Eugene missed me a lot.(brother)

Wish he would have talked more. Keep up hopes I may get home. I'll let you know after I start by telegram.

I kept thinking about Helen last night. (His first girlfriend he has never got over.) Has she been up to see you? Wish I could learn how her mother is.

Well, Mother, guess I won't start another sheet. Give my love to all. Best wishes to Helen and Joe. Tell brother to be good and keep a strong chin. It's hard now but someday --. Don't let Dad out late at night.

Love Mother Dear

Son Charles

P.S. forgot sister, here is my friend's address.

Miss. Marian G. Schedler

420 Vine Street

LaCrosse, Wisconsin

June 20-22, 1943 Detroit Riots: 34 killed, 700 injured

Detroit Race Riots 1943

Two U.S. Army soldiers (one of them not in uniform) helped a badly beaten black man get away from a hostile white mob in downtown Detroit during the 1943 Detroit race riot, June 21.