[…a typical Sunday in garrison]
May 2, 1943
Dear Folks,
Here it is Sunday again and a very beautiful day. We’ve had quite a warm spell here for the past week and it’s getting warmer every day.
I haven’t heard when we’re going, but according to rumors, we may be here for at least another week. Now that I know I’m going, I can hardly wait.
We finally had our dance Friday nite and although it was nice, it wasn’t quite as nice as I had expected it to be. At any rate it was nice to get out of camp. It was held in a club similar to the Columbus Club. The girls were nice but kind of old for us young squirts. [I would love to know how “old” the nice girls were! Are we talking “Cougars” here?] It seems that the young girls are either away at school or are employed in defense work. We got back to camp about 12:30. At 5:30 I was rudely awakened and told to report to the mess hall. Immediately I knew that I had the honor of being a K.P. for the day. The day went by fairly fast but not without a lot of hard work. Nobody can say that they’ve washed dishes until they’ve washed them at an army camp. There just doesn’t seem to be any end to them. As soon as you get the breakfast dishes done, the dinner dishes start pouring in. [K.P. is “Kitchen Patrol,” a fancy name for busser/dish washer!]
Wednesday is pay day and I’m anxiously looking forward to it. I’m going to buy myself a new summer suit to use on Sundays and when I go home (?).
With all this warm sun down here, I’m gradually acquiring a nice tan on my face, neck and hands. As we’re not allowed to take our shirts off during the week, Sunday is the only chance I get to sun the upper half of my body. As far as I know I haven’t gained much weight, but I am getting a little harder, which is more important. We have an obstacle course here which is a lulu. It’s a natural, a deep, twisting gulley with sharp turns and mud puddles and all that sort of stuff. We go over it the first thing in the day and you really work up a nice sweat. [How many things have YOU done today that you would consider to be “a lulu”?]
Dad asked me about the ring. I received it and all the contents of the box in good order. The ring was all shined up and looks swell.
This weather makes you sleepy but I don’t know why. I’m so sleepy tonite I laid on my bunk at 3:00 this p.m. and awoke at 7:00. As I’m running out of words, I think I’ll bid you all good nite with Loads of love to you all, Murray. [It sure would be swell if I could fall asleep so quickly! Perhaps I need to have more “lulus” in my day!]
p.s. Mom I received the card and sent it out Friday. It was swell of you to do it.
