May 1, 44

Dear Mom & Dad,

            Wow! It’ll be a miracle if you can read this. I am now sitting in the 3^rd berth of a troop train, which is very comfortable. We had a good breakfast this morning. We stopped in Greenville S.C. to fill up with water. I asked of the ticket agents if he knew Eugene. He said he thought he did but wasn’t sure.

            Mom, just keep sending my letters to the same address until I get a new one. They will send them from tent camp on to where I’m going.

            Boy they sure treat you a lot better on the train than I thought they would and we have all kinds of conveniences. Even get clean sheets at night. At tent camp we didn’t get clean sheets but 4 times all the time we were there and they got pretty dirty sleeping with our clothes on those cold nights.

            Hey mom I forgot to tell you when I called but tell dad I was the Lt.’s runner those three days we were on camping. I carried orders to the other Lts.

            From what you say in the letter you have had right much company lately. If you feed all of them you had better start collecting ration stamps from them. Ha! Ha! I got a letter from Julia and she told me that sis was home and also all the school news including Ronnie (Ronald). We have stopped again. We stop every hour or so.

            I thought it was about time for sis to stop work and move to A.C. (We are off again.) I have gotten quite a few letters lately. One from Willie Magee the other day. You can tell [Lovey] or Mrs. Magee. Got one from Dot out in Texas saying she was going to visit her mother in California but I don’t know where bout in California. I also got one from Preston and one from Aunt Maude.

            Well I’m gonna stop now and when we stop somewhere I am going to give it to someone to mail. We aren’t allowed off the train but can hand it out the window.

With Love

Your Son

Joe