Letter #48 June 26, 1943

June 26, 1943
Sat 2100
Hello Dearest;
I didn't get off until 1830 today, and then I cleaned up, went to the P.X. for a coke and now I'll spend a little time with my darling wife. Got your Wed. June 23 letter today at noon. It does seem as though the mail is moving faster than it did at first. I have gotten a couple of your letters in two days and most of them in three. It's too bad about the strawberries drying up. You must not have gotten very many from them. Usually they will last until nearly the middle of July. I sure will be expecting that shortcake when I come home. Lots of other things also, not all edible either. You can figure out for yourself what they are. I can almost see what that female party at Jr's looked like. Good thing I wasn't there or I would have broken it up.
So you're still teasing me about the surprise. Mention it but won't say what it is. You're a devil. I'll get even with you sometime. I kinda like to be teased by you. I love you, you know.
As for these stripes I got. Don't get too proud about them. They don't really mean so much. They are given mostly for the purpose of delegating authority to a few of the "rookies" so the regular "non-coms" don't have so much to do. As I have told you they make us eligible for guard duty, C.Q. and gives us authority over the other privates. We are in charge of such details as, seeing the barracks are kept clean and appointing the men to do the work, taking charge of punishment details, marching squads of men from one class to another and in general doing the smaller duties of the Sargent's so they can have some time off. We don't have to do the work, just see that it is done, but I usually do my share. I never could tell anyone to do something I wouldn't do myself, but I may learn here in the army.
The stripes are the same as a regular corporal, but we wear them point down instead of point up and we don't sew them on because they aren't permanent. If our work isn't satisfactory they will be given to someone else. They are sewn on a band of cloth that I have made to fit my arm, and I just slip them on and off from one uniform to the other.
If I get the P.F.C. stripes these will be taken off and the real single stripe sewn on the sleeves. The rank of P.F.C. is higher than the acting corporal. It doesn't sound right I know but that is the army and don't say you're ignorant because you don't understand army ways. I've been in the army for 13 weeks and still don't understand. Beside I won't have my wife calling herself ignorant. She isn't and I won't let anyone say she is. Ask whatever questions you want and I'll answer them if I can. I can answer one now, I love you honey.
I'm all set for the present on clothes. The laundry lost some of mine but the army replaced most of them. I'll holler if I need anything.
Don't build your hopes too high on that furlough. I'm hoping for it just as much as you but am also ready to be disappointed. You never can be sure of them until you are on your way home.
We are having another big thunderstorm and the lights just came back on after being off for an hour so I guess I'll go to bed and dream of you. I'll try to make this a nice long letter tomorrow. As far as I know now I don't have any work to do, except wash a couple pair of fatigues. Night honey. I love you lots. Here's a nice long distance, juicy kiss. If I was with you I wouldn't stop there but as things are I guess I'll have to. Night mummy.
1000 Sunday morning.
Good morning honey. Hope you had a nice dream as I did. It was about you and was almost satisfactory. Now, don't take that wrong. It wasn't at all a sexual dream. Just a nice everyday dream of being with you. We were out in the yard on a nice peaceful evening, just relaxing and having a nice talk. We also seemed to have a large container of something to drink with ice floating around in it. I don't know what it was but I had drunk so much I was bursting and still trying to drink more. Of course you were doing the same. It was fun. Seemed just like old times. I guess that dream was an outgrowth of my two greatest desires. To be with you and to have plenty of something cold to drink to get some relief from this heat.
The supply of ice down here seems to be very limited and there are no electric coolers in the P.X.'s. If I don't get there within an hour or so after they open all the cold drinks are gone and they sell them from then on at water temperature. I guess being a new camp, the material to properly equip it wasn't available. The first hour or so after the P.X.'s open are just like a bargain basement sale. The boys just fight to get a cold drink. It's too bad but I guess it can't be helped.
I didn't get up until 0700 this morning. Had a good breakfast, pancakes, ham, cereal, and coffee and an orange. Not bad huh? After breakfast I did my laundry, 4 pairs of fatigues, 2 of mine and 2 of Max's. I did his for him so he could be with his wife. Quite a job with the facilities we have to do them with. They are real heavy like those red overalls I have at home and you can imagine what they are like after working in the garage. I just spread them out on the shower room floor, turn on the showers, soap them up good, take a G.I. brush and go after them. Pretty tough on the fatigues but it gets them clean and when they wear out the army has more.
Just had another haircut. Only three weeks since the last but I got to stay "on the ball" to keep these stripes. I didn't care so much about these but they'll help get the real ones and that will mean more dollars.
Some of the ambitious boys have discovered different means of making money. Several of them wash fatigues for $.50 apiece, some shine shoes for $.15 and Cantor writes the boys special letters for from $1.00 up so if a man's ambitious, he can make money on the side. I've never been near enough broke yet to do anything like that. I'd think I'd ask wifey for money before I'd do that anyhow, and you'd be sweet enough to send it. You're nice mummy.
Here it is nearly 4th of July again, and next Saturday will be payday and the end of our first thirteen weeks at this camp. The time has just rolled by. I remember when we first got here and figured basic to end July 4th, it seemed a hell of a way off but here it is and the next target we aim for is the end of advanced basic and beginning of maneuvers. Don't know the date but probably in August or first of Sept. A couple of months of that and we should be ready to go over. This is all guess again.
Thursday night I worked at the motor park until quite late getting a broken down half track to run again and Friday we scrubbed and "bucked" for Sat inspection. All passed O.K. After inspection, I had charge of ammunition loading detail until 1830. We loaded 80 machine gun belts of 250 shells each. I go back to the range Mon. afternoon to see if I can better my poor score of the other day.
I have changed barracks again and am now upstairs where it's hotter than hell. Max sleeps on one side and Pvt.Q. Martin on the other. Martin is a typical southern man. Comes from just over the line in Texas, almost straight west of here on the Sabine river, only 80 miles from home. Wouldn't that be swell. He is home this weekend for the first time in a mo. He has had guard duty every Sun. for 4 weeks. He is married, about 25 years old and has 3 yrs. in the army. He was a staff Sargent and was "broke" for going a.w.o.l. for a couple days. He doesn't seem to give a damn. Just a happy go lucky man. He and his father own a 2000 acre cattle ranch. We had quite a talk about ranching and etc. the other night. I like to hear him talk. Typical southern drawl. I'd like to work a weekend invitation out of him but don't know if it's possible or not. He's nice and I like him but these people down here still resent the northern people. He tells of fishing and shooting alligators on the Sabine, of riding and herding cattle and a lot of things I'd sure like to do.
Well honey I guess this is all I have to say for now. I love you and am just waiting for the day when we can take up where we left off again. Bye Tootsie Wuggles until next time.
Your loving hubby.
Norm