Sunday morning,

January 16, 1944

Dear Folks:

We have a day off today and I am going to spend it writing letters, sewing and reading. I am behind in my correspondence and have almost five or six letters to answer. Some more stripes have to be sewed today I have eight pair of them to put on and it will be quite a job. There are five Saturday Evening Paste that I need to catch up on as well – by the way the magazines are coming in every week regular and I enjoy getting them. Now I always have something to read whenever I get an hour or so off.

There is a big test coming up on Monday evening – the whole group is going out and we are going to operate as a unit in the field. It will be an all-night affair and pretty exciting. We at the headquarters relay the fine commands down to the battalions and there can hear all the guns going off. It is lots of fun and very interesting. The gun crews are very fast and it doesn’t take them long to get the shells off.

By the way I answered that letter from Wright as soon as it reached me. In about a week or so I should be getting a reply from them. I’m curious as to what the amount will be but I guess it will be like Helen’s. Helen started working there three years ago if I’m not mistaken just a month after I did. Ma will be completing a year very soon and I’m very proud of her. Helen told me how Ma makes herself pleasant to everyone and works harder than anybody else in the place. I know Ma can do it too because she sure could work around the house.

How does Dad like working for the government? I don’t suppose it will effect him much. Maybe it will even be a good thing in the long run.

Tom had written a letter to me addressed to PFC and had to get it back from the post office and change my rank on it. He is a good guy to go to all that trouble just to make me feel good and I appreciate it. He could have just let the letter go through but he wanted me to know he was glad I was given a raise. It’s things like that which make me proud of that big brother of mine.

I got a letter from Eileen yesterday and I want you to thank her for it. She writes me quite often and I always enjoy her letter.

I’m glad to know that the picture of Dennis is on display in our front room. The one I have is always out on my bunk when I’m writing and I’ll always keep it. What a joy he is! Did I tell you that I wrote Estelle personally and thanked her for the picture?

I’m just going to church now so I’ll close.

Joe