Friday Night

Dear Mom,

Your nice long letter came today. Thanks a lot, it really means so much to us to get mail. I got a letter from Gene that was sent to Pickett. It was long and interesting. He quite worked up about some new apparatus he was working on. I hope he’s home by time you get this, hope he gets to see Doris before he leaves. Tell him to give himself plenty of time to travel, because the transportation is slow nowadays. It is important to be there on time.

I had that bad tooth pulled, and four minor fillings put in. I have a bruise on my heel. I don’t know what it is, it’s nothing serious, but it annoys me with G.I. Shoes. I went on sick call and they sent me over to the X-ray Technicians then because my heel needed x-raying. I’ll find out about it next week sometime. Think I’ll go to Peoria this weekend and relax a bit. You get pretty tired of staying in camp all the time. I have an invitation to visit a private home, it should be nice.

I hear often from Anne. She really thinks a lot of me. I know she not very animated but she is a nice kid. Her mother sent me a nice pound of home made chocolate candy- Delicious too. I wish you would ask her to Sunday dinner soon. I’d like to do something in return for her kindness and her mother’s thoughtfulness.

Lights out- continue tomorrow-

Saturday-

I didn’t realize it was so late when I started this letter. I meant to get it mailed last night. I’m enclosing a note for Gene. I guess he’ll be there by the time you get this. Write to me soon.

Lots of love

Jack

[Enclosed poems]

Dream castles are such fragile things,

Spun like a silken gown.

I wonder why they rock the world,

When they come tumbling down?

Days

Some days my thoughts are just cocoons – all cold, and dull, and blind

They hang from dripping branches in the grey woods of my mind;

And other days they drift and shine – such free and flying things

I find the gold-dust in my hair, left by their brushing wings.