Calisthenics & Vollyball
Wed. Nov. 3, 1943
9:25 p.m.
Dear folks,
Here I am in the usual place but a little earlier tonight. First of all I better finish yesterday’s letter. I forgot to tell you I got my laundry yesterday. You may have wondered about it but I never thought of it until I got back to the dorm last night. Anyway I got it O.K. and everything was all right. I got to bed at about 10:45 I guess last night. I was up at 5:30 and back in bed after reveille. I slept until breakfast. I had scrambled eggs, toast, butter, jam, oatmeal, milk and an apple. After breakfast I made my bed, swept & straightened stuff up until it was time to clean up the latrine. You will have a pretty good sized laundry this time – especially socks & hankies. I’ve really run through the hankies but I’m glad to say my nose has about quit running. I have 8 clean ones to last until these get back so I may have to rinse some out Sunday. At 8 we went to Analyt. The stuff we are on now is awful. It’s not too hard but it takes so doggone long to do it. I got the problem O.K. that we did last time. At 9 we had study. I finished today’s Analyt. & started on tomorrows. At 10 we had P.T. – calisthenics & volleyball. At 11 we had Geog. I was really surprised but I got 100 on my last test. At the beginning the[re] were about 6 guys with 100 averages. I’m the last one now. My roommate is second with 99. At 12 we ate – potatoes, beans, salad, bread, butter, milk and cake. At 1 we had Military and a lot of junk on moving a column of troops, etc, At 2 we had more P.T. – Calisthenics and volleyball (as if you couldn’t guess it). At 3 we had Physics. He tried to prove a formula but I (and some others after I started it) tripped him up and we didn’t get very far. He had a beautiful system and it got him where he wanted to go I guess only it wasn’t right. It was based on an incorrect assumption. Maybe I shouldn’t but I get a big kick in arguing him down. He’s too positive of what he does. I seldom argue unless I think I’m right and if I see I’m wrong I shut up. So far this term I’ve won every argument or shall we say discussion (so far). At 4 we came back to the dorm. I read my Chem. & started on my Problems. All I got at today’s mail call was a letter from Bernice. I guess you’re right. By the time I get around to write again I’ll have just as many people to write to. For supper I had potatoes, beets, sliced toms, bread, butter, milk, & 2 rolls. At about 6, Helle & some of us played around with the football for awhile. I suppose I should spend the time more profitably but then I like to pull out of the books once in awhile. At 7 we came here. I finished my Chem. prob. for Sat. & spent the rest of the time doing 4 Analyt. prob. I got one in 20 minutes that one of our analytical genii failed to get. He worked for over an hour & got the wrong answer & quit. I found out my Physics grade tonight so here they are. They are good now but I hate to think of what final exams will do to them – especially Hist. & Physics. I finally pulled up to an A in Physics but I imagine it’s a low one. I guess that covers it all for today. Maybe I’ll think of more after I seal this but for tonight
So long
Love
Sonny
Analytics -A
Chemistry -A (98)
Physics -A
Geography -A (100)
English -A (199 out of 200)
History -B (220 out of 246)
We’re On The Way Down Now
Wednesday Oct. 27, 1943
7:10 p.m.
