What Happened to the Idea of Conscripting Cars?

Wed. Jan. 26, 1944

5:30 p.m.

 

Dear folks,

Here I am again. I’ll write on this until we go eat. After I wrote to you last night I did my English & worked on Physics. At 10 I went to the Physics drill class to see if I could learn anymore. I didn’t learn much. I got back to the dorm at about 11. Then I worked on Physics out in the hall until 11:30. I thought I knew it pretty well. I was up at 6:15 this morning but not very much awake. After reveille at 6:40 we went to breakfast. I had toast, butter, oatmeal, milk & an apple. Then I slept until about 7:40 when I got up and made my bed. At 8 we had Calc. At 9 we had Physics & the test. It was a dilly. The problems were pretty catchy and it was a long test. I don’t know how well I did. I managed to finish but I made some foolish mistakes. I found most of them I hope but I guess I misplaced a decimal point in one of them because no one agrees with me. There were 104 possible points. I hope I go 75 or better but it’s hard to tell. One question was worth 20 pts. These physics tests are always rugged. They throw enough work for 3 or 4 problems in each one. We probably won’t know what we got until a week or two from now. He never gets papers back in less than a week. At 10 we had study and I worked Calculus. I haven’t been putting much time on Calculus with other tests on the fire but I’ll have to get at it for Fri. test. At 11 we had Military. We got those tests back we wrote about a month ago. I missed only 1 question for 98 out of 100 which was pretty good for me on a Military quiz. We get one on rifle marksmanship tomorrow. I don’t know much about it and there’s nothing to study. We have practiced doing things instead of listening & taking notes. Maybe that grade will counterbalance whatever I get tomorrow. At 12 we ate. I had potatoes, beets, carrots, chili, salad, bread, butter, milk, and rice pudding. At 1 we had English. We heard talks & he didn’t give an assignment for Fri. which is good. At 2 we had Geog. Test Fri. over a bale of notes & 4 chap. in the book which he never assigned before.

Back at 6:15. At 3 we had study and I started reviewing History. We haven’t covered much since the last test so it could be pretty easy & then again he could make it hard by going into detail. At 4 we had P.T. We did calisthenics and then played volleyball as usual. After P.T. I showered and read my mail – your Sat.-Sun. letter. I shaved this noon. At 5:15 we had our monthly physical which means we get paid pretty soon. I have 3 checks left yet but I guess I’ll have to cash one pretty soon. After that I wrote on this until we went to supper. I had potatoes, peas, salad, bread, butter, cookies and milk. Now I just got back from eating. That’s today. No new rumors around today. According to where they are in the alphabet, I imagine I’ll pull C.Q. or O.G. either Fri. or Sat. night. I was figuring on sleeping this weekend so it won’t make much difference. I’d rather have it on a night off because I know there are no classes the next day. I’ve been so sleepy today that I’ve had a little trouble staying awake. The boys around here are working fast. A lot are putting in air cadet applications. Today an announcement was on the board saying men who can qualify for Coast Guard Academy will be discharged from the army to go. Some are going to try it. So far as I’m concerned it’s the A.S.T.P. and nothing else. If they kick it out I’ll probably be able to grapple on to a fair job someplace else.

Now to your letter – I bought a card to send Gramp but there won’t be any buck in it. The work is plenty hard all right. Oh actually each course itself is fairly easy but added together it’s too much. It’s boiled down to studying for tests and that’s about all. I don’t think there are any shows or gals interfering with my work. I’m sure I don’t know it if they are. And my work isn’t anything to complain about yet. I’m doing the best I can under the conditions. I’ll admit I haven’t put time in on weekends but I’ve kept my grades without doing it and its doggone little time that I have off. When you look at it we don’t have much incentive. Everything points out. About the only ones who are really working now, are we with the good grades. You can address me as Pvt. probably for the duration +. You know you and I have been throwing some pretty dirty digs at each other, at least you must be taking what I have written that way. When I say I don’t want you to worry about this or that I mean it seriously. I’m not wanting to be a good shot with my left eye. If I get out of here I’m very likely to goldbrick & try to get a C.D.D. I’m fed up to the ears with the army & everything about it. 1 yr. and 24 days is just 1 yr. too much. If you could see yourself as others do & know how they feel, you’d find you are pretty much wrong. People like you if you’d give them a chance. I think I know you probably better than your mother or even Pop but then maybe I’m wrong. Anyway I hate to see you worry so over things that are far-fetched. Remember what happened to the idea of conscripting cars? I don’t say things to criticize you. You know that. If I don’t agree with you I say so. We both have a right to our opinions but I’m not trying to make any smart cracks. You ought to try firing the old rifle sometime. I imagine its fun if a person could be by himself but there are always too many people in everything in the army. Some of those movies haven’t been too good. I guess I go just to get away from stuff & things. That’s the Ruth Barnard who was in my class. I’ll keep my racket at least until I get something to wrap it in. It will go in the bottom of my foot locker anyway. Today is the hottest I’ve ever seen it in Jan. I think you would be very foolish to try to put $75 into bonds extra. Well that’s your letter & the bottom of the page I’ll sign off and get to work. Don’t pay too much attention to things I might say. See.

 

Love,

Arlington