8:20 P.M.

Oct. 24, 1942

Dear Mother,

I just completed a phone call to Chicago Heights.  Of which you well know of now.  This is a swell place down here.  It is 75 square miles in size and has 50,000 at the present time.  There are also many different kinds of radio schedules here.  And many forbidden areas.  One of which is the aircraft warning devices.  Anyone caught near or asking questions is put in the guard house.  They have every convenience of home here.  Churches, service clubs, shows, and a general store for every Battalion. Gyms, and a day room.  In the day room they have a pool table, ping pong table, piano, radio, and a special room for writing letters.  This writing paper is free. 

I left Camp Grant on a Special Troop train that came down here.  There were many men.  I left Camp Grant at 8:30 in the afternoon [on] Wednesday and arrived at Kansas City, MO. at 7:00 in the morning [on] Thursday where we had breakfast.  Very good food in the station restaurant.  We arrived here about 2 in the afternoon [on] Thursday.  We had Pullman cars all the way.  When we started, the berths were all made and are they comfortable. We had fast training all the way. The Challenger from Grant to Kansas City and the Southern Belle from Kansas City to Camp Crowder. The Kansas City Southern Railroad runs through here. The phone call I made cast me $2.25 for 10 minutes, which is very cheap. I have to have the hangers to hang up all my clothes. We have inspection every Saturday and everything has to be prefect. I don’t know how long I’ll be here. Starting Monday, we get basic training, which includes everything a soldier should know, such as marching 10 and 15 miles, shooting, drilling and other things I don’t yet know. This training will take 4 weeks. At the end of this period I will be appointed a Corporal. They gave us more exams when we got here and figured I would be best suited as a high speed Telegrapher. After my training in that they said I would be appointed a sergeant. This is a specialist school and camp. And they only turn out specialists, but everybody has to take the basic training. Don’t worry if I don’t write all the time, because the training is very intense and I probably will be good and tired when the day is done. I will be able to write on Saturday nights and Sundays however. So I guess that will be alright.

Your son,

Melvin 

Pvt Melvin K. Meyer

Co. “C”—26 Bn. S.C.R.T.C.

Camp Crowder, Missouri

P.S.—It is very chilly down here. There [are] a lot of boys from Chicago here. Also Kentucky and Southern Illinois. I also saw the Lobue kid down here, from the Heights. He used to be a[n]ice man. They’re all a swell bunch here.

How’s dad?