Letter #6 April 7, 1943

Wed. Eve.
April 7, 1943
Hi Mom Dear;
I haven't had a chance to write since Sunday but it looks like I would have a little time this evening. First I am going to ask for some things I need. Get them if you can and send as quick as you can. 6 cheap wire clothes hangers, shoe shine kit with plenty of light brown polish, send an extra box or so. A small box of solid wax. There may be enough in one of those Simonize cans out in the garage, the wax I used on the car. If not, any solid wax will do. See that there is a good brush, small one and a cloth to polish with. An extra spool of thread as near the two samples in the envelope as possible. See if you can find 4 or 5 pair of light tan socks size 11. Just do the best you can on these items and send as soon as possible. This place is so far out in the sticks we can't get those items very easy and besides we are still quarantined and can't even leave the barracks after work hours. We have managed to get someone to go and get us some real necessary items but we have no chance to get a coke or a beer or anything else like that.
There is a small town about 10 or 15 miles away but we will not be allowed to leave camp for at least a month, that is just a general rule.
They started us off Monday morning on our basic training and it is not at all like I expected. It is not very tough physically on me although some of the boys are pretty sore and stiff from marching.
They roll us out at 5:30 and we have an hour to dress, make our beds, sweep and mop around our bunks and have breakfast. First thing after breakfast police the grounds, that is pick up all matches, paper, and etc thrown on the ground. That takes about 15 minutes. Then we get in ranks and have 30 minutes drill and 30 minutes exercises. Then we fall into ranks and march to several different classes, very similar to college, except we sit on ground part of the time in the sun and is it hot, The classes are all lectures and demonstrations by the Second lieutenants.
So far I have studied the sub machine gun, the N.S. Army Carbine 30 cal M1, the Jeep and the 2 1/2ton 6 wheel drive army transport truck. There are also lectures on military courtesy and dress. They have assigned me to the 30 cal. and 50 cal. machine gun as my principle weapons and the 45 cal. pistol as secondary and I expect that I will soon start training on them.
You can see that it isn't so tough physically from that, although the bed always feels good at night.
The afternoon is the same type of classes up to 4:30 and and then fall out and then change from fatigue or work clothes to O.D. uniform and stand retreat [ lowering of the flag ] until 5:15 and then chow. We are now eating from our mess kits to save the kitchen boys the work of washing all the dishes, we have to wash our own mess kits. You see since training the men drawn for K.P. duty are only on two or three hours so they don't miss too much training and that would overwork the regular kitchen force. Sometimes after supper we have a couple hours work or as was the case last night, go to get another shot or march way down to the bowl to see a training film or something. The bowl is similar to a football stadium only very crude and is about 2 miles from here. Taken all in all we probably march about 10 miles a day.
One of these days soon I guess we will take a road hike and that will probably be 20-30 miles. I bet the dogs will bark that night and there will also be plenty of bitching.
Personally I don't mind army life so much. If we had just a little more free time it wouldn't be much worse than any job away from home.
They keep you so worried that you are going to do something wrong that it is much harder than it should be.
I imagine that ease up after i become a little better informed on what they want, if they even know, which I sometimes doubt.
I am feeling swell, healthy, sleeping well and missing you quite a little. So I guess I must be normal again. Say hello to everyone for me.
I love you mummy and believe it or not I think of you quite a little. keep things going and tell me how you are making out.
Your loving husband
Norm