Letter #55 July 7, 1943

July 7, 1943
Wed. eve 2000
Hello Honey;
I don't have much time but I thought you might get to worrying over the infiltration course and so I'm writing a short letter. It isn't dangerous as long as we do what we are told and no one was hurt. The area is out in the woods, not thick, just a tree here and there with plenty of logs and stumps in the way. They have pits dug resembling shell holes and as we crawl past these holes they set off charges of dynamite down in them. The holes are deep enough so that it is perfectly safe right on the edge. All that happens is you get covered with mud that is thrown up by the explosion. There are trenches we crawl in and out of and just to make it interesting they pour water in them so the mud is about a foot deep. Barb wire entanglements to crawl under and through. During the whole time, about 35 minutes, there is a constant criss cross of machine gun fire over our heads about 3 ft. Plenty safe as long as we remember to stay on our bellies and crawl, but forget and raise up and it would be too bad.
I stayed so close to the ground I wore all the paint off one side of my new steel helmet. Also wore some of the hide off my elbows and inside of my knees. Damn near wore out a good pair of fatigues also.
They were shooting a lot of tracer bullets so we could see how close they were to us and they looked plenty close. No one had to tell me to stay down. Good thing I don't have the belly anymore. I guess it would have gotten rubbed off anyhow.
I went over the course just after dinner, the sun was hot as hell and the ground hotter than that. I hadn't gone far until my fatigues were wet with sweat and it made mud of the dust. You never saw a dirtier bunch in your life. Bet you wouldn't have known me if you had seen me. Mud a 1/2" thick all over me, even my face and I think I had a cupful of sand in my mouth, corn would have sprouted in my ears and hair. It was quite an experience and contrary to expectations I wasn't in the least scared or nervous. It's not fun but it is an interesting experience. The object of it is to accustom us to bullets whizzing by so if we are in battle we won't be rooted to the spot by fright.
A few of the men were sick either from nervousness or heat. You hear the bullets go by overhead before the crack of the gun and they sound just like a whip crack. The dynamite charges were old stuff to me. I knew they couldn't hurt me the way they were set.
Well honey, I'll write again as soon as I can and maybe make it a love letter. I do love you a lot and I'll prove it when I get home. Just about dying to be with you again. I sure as hell miss you more than I ever expected to. Another long distance good night honey.
Your loving soldier.
Norm.