Dear folks,
I’ll dash this off and then get going on history for tomorrow’s test until I get sleepy and then go to bed. I went back at about 10:30 last night, took a shower and went to bed. I was up at 5:20 and we fell out for reveille at 5:30. When we came back in I slept until breakfast – farina, toast, butter, jam, milk, and an apple. Then I made my bed, swept and slept until we left for class at 8. He decided to give us our Analyt. test on Fri. instead of tomorrow which will help a lot. Now we just have 2, History & English tomorrow. The English I’m not even studying for as it’s just on parts of speech and constructions and if I don’t know that stuff now I never will. At 9 we had study & I got tomorrow’s Analyt. out of the way. At 10 we went back for P.T. We had calisthenics, and then played volleyball. At 11 we had Geog. We get a test there Fri. but they usually aren’t hard and I have a 100 average so anything above 85 will be O.K. At 12 we ate – potatoes, green beans, salad, bread, butter, milk, and a cupcake. At 1 we had Military. We spent most of the time discussing that test we had last week. I managed to get my minus 16 points cut to 12 ½ which was just under the wire for a B. That was really close. Then we spent the rest of the time on night operations. At 2 we had P.T. – more calisthenics & volleyball. At 3 we had Physics and that test. That was really tough. From what I hear, I had the easier of the 2 tests but it was still pretty hard. There were 28 questions but 8 were stuff we hadn’t had so we left them out. Of the 20 that were left I was doubtful about 4 or 5. I know one was wrong and I may have slipped on some others too. I imagine I’m well up with class average but if he grades on a percentage basis the grades are all going to be pretty low. At 4 we came back to the dorm and argued out our mistakes until mail call. I got yours & dad’s Sunday letter. I read it and then we went to supper – potatoes, beets, salad, bread, butter, milk & a roll. After supper at about 6:15 Ferd & I went out and batted the tennis balls around awhile. He got himself a racquet from Bill Anderson so we were breaking it in. It gets dark early now. Once that sun starts dropping it really goes fast. At 7 we came to study and here I am. It’s 15 to 8 and I still have about 130 pages of History to run through. I’ve been giving Helle a list of the Presidents, the length of their term & dates of election at the same time I have been writing this. I was surprised I could remember them all so well. It’s been about 2 years since I last learned that for John Brisbin’s final exam in U.S. History. Wow. That’s been a rugged 2 years. All but the last 10 months was good too. Well this is the usual week day note. I may not send any laundry Sat. because I won’t have much and also I want to go to the Texas A&M game if it’s a decent day. Civilians get Sat. off as its Homecoming Day but not us. Well I guess this will be it for tonight. We’re on the way down now – Only 5 ½ more weeks. I think this term is going a little faster.
Until next time,
Love,
Sonny
Today I am a Man (?)
Thursday, October 14, 1943
6:15 p.m.
Dear folks,
I’ll start this while I wait for chow. Well today finishes 21 and starts number 22. Today I am a man (?). I don’t feel a doggone bit different than yesterday so that is that. For some reason I didn’t get any of the packages tonight. You’ll get this on Mon. along with my Fri. letter so if I get it tomorrow it won’t give you a chance to worry. I can’t see where it is though as your letters have been fast all week. I got Tues. letter postmarked yesterday morning, tonight. There must be some reason but it ought not to take 5 days. Well if you read this letter first you stop here & tear open Friday’s to see if I got them then.
I got to bed as soon as I quit writing last night. I was up at 5:30, out for reveille and back to bed until breakfast. My eyes were stiff & tired when I got up and I’ve had a half headache all day. I’ve looked forward to mail call all day too and that sort of let me down a little. For breakfast I had oatmeal, milk, toast, butter & grapefruit juice. After breakfast I swept & made my bed and slept until about 20 to 8. At 8 we went to Analyt. but I can’t say I learned a great deal. At 9 we had a Physics test. He gave us 5 problems – I got 3 right, one pretty close so he’ll probably count it. On the other one I did it right all the way through to the end and then what do I do? I multiply 6 by 2 and get 16. That really burned me up. I still got as well as anyone in the class according to what they all say then did but he doesn’t seem to grade on class average. My method was right, I just made a foolish mistake in arithmetic. He should give me some credit for it but he may not. He is sort of hard to predict. After that I was really disgusted. I can study all night and it won’t eliminate those kind of mistakes. In fact I think it helps cause them. I’m not getting enough sleep to really be on my toes like I should. At 10 we went to Chem. Lect. There’s the usual test there Sat. and 10 problems to do. At 11 we had study. I worked on Analyt. I don’t know what will happen on that test tomorrow. We are going so fast it’s hard to know what I do & don’t know. I could spend 2 hrs. on it every night if I had the time but I haven’t got it. Then we ate dinner – potatoes, cauliflower, salad, bread, butter, milk, & peach cobbler. It sure wasn’t what I’d have been eating if I were at home. I came back about 12:10. I started to sleep but I was afraid of a test in History so I got one Chap. read during my noon hour. It was a good thing I did. We discussed 2 chap. and then he gave us a 50 question test. Most of the questions were on the chapter I read. The rest I answered from what he said in class or I already knew from before as I hadn’t read the last 2 chap. I’m pretty sure I didn’t miss more than 10 and maybe less. If I hadn’t read what I did it would have been too bad. I hope I did as well as I think I did but maybe I’m kidding myself. I’m sick of this driving for last minute tests. It’s not my way but I can’t seem to get away from it. Well time out for supper and from there we go to study (6:45).
