Pooey

Tuesday June 15, 1943

12:05 noon

 

Dear folks,

I’ll write while I wait for dinner. Last night after I wrote to you, I wrote short letters to Julius and Bart. That took up pretty close to 10 o’clock so I quit and went to bed. I was up at 5:45 this morning. I dressed and made up my bed before reveille. After reveille I came back and we cleaned the room before breakfast. Breakfast was creamed dried beef on toast, potatoes, Krumbles, milk, toast, butter and prunes. I couldn’t mail the letters in the box this morning because the box was so full the lid wouldn’t open. One of my roommates mailed them after the mail was collected I guess so it got a bad start. After breakfast I came back and got about ½ hour cat nap before we fell out at 8. We had some announcements and then came back and changed to fatigues for drill. We drilled off and on from 8:30 to 11 in squads, platoons, and as a company. I drilled the squad some and they didn’t run into any walls. Each of us took turns. It’s hot today but there is a stiff wind blowing and it’s not so noticeable. We had several long breaks this morning. We are no longer restricted to quarters. After supper evenings we can now walk around the campus. They are going to show us the limits. We don’t know about weekends. They are talking about letting us go one week and the air corps the next. I don’t care too much. All I’d do would be go to a show on Sat. night anyway. We can have visitors from 7 to 8 at the Union on Mon. and Wed. evenings. I can’t see anything to that. There’s nothing to stop us from talking to people anyplace on the campus that I know of yet. Tonight at 7 we have to go to the Greek Amphitheater and practice singing. You see the air corps boys sing all the time. We tried it but it was lousy, so now we practice at night. Pooey. We quit drilling at 11 and I came up here and washed some and changed to suntans. Then I took a little bunk fatigue until mail call. Bunk fatigue is stretching out on one’s bunk and closing his eyes peacefully. I got your Fri. June 11 letter p.marked June 12 at 10 a.m. Chow call.

Back at 12:55. I read your letter and the clippings. Then I wrote until dinner time. Dinner was spaghetti, some kind of squash, salad, w.w. bread, butter, milk and cake. Now I’m back writing again. We’ll probably fall out pretty soon. I hear we are going to play games all afternoon. I don’t know what kind of  a student union they have here but maybe I can get some writing paper and stuff there if I go over tonight. The one we had at M.S.C. was swell and probably better than most schools have. Now to your Fri. June 11 letter – I see Ray Davis is a corporal now. Well he didn’t do any better than Hugh but he has about 6 times as much mouth and self importance. It would have been swell if I could have seen a graduation at M.S.C. with all its trimmings. Of course it won’t be as usual this year but maybe it will be before too long. I don’t ride on trucks very much and I never have ridden that way. What were they, 1 ½ ton trucks? You see what suntan uniforms look like anyway. If I can’t get a set here I may have you buy me some pants 32 waist, 33 long, shirt 15-34. I got that $2 bill in change someplace. I thought the card was cute and sort of to the point.  We wore plastic helmets at McCoy over our green wool caps when we drilled with rifles. I was a squad leader at McCoy. Three squads usually make up a platoon. The doctor didn’t say anything about my throat or eyes. He just asked what my vision was. I’ve got to clean out this pen again by the looks of things. I’ve never had a real hike. My longest was 7 miles. Regular outfits get 20 to 25 miles with full pack, rifle, and steel helmet. Nobody criticized me about commanding. Maybe there is no sulphur in coal smoke but something blackened and tarnished my buttons. I know what it is to dig in and work and I can do it but whether that will get me anywhere here or not is hard to tell. Marks may not determine whether we stay or not. At the end of the term, probably a certain percent will be reassigned as corporals and T/5’s various outfits, others will go to O.C.S., still others will go back.

Back at 5 to 9. I fell out for announcements and then we walked all around the campus so we can see where we can and can’t go. The theater is about 75 feet off limits. Then we came back and changed to fatigues. We fell out at 3 and I played volleyball until 4:30. Then I came back and shined my shoes a little, shaved, took a shower and put on my suntans. We got a small talking to about this and that before supper. They had an inspection this afternoon and I guess all was not so good. For supper I had onions, salad, meat loaf, potatoes, milk, bread, butter and ice cream. Then I beat it over and stood in line about 45 minutes to get my laundry. I got it and right away I saw I was minus. I brought it back and opened it but had to leave for formation. We went over to the amphitheater and sang for an hour. I walked from there to the Union and got an ice cream cone and came back here to check my laundry. It was worse than I thought. First of all I turned in 7 hankies. There are 2 columns on the list. One for my count and one for the laundry. They said on the list that I turned in only 4 by their count so I got 4 back. I wasn’t going to kick too much. One was a white G.I., another was a green one with an A, and I don’t remember what the 3^rd was. The rest of the list corresponded O.K. but when I counted the stuff on the inside I was minus 1 tan shirt, my G.I. web belt and that white wash cloth with the lavender edge. They wrote on the list that the hankies weren’t there but the other stuff was supposed to be there. So tomorrow night I’m going to file a complaint. I’ve probably got 1 chance in 25 of getting the stuff back. If I get the shirt I’ll be happy. You see I sent in 3 shirts, my 2 and one for another fellow. I got 2 back, they’re both my size but one is his because his were the new heavy gabardine kind. I’ve had all I want of the Fayetteville laundry. If you think we can make a go of it I’m willing to try Ma Forist’s Laundry. At this rate I won’t have any clothes left by a month’s time. If I send my shirts, pants and ties to the cleaners, I can either try to do the rest myself or send it to you. I’ve got to get the shirt. I can get along without the other stuff if I have to. Boy what a mess. It makes me feel disgusted, mad, and everything else. Now I didn’t get these in to the cleaners either. I’m getting sick and tired of worrying about laundry and dry cleaning and having a clean shirt.  My morale is at a new low. I’m going to kick but I’ll bet $5 I won’t get any of it back. I’m charged with the shirt. I can get another belt and some white hankies and the other stuff was my own but it’s hard to get shirts just like G.I. Well I guess I may as well quit moaning but it sure is a great setup. If I get to town Sat. I’m going to get some sort of container to put my laundry in and send to you if you’ll do it. In the meantime I’m going to try to wash out my own smaller stuff.

Well I guess I better finish answering your letter. I’ve gone back to free mail so you use 3 cent mail too. We have lots of cake and the ice cream here is really swell.

Well that’s your letter. I guess I’ve said about all there is to say today. I suppose some one could of removed stuff from my laundry while I was gone because it was open but none of the stuff was there before anyway. I thumbed  through it quick and it was just as I left it when I got back. I didn’t miss the shirt the first time but there were 2 and I sent 2. I forgot about the 3^rd one. Every day I stay in this — army I wish more and more I was out. If it isn’t one thing, its 10 and when they start giving demerits for every little thing I’ll be ready to quit. I came here to study and learn not play wooden soldier. I sure hope I at least get the shirt back. I really doubt it though. Well I guess I have poured on enough gloom for one night so I’ll quit. I’ll keep you informed of developments. Keep writing,

 

Love

Son

 

I probably won’t get a letter tomorrow if you wrote a combined Sat. & Sun. letter.