Letter # 120 November 8, 1943

Nov 8, 1943
Monday eve.
My darling wife;
Got your Thursday eve letter this noon. I guess I should call it your Friday morning letter. You're a devil writing a letter at 2 A.M. I think you had better stayed working nights. You seem to be up all night anyhow. You will have some more adjusting to do if you ever go back to school again.
If this letter gets a little screwy, I'm not drunk or anything, but we have been having a geography quiz among ourselves and I've had a hell of a time sorting states and cities out of what I was writing.
I'm glad to be in the medium tanks and after I get acquainted with them it will be swell especially if we get the new Fords they are talking about.
They have put me in school again, but only for a couple days I guess. They have a factory man here, giving a few of us the dope on these Wright Whirlwind engines. I was already getting a fair acquaintance with them and this will help a hell of a lot. Give me a month and I'll know which end to start on. Nothing very hard. Just have to know how they work. I'll make out O.K. At least they can't fire me.
Sgt. Brown left today for a 15 day furlough. First one for him in over a year. Says he's going to hunt, fish, and fuck. Bet he does all three, unless he finds something especially good along the fucking line first.
We sure have a variety of weather down here. This morning it was rather cold. There was even a light frost. I didn't suppose I would see any of that for several weeks to come. I imagine it was caused by the tornado along the Gulf Sat. night. You may have read of it or heard it on the radio. I guess it was quite a storm. All we had here was a hell of a thunder storm, with rain drops like cherries, coming down in almost a solid mass for about an hour.
Glad to hear you are getting along with the firing. I think you have hit on the right method. Fire it and forget it. It can't hurt anything. You always were too afraid of it.
I think you gals must have had a case of beer or something at that party. Honey, I'm surprised at you letting someone sell you on the talking table idea. I don't blame Gus for thinking you were nuts, only I would sooner believe you were "high".
Steve's address does sound a bit like the real thing. I'll write him a line as soon as I get around to it.
I saw Dick Elder the first day I was here and he said he wanted to see me on Sunday, the next day, but he didn't show up. I imagine the furlough was the reason.
I had quite a day yesterday. Wrote 8 letters, even got a nice long one off to Jim Johnson. I wrote to Mom & Hazel, Marg, Harold, Mickey, Gus & Vi, and best of all, my sweet wife. Then I read a little, did a few housewife jobs and then went to see, "This is the Army". You never said if you had managed to see it or not. I thought it was a peach of a show. Glad I went to see it. I almost didn't. There was a hell of a line up an hour before show time, but I decided to wait it out. I didn't have any nice thrilling feminine hand to hold, but I enjoyed it anyhow. You know, Honey, it doesn't seem right to be going to a show or anyplace without you. You've become a habit with me, but a darn nice one. I love you sweetheart and miss you a lot.
Don't worry about them working me too hard. I just won't do it. They can keep me on duty long hours, but I can work very slow and easy when I want to. I think it will ease up a bit soon. We are getting most of these iron buggies in half ass shape and when we once get caught up, I think we will be able to keep ahead of them.
I may not always be able to write you every day, but I will as often as I can. I like to write to you. It compensates in a small measure for not being able to be with you. I loves my chubby wife an awful lot and think of her most of the time I'm not busy and even then she manages to squeeze in and interrupt my work. She's a devil, but a very nice one. I love her so much.
Your soldier
Norm.