He Would Clean Toilets If He Could Be In Indiana

Friday March 26, 1943

8:45 p.m.

 

Dear folks,

Well I’m back. I bet that letter I wrote this morning didn’t make a lot of sense. I must have been about ½ asleep at the time. I just couldn’t bear to have my string of letters to you broken so although it was written at 3 a.m. Fri. it was your Thurs. letter, see! I want you to have one from each day. I didn’t get any time to write so finally I just took it. When I finished that note I went back to work and we finished the mess at about 15 to 5. I just lay down on the table seats as did the others and we went to sleep. The tables are made something like roadside tables. Come to think of it you have a picture of them at McCoy. These are the same. I woke up at 5:30 when the mess sgt. came. He found out that we had worked all night and told us to go to bed. You can bet we didn’t argue. I didn’t even wait for breakfast. All I ate was an orange. I went to bed and finally got to sleep. I was awakened at about 10 to go on a detail to take the dishes back to Richmond. I missed the truck so I went back to sleep until about 11:30 when I had to go on K.P. again – about 5 hours sleep in all. We got off at 10 to 8 tonight, but it was because we had 9 K.P.s. 3 volunteered to work this morning, there was the 4 steadies and 2 extra duty men. Tomorrow afternoon there will be only 3 of us so it won’t be early tomorrow night. My next pass will be about Monday noon I imagine. Oh to be on a train headed east right now. My back is very tired and I wrenched my ankle today and that is pretty sore. I swear, everything happens to me it seems. For dinner I had potatoes, salad, spinach, tomatoes (I don’t like to have them put sugar in them but they do), bread, butter, and peaches. I worked in the kitchen just about all day and we did get chances to sit down a couple minutes now and then. Supper was spaghetti, peas, salad, bread, butter & doughnuts. We really percolated after supper and we finished in about 1 ½ hours. As soon as I got through I shined my shoes and straightened up my locker. I hear there is some kind of inspection coming soon. Now I am in the day room writing. This day like the rest fits right into the groove and there is nothing interesting to tell. I wait each day for a notice to leave but it may not come for weeks. I prick up my ears every time the phone rings but I guess patience is the best policy. If I didn’t have this to look forward to, K.P. and the whole setup would get pretty discouraging at times.

Now I want to know what’s wrong. Are you sick or what? I don’t get excited or start worrying easily, but my mail is way behind. The most up-to-date letter I have is your last Fri. Mar. 19 which I got on Mon. the 22nd. That was good speed but since then all I have gotten are the Wed. & Thurs. letters mailed before that. In other words I am now a whole week away from you. I got nothing at all today. Of course there is probably a reason somewhere but I hope it isn’t because you are sick or something. One of the cooks said he didn’t get any letters for 3 weeks and then he got 16 all at once. His home is only in Los Angeles so maybe I shouldn’t worry. Now to answer your Thurs. Mar. 18 letter I got yesterday. It was sent to San Bruno Cal. Why I don’t know.  That was some cinder. This morning my eyes felt like they had cinders in them and they are getting a little rough now. I am going to get to bed as soon as I can. That drafting women idea must be quite on the fire by the way you write. I never buy a paper so I don’t hear much. Butter rationing is about all I know about. 16 rationing points per person a week for meats & fats and 8 pts. for a lb. of butter so if you use 3 lbs. a week it will take ½ of your points. That is not too bad. You don’t eat much meat anyway. I wouldn’t worry about being sent anywhere. I have all the boxes but I should hear pretty soon if you get my watch and the box of junk and that surprise package. Gee I’d like to know. Of course if you have written then don’t worry. I’ll get it in time. That’s the trouble with the bananas on the market now. They rush them out green. Ours we had here were ripe. Well we will have plenty to eat as long as we can get it but we go on field ration next week. We are on garrison ration now. I’ll explain the difference when I have more time. We will have as much maybe more to eat but not so much variety. A lot of spinach and green stuff like that. That was very nice of Miss Lang I am sure. I guess it won’t take very long for me to get back in that old home groove. I suppose I will have some changes but I doubt if they will be marked. Let’s not worry. I’ll be home the first chance I get and I ain’t kiddin’ either. This tough hard way you mentioned makes us all appreciate home. To show you they typical feeling, one sgt. said he would clean toilets if he could be in Indiana. You are right. I does do something to a person to be away from home but I guess I can take it if you can. If I have changed the one I know about is that I want to do a little traveling and see things. My curiosity has been aroused. My self confidence is improving too. Oh if I can only get this training and make good. Bachman was to get 3 months. I imagine if I can hold it up I’ll get 2 years which ought to be the duration the way I look at it. Now you see why I feel the way I do. Yes I knew Walt Kuhn all through Jr. & Sr. high schools. He came from Russia. I think you’ll find these men who are killed in crashes are air corps men & not just anybody. Bachman went alone by train to Mich. You better hold that check unless there is a deadline for cashing because if I should leave here and go very far, it would take a long time for me to get it. I think those underwear shirts with the short sleeves are best. When it is really hot you can take off your outside shirt and still be respectable. About a 34 or 36 shirt fits me. I wear 30 army shorts but I don’t know if that would be big enough or not. This war has every one of us gloomy but it won’t last forever. Someday it will all be just an unpleasant memory.

I hope to be able to send you good news as much as you hope to get it. It seems I should hear something in the next week or two if I am ever going to. Of course you can’t rush the army.

Well this is a little more like a letter. I never know how much time I’ll have from day to day but I’ll do my best again next time whether its 1 page or 10 you know the spirit is there.

 

Love to you all

Arlington

 

I sure hope I get some mail tomorrow.

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