Friday afternoon,

6/4/43

Dear Folks:

It has been quite a few days since I’ve writing but you will have to be lenient. We were on another four day problem and just got back in camp this morning. We are kept quite busy in the field and haven’t really any time to sit down and write.

I went into Los Angeles last week –end again and had another swell time. I went around to the same places again and added a few new ones. I stopped in at the Lux Rodeo Theatre, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the Canteen again. We saw a dress rehearsal of the Lux broadcast with Ginger Rogers and Roy Mallard – and all the footprints of the stars at the Chinese Theatre. It is just an ordinary name with lots of exhibits and footprints – Victor McLoglen’s were the only ones that fit me. Saturday night we went roller skating and bowling. They have a very large rink and bowling place in Hollywood, swell alleys and everything. I rolled only 117 and 118 – the next time I’ll do better.

Sunday morning I went to the Blessed Sacrament Church on Sunset Blvd. It is a very nice church, all white marble inside and as big as St. Johns. The radio broadcast was in the afternoon and we saw Bill Johnson’s show in the evening. He sure can dance and we had a very enjoyable time at the theatre. He was appearing at the Biltmore Theatre. Incidentally Jack Benny was attending the show also. He had himself a nice seat in the front row.

Oh yes, I had my first sleep in a bed since I left home. Always before I stopped at the U.S.O. and slept on bunks or cots. The U.S.O. gave us the name of this hotel and we stayed there Saturday and Sunday evenings. Believe me the bed really felt good. I spent about $10.00 over the weekend which is very extravagant for me, most of it on food and orange juice. Food is really expensive here – I guess it is the same all over.

It seems that we are going to be on these four-day problems for some time. We leave early here and work from a command post out in the field. Everything is made realistic, the trucks travel cross-country quite a distance away from each other. When we arrive at the point selected we select places to dig our fox holes and the message center. After that we camouflage the place and start operating. Dad I tell you that I drive a “Jeep” every once in a while? Sometimes we have an urgent message and I have to see that it is delivered. I just hop in the “Jeep” and set sail. Most of the time however there is a lottery agent around whose job it is to ride the car all the time. We don’t stay over a day in one position as we are supposed to be either advancing or retreating. We moved into position once this week at 2a.m. and it was quite a job. No lights are allowed at all even on the trucks. Some fun. Every truck has to have some one watching in front of it to avoid accidents.

I don’t need anything just now, I still have lots of candy, envelopes, foot pounds, socks, etc. So there isn’t anything you could send me. (Incidentally you don’t need to insure packages.)

I am praying daily for Grandma Estelle and all of you. These are really hectic days for our family, Ma running Plant, Tom becoming a father, and me blooming like a cactus plant.

God bless everyone of you,

Joe