From Curtis LeMay Biography (2)

1. None of the time-honored Army traditions addressed themselves to such a situation. No framework had been set up to solve such problems. “It seemed like this whole enterprise would evaporate, diffuse into space any moment. Or worse than that: descent into a dragged-out, incompetent future.” There was a war in progress and he was a soldier. His whole career had supposedly trained him for war. Would he ever see it?

- dragged-out: 시간을 질질 끄는, 필요한 것보다 오래 걸리는

- Would he ever see it?: 여기서 it은 'war'를 의미한다. '그가 전쟁을 보게 될까?(참여하게 될까?)'

 

2. As if his spirits weren’t low enough at this time, he received a letter from his younger brother, Leonard, a sophomore at Ohio State who had been drafted shortly after Pearl Harbor and sent to Engineers’ Officer Candidate School.

볼드 처리 직역: 그의 기분(정신 상태)이 충분히 가라앉지 않았던 것처럼 (à 부정의 강조, 역설적인 표현)

즉, 이 문장은 “그의 기분이 충분히 좋지 않았는데, 그는 남동생으로부터 편지를 받아 더 기분이 좋지 않았다.”는 의미이다.

 

3. He was now a second lieutenant, already in northern Ireland, prepared for the invasion of Europe. “When in hell are you going to get here?” he wrote. But here he was in Wendover, Utah. Even trench warfare would be preferable.

여기서 마지막 문장은, 끔찍한 참호전이라도 지금은 반가울 참이었다 정도의 뉘앙스.

 

4. While trying to find a way of this desperate dilemma, he had the additional bad luck to secure a room in the State Line Hotel, so once again he sent for Helen and, once again, long-suffering Army wife that she was, she came with Janie on one of those above described trains, this time to scenic Wendover.

- 그는 State Line Hotel에 방을 얻는, (겉보기에는 행운 같지만) 불운을 겪었다.

- Send for: -을 불러들이다 (편지나 연락으로)

- 그는 헬렌을 다시 불러들였고, 다시, 오래 고통받아온 군인의 아내인 Helen은, Janie와 함께 왔다.

- 이 ‘경치좋은 Wendover’로: 살기 힘든 Wendover를 비꼬는 표현.

 

5. In June 1942, he took over a group of his own, the 305th, which had already been organized, in a manner of speaking. Within three months, the 305th had seen three commanding officers come and go. Its staff and squadron officers were being moved back and forth from job to job like chess pieces.

- in a manner of speaking: 말하자면

- squadron: 여러 대의 비행기와 조종사로 구성된 공군의 비행 중대

 

6. Since the group, whatever there might be of it, was camped out near Salt Lake City, the LeMays packed their bags one more time, said farewell to Wendover and its State Line Hotel, and set out across the Great Salk Lake Desert.

- whatever there might be of it: 그것(it, 여기서는 the group)이 뭐가 되었든 간에

 

Cf. She gave him her trust, whatever there was of it. 그녀는 그에게 신뢰를 주었어—그게 있다면 말이야.

He brought a cake—what was left of it. 그는 케이크를 가져왔어—남은게 있다면 말이지. (남은 것 전부를. 그게 있다면 말이지.)

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어떤 곳일지 궁금해서 찾아본, Wendover의 State Line Hotel.

제작되어 판매된 엽서에서 보이는 전경 사진이다.

 

아래 사진은 19600년의 것.

 

이 아래가 1940년의 것이라고 하니, 르메이의 아내 헬렌이 묵은 곳은 이런 모습에 가까웠을 것 같다.