Back at 9:15. At 2 we came back for P.T. We did some calisthenics and then played volleyball. At 3 we went to English. He gave us a short quiz on parts of speech and another on recognition of sentence structures & stuff. It wasn’t bad and I did fairly well. Next time we will write a theme in class on how to do something or how to make something. At 4 we came back for drill. We drilled from 4 to 4:45. Then we quit til 5. Then we drilled & went through retreat with the air corps until about 5 to 6. We are supposed to have that parade for Col. White next Thurs. Next Tues. we are to go on a five mile walk or hike. We got through at about 6. I came in for mail call. I got your Tues. letter a day ahead but that was all. My mail has been a day ahead all week. I read that and then wrote until supper time. 9:35 in latrine. For supper I had potatoes, green beans, pickles, bread, butter, milk, & cookies. From there we went to study. I spent 2 hours on Analyt. & quit and came back at 9. I mentioned to Ferd & Helle that this wasn’t the way I usually spent my birthday. I was writing on this a few minutes ago when in they come with a little square cake with 21 matches stuck in the top. It really surprised me because I wasn’t expecting anything like that at all. We made quick work of the cake but I thought it was pretty nice. They deserve a piece of the one you sent when I get it. Now it’s after lights out. I’ll finish this, take a shower & get to bed early for a change. I think I’ll do a lot better if I’m rested than if I try to cram a lot.
Now to your Mon. Oct 11 letter – Why should I be embarrassed to get 3 packages at once? I am not the only one who sticks to the work. Lots of guys do more than I but most of them don’t. P.F.C. comes at the end of the 3rd term if we go into advanced work. I’ve noticed the moon the last couple of mornings when we went out for reveille. I didn’t ever think to ask for stamps here. I guess I thought it was a hick place that wouldn’t have them but then they should.
Tues. Oct. 12 – Was it dad’s green work sweater that he lost? Well Gram finally got her birthday card. Probably if I had stayed out this long I’d be rejected now on my eye also but I’m in now & stuck for the D + 6. George must have had a delay in traveling in order to get home. He must have been alone & not in a troop movement. Is he going to a school or something? Everything sounds good – no more dimout on the coast, etc. I imagine Frisco seems much nicer with the lights on. You haven’t sent too much of anything yet.
That briefly covers your letters. Its 10:10 so I think I’ll call it off for tonight. I wonder what will happen during the next year. Last year they were starting to send me questionnaires. Well good night for tonight.
Love,
Arlington
Send That Apron Along While I Still Have a Whole Pair of Pants
Monday Oct. 11, 1943
9:35 p.m.
Dear folks,
Back again in late study as usual. I finished your letter last night and went to Analyt. until about 10:30. Then I went back to the barracks and worked until about 11 when I went to bed. I was up but mighty sleepy at 5:30. After reveille I crawled back in and had a notion to skip breakfast but I was hungry so I went and got my farina, toast, butter, milk, and orange. I came back and made my bed and swept. Then I looked over the chem. experiments for today & some of the English assignment. At 8 we went to Analyt. I got a 10 (perfect) on last Fri. quiz (1 problem [formula]. Pretty isn’t it. He rambled on as usual. At 9 we went to Chem. lab. We only had 4 experiments to do today. I got 2 done so I went behind this time. One of them seems to be way off. Nearly every one is. I think they gummed us up somewhere. You see we were to find out what the molecular wt. was of a liquid & then check with them. I think they gave us the wrong answers because most of us aren’t even close. I couldn’t possibly be 50% off but I am nearly that much. They are going to have the lab open for us Sat. from 1 to 4:30 so we can work. I told the fellow that was fine except we don’t get through until about 3 o’clock. If I can I think I’ll go over. Otherwise I’ll have to right in these experiments without doing them in order to keep up. We are doing reactions now instead of quantitative work so it is easier to answer them without actually doing them. We got that lab quiz back & I got 32 out of 38. That’s about 84%. It isn’t too good but it’s all right for a start. We had another one today & I think I did much better. This one was for just stuff we had done. If I’ve done it I usually remember it. We get quizzes now every week which will be bad. I’ll have to hold my grade up in lecture to counterbalance. At 12 I ate – potatoes, carrots, green beans, bread, butter, salad, milk, & berry pie. Then I