Letter # 43 June 13, 1943

June 13, 1943
Dear Wife;
I thought the regimental paper might be of interest to you. I'm sending a copy and a little explanation as you read it.
Article #1 is so close to the way it actually happened, I might have written it myself only I came through Fort Hayes and didn't have K.P. until I had been here 3weeks and didn't have any trouble making my bed. I had learned that at Fort Hayes.
#2 is about the Division Parade I wrote you of. I wish the picture was better because the arrow points to me. It was taken as we passed the reviewing stand. We are wearing our suntan uniforms with pistol belt, leggings, and helmets. They placed us in ranks according to height and that put me in the second rank. The first rank, saluting are the officers.
#3 is about the trip to lake Charles
#4 shows and describes a typical personnel inspection in the barracks and will also give you an idea of what our home looks like. It doesn't happen to be in our Co. but they all look alike.
#5 is an article about our Company and the men in it. Pvt. Cantor who writes the article is a former newspaper man from Philadelphia. He is a jew I believe. He is a very nice fellow about my size, dark complexion, wears hornrim glasses, rather homely, about 26 years old and talks too much.
#6 is about the yardbird of the co. He has spent most of his time on K.P. or extra detail because he won't conform to army life.
#7 is about one of the squad leaders I mentioned in another letter.
#8 is about the fellow in mechanics school with me. He came back drunk one night and was telling about this phone number he had.
#9 Curtis was my old bed partner.
#10 Pvt. Rema is the barber who usually cuts my hair. The reference to being clipped refers to cards and dice. There is usually a game of each in the day room every night as long as there is any money in the outfit.
#11 is one of the projects I mentioned working on.
#12 is the name we gave our own platoon.
#13 will give you an idea of how we look in work clothes. One piece green coveralls, pistol belt, leggings, and helmets.
#14 is a scene during pup tent pitching for inspection. All field equipment laid out in front. That is what we load on our backs and go on these marches. 1/2 of the tent, 5 tent pegs, 1 tent pole, 1 tent rope, 2 blankets, 1 qt. canteen full of water, gas mask, dust respirator, goggles, field bag containing mess kit, toilet articles, towel, underwear, 2 pr. socks, handkerchief, raincoat, canned rations for 3 days, we haven't used them yet but we carry them, cigarettes, matches, adhesive tape, foot powder, and writing material.
I don't know if you will get much out of this or not but the pictures will tell you more than I could in several letters. If it is interesting I will send you another sometime. The rest of the paper is about other companies in this regiment.
Reconnaisance Company is the one that Carl Wacker and Wayne Good are in. The rest of the Medina boys are in different regiments so aren't in this paper.
I am also enclosing a rather sentimental little verse, which although written to apply to a soldier and girl being married first before he leaves for war, I think it also applies to us. It seems we were just married a short time and I had to leave. It describes much better than I can what I have tried to tell you, you mean to me, and was the cause of me saying I wasn't a bit sorry I was married and had a very nice wife back home waiting for me. I happened to see this today, so I am sending it along. I had better quit adding to this letter or they will be charging you postage to receive it.
Beyond my school I don't know what the schedule for this week is going to be and I think I have told you all the past news so I'm about run down.
I got your Wed eve letter this eve and was much surprised to hear you had been in Akron without buying anything. You must be slipping or else you have become a real miser.
I hope Mickey can work out his vetrinary proposition. If he has one flat foot he'll be like Tony is if he gets in an active unit.
Remember this man Moore I spoke of a long time ago? He had both flat feet and ended up in the hospital for several weeks. He has now been transferred to limited service. I don't know where. It's a hell of a racket if anything is wrong with feet or legs or anything else for that matter.
I didn't know Kenny's wife was coming down. I haven't seen him for several weeks. I hope she makes out all right, but I still think it's selfish to ask your wife to come down here. Maybe if they get enough of them down here they can start a colony of their own.
I would like to see you as much as any of them but I still can't bring myself to ask you to come down here in this hole except as a last resort. I think we will have a lot better opportunity to see each other at some later date. We'll wait a while and see how things go.
I love you honey and always will. If they keep me as busy all the time as I was last week I probably won't write you many letters, so don't worry, if you don't get one for several days. I'm not out with a W.A.A.C. or anyone else, but just busy. Good night honey. I'm going to sleep soon.
Wish you were here to sleep with me. I mean go to bed with me. I don't think I would want to sleep for a while. We'll have a chance again. Nighty night honey.
I love you.
Your hubby.
Norm