Letter # 400 June 24, 1944

New Guinea
Sat. June 24
My darling;
I'm going to start writing on regular air mail.  I was lucky enough to get some air mail envelopes and I have a few sheets of assorted paper left yet.  I expect we'll be able to get some more soon.  It's raining now and I'm taking advantage of the time.  The days are so short, light at 6 A.M. and dark at 6 P.M.  It doesn't give a whole lot of time to write unless I do it by camp fire and that is hot business. 
Don't loose any sleep over my living conditions.  Getting fed as good as at Polk and I like camping better than barracks.  Had pancakes for breakfast.  How's that? 
Here's an interesting thought.  Unless I move I will entirely miss the summer of "44.  It is supposed to be winter down here now ???  Not the kind of winter I like by a long way.  I'll still take a little snow and ice with my winters. 
I expect I'll be sending some money home now and then.  No use for it here.  Don't think I could spend $10.00 a month.  Things like cigarettes are either issued or only cost $.45 a carton. 
Now I'm going to start answering a few of your letters before I get so many I can never catch up. 
This is funny, just answering your May 23 letter.  Bet you can't remember so long what you have written.  I'll try to remember and explain.  I love you.  Does that need any explaining? 
Norman W. Effinger
I can well imagine that you are very much relieved to have school over, as you say, for good.  You sometimes do a bit of bitching and don't mean it, but I think you did mean part of that.  I'm glad you're through and hope you like the library job, ink, glue, dusty books, and all.  At least you ought to be able to have most any book you want to read.  You can maybe satiate your excess by reading good books.  Some satisfaction ain't it? 
You speak of your "package" of mail.  You should really have a bundle of it this time.  I didn't write every day but I have most of them.  The trouble is most of them are V-mail and they don't seem very personal to me.  How about it?
I can't give you any reason why Carl Wacker is at Fort Knox.  Things never seem logical in this business.  More power to him.  All I can do is envy him and I'm doing that plenty.  It hurts to even think of what would be if I was in his shoes.  You would be there and I would come home every night.  Gosh, what more could a man want.  That would be plenty for me.  I'm still remembering last summer.  Damn it.   Boy how nice that was.  I guess I'll end this and get it sent off.  Tomorrow being Sunday maybe I can really write a letter.  Night sweetheart, I'm loving you and missing you like everything.  Some day we'll make up for some of what we are missing now.  I love you darling wife.
your hubby
Norm.