Letter # 112 October 31, 1943

Oct 31, 1943
Sun. Morn.
My Sweetheart;
I didn't have enough time yesterday to tell you much, I just wanted to get the new address to you as soon as I could. I'll try to give you an idea of the new set up now.
Everything here is changed from what it was when I left, including the temperature. It has been just perfect weather. I guess the temperature to be about 65 at night and 75 or 80 in the day. Just nice. The trees all have their leaves and are nice and green. Just about like the first part of Sept.at home. If it stays like this I won't mind at all. Still as wet and damp as ever. Dew drips off the roof like rain almost every morning, and it looks very much like rain today.
I am no longer a soldier of the 8th division. We are a separate unit, the 775 Tank Battalion, and are attached to the 19th armored corps. We will continue our training as a separate unit. The battalion is made up of 5 companies of about 120 officers and men, each. Probably a thousand men in all. There is a headquarters company and 4 combat companies, A; B; C; & D. Three of the companies are medium tank companies and the other a light tank company. Each company has from 12-20 tanks.
Here is where the fucked up part comes in. You know the army. It has to be all fucked up to be normal.
The army went to all the expense of sending me to light tank school, and when I come back for duty, they put me in a medium tank company. So as far as I'm concerned that 10 weeks was just a long vacation. No value to me whatever. We have 15 medium tanks in this outfit and most of them are old wrecks that need an awful lot of work done on them. We only have one man that knows very much about these tanks, so I bet we have fun. I don't think it will take me long to pick it up. Some of the work is different from that on lights, but some of it is similar.
I worked yesterday afternoon, painting the names on the tanks, and getting acquainted. They gave me all morning off to unpack and get myself located.
The company commander is a middle aged captain and seems very nice. The boys all say he's a swell guy. He talked to me a little while yesterday. Asked if I knew anything about medium tanks. When I said, " Not a thing." he just grinned and said, " You're in a good place to learn." Since I've had a look at the tanks and equipment and then a preview of the schedule for the next few weeks, I can see he wasn't just kidding.
These tanks are all the older type with radial engines and have seen a lot of tough service. Not a new Ford tank in the bunch. They say we are supposed to be getting all new ones soon, and then go on maneuvers about the middle of Dec. Just another rumor. I know these tank would never stand the racket unless we completely rebuild them.
We are supposed to spend a lot of time in the field for the next few weeks. We go out tomorrow morn and come back in the evening. Tues.we are to go out and not come back until Wed night and etc.
Honey it sounds to me like you will be hurtin for letters, but I'll do the best I can. Some of them probably won't be much more than notes.
This will all be battle training and we won't be allowed any lights, so you can see, I probably won't have much time to write when we are in the field. We may even work most Sundays. I promise I'll write as often as I possibly can. I love you and like to write to you. It hasn't been very long since I saw you but it seems long enough to be time for another furlough. I love you so much darling.
Now for some of the boys. Sgt. Brown is still the motor sgt. He got another stripe and is not Tech. Sgt. It's a break for me to still have him for Sgt. I seem to have made a hit with him.
Leo is still with the outfit. He did get married and his wife is teaching school near Lake Charles. He has his car here and drives back and forth whenever he can. They wanted her to teach so badly they gave them enough gas so he can drive. It's quite a drive, about 50 miles one way. He has a Pfc. rating. I haven't had much chance to talk to him yet. He is tank gunner.
Rahill is in some other outfit now.
Ernie is also in another outfit. I don't know where. They are all here in Camp Polk as yet, so I will probably see them sometimes.
The rumors about part of the 8th leaving here were not true.
The biggest part of the boys are either Pfc or T/5 and a couple are sargents. Only about 25 or 30 are still buck privates. We have about half the boys from the old outfit here, so it was somewhat like coming home.
I slept in an empty bunk in Sgt. Brown's room the first night and we had several boys sitting around shooting the shit and swapping stories of what had happened since I left.
From what they say, I guess the CO. tried to kill them all off during the Third army tests they had through August. He finally got his second bar, so maybe he is satisfied now. All new officers here in this outfit.
They issued me a pass similar to the one I had at Fort Knox. Can leave the post anytime I'm not on duty. I don't know as it will do much good here, but I may go into Leesville someday just to see what it is like. Three day passes are going to be very scarce from what I have seen of the schedule.
Our barracks are the same as we had in the old company, but we are located in the forest, completely closed in by pines and small southern oaks. It really is rather pretty. We are a little farther away from things, show, service club, and bus station, but it isn't over a mile, so I guess it won't kill anyone.
I have tried to think of most of the changes you would be interested in. If I've missed anything, ask me and I'll tell you next time.
Boy honey, it sure is some change from last Sunday. I was home with a very nice wife last week and today I'm way down here in La. with a bunch of roughnecks.
How is everything with my [pregnant]wife? Well honey, I'm all run down, have to get used to writing again. I'm not going to try to write to so many people. I'll let you tell them when you see them.
I love you more than ever sweetheart. Seems strange to be sleeping alone again. I'm loving you and thinking of you. Bye mummy. I love you.
your soldier
Norm.