Letter # 82 September 8, 1943

Sept 8, 1943
My reluctant school teacher;
Good thing you said faithful wife and reluctant teacher instead of the reverse. I'd have taken right off for the W.A.C. camp if you had.
This evening after chow I met Ernie and Angie out on the street, all dressed up and heading for the camp. Both broke and can't go to town so they are going to see if they can find a willing W.A.C. or two to play with. Guess maybe I was cramping their style yesterday. Ernie said he was on the wolf and proceeded to prove it by howling. Guess he was too. He was so anxious to get going he had forgotten to put on a belt.
School was a little better today. Studied gun control mechanism. I don't imagine you would care much for details so I won't go into that. We had a 49 question test and Ernie and I are tied again, 48 each, so here we go again.
We sure had a tough afternoon today. Instead of our regular Wednesday afternoon hike we worked. I'm so near worn out I can hardly write this letter. They took 30 of us over to the mess hall and put us to work. I steel wooled two metal water pitchers and polished my dog tags, all in two hours. Even had lemonade to drink. Honestly honey, if they don't let up soon I'll be a physical wreck and will have to cut that quota back down to 30 or less. Be so worn out I'll have to rest instead of love. Could be I'll not even need any rest. I'm sure storing up a lot of excess energy.
I got a letter from Marg today. Was going to send it but from what you say you have already heard the news. She sent me one of the pictures of you and I, taken the day before I left. Good picture. My wife looks very nice. Think I'd like her just from the picture, without knowing her. Even with the coat on she shows a little of what I like to see. If I remember right they're real too. Like to have a couple handfuls of them right now.
Readinger says "Hell man you got a good looking wife" I told him I knew it and that wasn't all either. She's just as good as she looks.
Ernie got a letter from one of the sargents down at Polk today. Here is the news as reported from there. The 8th is scheduled to move about the end of September and while no one knows where, they all seem to think it will be to Fort Riley, Kansas. In one respect that sounds swell to me. Be damn glad not to go back to Polk and from all I have heard Fort Riley is much like this camp. Old established post with everything handy and not too far from Kansas City. About 60 or 70 miles I think, west. The part I don't like about it is this. This is all my own guess and I hope it's wrong. The time for moving is too close to the 9th of October to suit me. They will probably move all the men and equipment by convoy seeing it is only 700-800miles and if they do that they may want a full maintenance crew. Hope not.
But you better really keep those nice legs crossed and hope like hell. If they do that to me I'll really be tempted to go over the hill but I won't. We won't worry about it until it happens.
Sorry honey, that I'm writing letters you can't read to your friends but I just have to love you a little somehow. I do love you honey and Boy, only 34 more days. I hope.
Well Bye honey. I'm loving you.
your hubby
Norm