started reading my English for tomorrow until we went to military at 1. We are on defense against air attack now. At 2 we came back for P.T. We did some calisthenics & then I played volleyball the rest of the time. At 3 we went to Physics Lect. At 4 we came back to the dorm. I studied on English until mail call. I got your Thurs. & Fri. letters & a nice birthday card to Nephew from Aunt Marie + $2. I believe that’s the first Nephew card I have gotten or is it? I read my mail & went back to the English. There was about 20 pages but its all old stuff so I didn’t have to do more than read through it. At 5:40 we ate – steak, potatoes, gravy, spinach, beets, salad, biscuits, butter, milk & jello. I’d call it a good meal for a change. At about 6:25 or so I went out & played some doubles for a few minutes. My partner & I got beat 6-2 by two kids who were just learning so you see how good I’m getting. At 7 we came to study. I finished the English, started History, and then switched to Analyt. until I started writing this. I’ve covered all my Analyt. now except 61 review exercises at the end. They are good practice but it would take from 5-8 hours for me to do them so I’m just skipping them. Right now I’m all caught up in everything but History & Geog. By tomorrow afternoon I won’t be able to say that as I’ll have Chem., Physics & etc. to do. Every night I intend to write at least one extra letter but it never seems to get done. Maybe I will though someday. Tell Mrs. C. not to get discouraged (as if she really cared anyway) (oh well maybe she does.)
That covers today I guess so now to the two letters I got. Thurs. Oc. 7 – I can just see what this little remembrance will be if it’s underestimated like you usually do. Two or 3 packages – Say! I seem to be able to get Listerine O.K. here. We get oranges quite often although there are more apples now. We get quizzes on our own experiments in Chem. now so it isn’t bad. Anyway the backward (?) boys are on the ones we did first now so it doesn’t make much difference. It’s the first chem. lab I ever had where the emphasis was on speed. At State boy we had to go slow & work for accuracy. I pulled a B on that military test finally. There were only 3 B’s in our class. There were 15 C’s & 15 D’s, no A’s. It’s possible, in fact as good a bet as any, that we may be instructors someday. The way Bart talked he is about ready to ask to go back to his outfit. He is from a searchlight battery at San Mateo, south of Frisco down towards Palo Alto. I’ll have enough money to get home if I get the furlough (and I intend to get it). I decided to send those W.D.C. patches. They aren’t any good to me here. I can’t wear them so you may as well have them. They were on my blouse & field jacket when I got here.
Friday Oct. 8 – The name of that picture would discourage me from going. Also Bill saw it when he was home & he says it’s lousy so even if you hadn’t mentioned it I still wouldn’t have gone. It may have already be here although I’m not sure. Harry James is coming in a picture pretty soon. I wonder where all that acid came from. I don’t remember slopping or spilling any. My Haggerty does have trouble. I’m sure he deserves everyone’s deepest sympathy. I had several books at M.S.C. written by teachers out there (Chem. & Eng.) but they were good books. I was A in everything at home but that “ain’t” here. If I were taking German at as fast a clip as everything else I’m afraid I wouldn’t learn it very well. What do you mean “if I stay here all term?” Don’t let me scare you by some of my cracks. If I flunk out, the ASTP will be completely washed up so send that apron along while I still have a whole pair of pants. I’m not going to flunk out anything even if I do sound like I am sometimes. I just get disgusted and let it run away with me. I’d work awfully hard to keep from washing out (a lot harder than I have yet) because I know what it means. I’m afraid Yugoslavia & Belgium are a few hundred miles apart. Yugoslavia is in South East Europe across the Adriatic from Italy & north of Greece. Belgium is one of the Low Countries southwest of Holland and across the North Sea from England. Oh I’m prepared for most anything but I certainly don’t expect to flunk out in anything. If I flunk there won’t be enough left to keep the ASTP going. So don’t let me get you excited by kicking about my grades. Oh I always thought I wanted a radio but things are different I guess. Circumstances alter cases or something. Gee, how are all these guys you mention getting out of the army anyway?
Well that covers your two letters & today. Its 10:30 and time I folded my tent & silently stole away. So for another time
Auf zeider sehen (I can’t spell it)
Son
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