June 14, 1941
Dear Pauline-
Received the slippers, sponge and saddle soap. Thanks a lot. Being as Saturday is inspection, it comes in plenty handy. You know when I first got in the army I kind a liked it. But now it is giving me a pain in the ---. We only get 2 hours drilling a day now, but there’s a helluva lot of detail work. That’s what gets you disgusted. Friday I was placed in the first squad and received my 1st rifle drill. We were only taught two commands, the right shoulder arms and the post arms. For a while I thought I was going to wrap the rifle around my neck.
I sure will be glad when my year is up. I’ve done more studying and dirty work in this last month than, I’ve done in the last 6 years. Everything has to be done just so. No alibis or excuses or you’ll find yourself doing extra detail work. Take Thursday for instance, it rained here and the water formed a large pond around the barracks. That means detail work, put on your fatigue clothes and dig a gutter a bout 1x2 feet. so the water can rush to the sewer pipes. Here are a few other details, kitchen, dining room, lavatory, barracks, lumber, trash, sand, boiler room, coal pile. Just picture yourself coming off a mud or coal detail. The shoes have to be washed with castile soap, hat keeps the shoes from cracking, then you rub in the saddle soap to protect the leather, and then top it off with a good shoe shine.
There is a way and a reason for everything that is done here. Shave every morning, haircut every two weeks, how to make the bed, to hang your clothes on the rack, to lay out your equipment for inspection and just now, one of the boys informed me that my name is on the bulletin board for K.P.- that means work in the kitchen all day Sunday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m,. such luck. The names on the roster run alphabetically. They’re down to the S’s now and that means me.
This morning I received my first pay, after 3 weeks it came to $16.80. I took out a government insurance policy for $3,000. I t cost me $2.30 a month to keep it up. The beneficiaries are ma, pa, you, and Mary. You can only name four persons. So if I kick the bucket you can split it up 5 ways. Just as soon as I learn how to operate this camera I bought, I’ll send you some pictures. See you later.