Letter # 61 July 16, 1943

July 16, 1943
1400 Friday
Hello darling wifey;
Just woke up a few minutes ago. Slept like a log and feel swell. I go to bed as soon as I come off duty to avoid the heat as much as possible. The last couple days have been hot ones but by getting my sleep by noon I can miss the worst part of it. As I write this I am sitting on my bunk by an open window, bare naked letting the breeze blow over me. Feels good, but it is getting too hot to sleep anymore. I guess I don't need it anyhow. It sure seems strange to have daytime off. This last part of this week has been swell. I've only been working 10 hrs and have the rest of the time to sleep, read and write. Haven't even had any exercise except walking to and from the motor park and what I get at work. It's the first time since I've been here that I've had a rest. Don't hardly know what to do with myself. I have plenty of letters to write but I'm just too damn lazy to do it. I bought a newspaper yesterday and amused myself part of the afternoon with that. It was the first time I had looked at more than the headlines in the time I've been here. I took my time with the funnies and looked at them good. I have also finally finished reading "See Here Private Hargrove". It's good. If you haven't read it you might also find it amusing. It surely is true to army life.
Now is the time when if we were where there was anything to do, I could get in a little fishing or something. I'll sure be spoiled for next week when I'll have to go back to work again. I really enjoy being lazy though. It sure feels good to hear the whistles blow to fall out and I can just lay there and say "Aw blow it out your ass" another army expression. They sure have some dandy's.
I don't know for sure what is up for the weekend but I think we will work Sunday again. We have a big inspection by the ordinance coming up Monday. I guess all the vehicles and guns and equipment will have to be "on line".
I don't have the least idea what is coming up for us after next week. It is supposed to be the official end of basic. I hope we don't just go on routine camp life. I'm afraid that would be rather uninteresting. As long as I am busy and have something new coming up I can keep interested and the time goes quickly. So even though we have all looked forward to the end of basic I hope they keep up the training or do something with us.
Don't misunderstand this letter honey, I'm still O.K. and as satisfied with army life as I could ever be, but I don't have much of interest to write and I'm just running on.
So you're starting at the beginning and reading all the letters over again. Must be quite a volume of them. The change in feeling in my letters is probably due to the fact that I had to get used to expressing myself on paper. It had been so long since I had even tried to write I didn't know how to.
I think I like my statements about you best and I mean every one of them. You're the center of my world honey. I'll have to practice a lot more before I'll be able to put on paper what my feelings about you really are. Damn it all honey, they just can't be put on paper. After this war is over I'll just spend the rest of my life showing you. Boy, that'll be fun.
I'll even buy you a glass of beer once in a while. You're a devil. All these years you wouldn't even drink it and now you say it isn't bad. You're funny but I love you.
Well honey I've about exhausted my ability to write so I'll say "bye" honey for today. I love you.
your devoted hubby.
Norm