Jan 15, 44

Dear Mom,

I feel lots better tonight. When I woke this morning my arms were really stiff. This morning we had to swab some floors and then loosen them up. Then we had a lecture and then we had manual of arms on the march and also flank movements. After that I was really loosened up and tired. For evening chow, we had ham as the main meat and butterscotch for dessert. Yesterday for dinner we had fish and I went for a second. This morning we had hot cakes and I went back for a third helping. You really eat around here but you don’t get any bigger. They march it off of you. Oh well, I don’t mind it so much because I get along with the boot movements a lot better than some of the others. Some of them don’t know how to do about face yet.

My coal is almost gone but I still have a small cough. Nearly everyone down here has that even the little D.I. (instructor) who is about 4ft 10in. When he showed us how to make a pack to carry on our backs today he was so short that when he went to put it on one of the boys he had to stand on a chair to reach him.

Tonight we got to go to the P.X. I got a pint of ice cream and 1 qt. of milk and ate till it was all gone.

I have just finished washing my clothes and cleaning my rifle and putting oil on it to keep it from rusting during the night because it’s so damp around here.

How are you and Dad and is it very cold down there? How’s Spot?

Goodbye now and it doesn’t seem like Saturday.

Your son,

Joe