Tuesday evening

8/31/43

Dear Folks:

Well, I am spending the first evening in the barracks since we arrived in Missouri. Your radio came Monday afternoon in good shape and plays very well. The first station I got was Nashville Tenn. and a station in Oklahoma. The nearest big station is KM0X in St. Louis and I tune that in most of the time. There are quite a few small stations out this way and they play a lot of record programs. In the afternoon I can get the ball games from St. Louis. Thanks again for going to all the trouble of packing and mailing the radio. It will be nice to have around in the evenings.

Horace Heidt is on just now and it makes me think of all the swell evenings I spent home playing the radio. I wonder if I will spend many evenings like that again when I get home on my furlough. Most of my time will probably be spent writing all the relations.

That was quite a hectic phone call I made on Sunday. When we were cut off I thought I’d lost you for good and would have to wait a long time to get you again. How long did we talk anyway?- it seemed like quite a long time to me. Ma sounded nice and relaxed and I could hear every word she said. You would make a good telephone operator Ma, your voice sounds swell over the phone. After not hearing it for six months or so you can just imagine how good it sounded to me. You sure can talk Ma. Dad sounded just the same and probably is the same good guy he always was. Ma, Tom, and I are sure fortunate to have such a good man for a Dad. Helen didn’t get very many words in as she probably was running up and down the stairs while I was on the line. You sounded good though Helen and I’ll see you in a few weeks. The schedule for furloughs is still the same as I told you and I’m supposed to leave here on midnight of the 16^th. That would bring me in Newark about 7 on the 17^th and seeing all of you in Paterson about 8. There are a lot of 7’s there aren’t there? Seven was my lucky number anyhow so I shouldn’t be surprised. Tom was born on the 7^th, Helen on the 17^th and me on the 27^th. At least I think that is right.

Well, there isn’t any more news to tell you- I have lots of air-mail envelopes on hand so don’t need any. So long for now.

Joe