July 6, 1943
Dearest Mary,
Here it is Tuesday, so here goes for that long letter, (anyway I’ll try) Its one o’clock and I’m listening to some “Jive” pretty good too! Mary its so darn hot here it isn’t funny, I’m starting to break out with what is called “prickly heat” right now its on my arms. Its like little water blisters and they feel like a lot of little pins stinging. oh well I think I’ll live threw it, it goes away fast if you catch it in time, last night I put some calomin lotion on it and it is going away, you talk about your troubles, what about me? I guess we all have them tho, its only natural.
Mary did I tell you about the mule that was killed, while we were on the machine gun range. anyway here goes. we left here at six in the morning and started our practice firing about eight, we were firing at at a distance of nine hundred yards, gee we could hardly see the targets, anyway we did get a few hits, I didn’t fire cause I had to coach as each took turns gunning, there were three of us that coached all morning and we got plenty tired of it, so that afternoon – we took it easy and fired awhile, while we were firing there was a mule about eleven hundred yards from us in back of the targets, and every once in awhile some one would take a shot at him to see how close they could come to him, and the officers were getting a kick out of it, it made me mad as heck tho, when we were just getting ready to go the officer in charge said to fire on the mule, I guess he thought that no one could hit it from that distance, it so happened that he got fooled cause someone did hit him, he was shot threw the neck, some of the men were really mad, including me, cause there really wasn’t any sense in it, a mule is worth plenty to a farmer down here. it so happened that he ordered three men from each Btry. to bury it, and one kid refused to go on that detail, (he had all the right in the world too) the officer told a sgt. To put him under arrest and have him tried for a “Court Martial”, the kid told the officer he wouldn’t dig cause there wasn’t any sense in killing the mule, this so called officer! who is busting Sgt’s cpl’s and such, thought it was a big joke until the next day, the boys who buried the muled in, were to have their dinner sent out to them and a truck to bring them back in, I guess the officer forgot about them, and they had to walk 15 miles into camp and they didn’t have any dinner, that was at 12:00 midnight when they came in, boy there was sure h___ raising around here for awhile. so now this officer is “court martialed” and may loose his rating. (so there) some story huh! (it did fill in space tho) Mary I wrote and told Mom that I was going to spend a few days in L.A., in her letter she said she wanted us to come to Berkeley but quick, and she also said to be sure and let Mary know, ha, aw she’s really a peach Mary, lot of fun too, she’s my honey too! ha, who else” guess!
When we get to Berk – we’ll really do some stepping not in Berk tho, cause that is but dead, S.F. is the place to have fun, although I wouldn’t want to live there, I want to live where I can breath, take Kirmies”s place for instance, that is really heaven, not to far from work, or recreation, its in a little town called Laffayett just over the Berkeley hills gee its swell there, and you ought to see his home Mary its really a honey.
Mary I hope you won’t mind, but I will have to go see a few people, you know what I mean, most of them are swiss people or swiss decent, but they have always been swell to me. I’m sitting here just like a house wife listening to “Ma Purkins” I guess I’ll have to listen in tomorrow to find out what the score is, ha, ha, those programs aren’t bad tho.
Gee Mary don’t forget, now this is no kidding, your going to have to help me out when I see you cause even now I feel a hollow space in my stomach, I’ll probably fall all over myself when I see you, so please give a soldier a hand huh? Cause I’ll sure need it Mary I think we’re going to have lots to talk about, cause I still have a lot of explaining, or should we skip it?
Mary I’ll have to close now cause I have orders to paint this darn desk so I’ll close now, and I’ll write tomorrow, hows the sun burn? does it still bother you, take good care of your self now cause it won’t be long little girl, and (I”ll see ya) like you say, that’s cute, ha.
Love,
Bob
Say hello to your Mom & Pop for me, also Lil and Nancy. (over)
I wrote seven pages, pretty good huh ha, ha, I didn’t think I had it in me.