April 23, 1944

Dear Joy,

I am really taking it easy today and am writing a few letters to catch up on my correspondence. I haven’t been to town all week and don’t know whether I will go in this afternoon or now. Jim says he knows where we can get a dinner of shrimp and all the fixings for a dollar, so we may go in and eat, that is if he can talk me into buying. He is really broke and I am his banker until next payday. I was going to go to Tijuana, but I am afraid that my finances are a little too low for that. I wouldn’t last long at the races with my bankroll. Maybe after next payday I will go down there some Sunday. It looks like something is going to happen in Europe pretty quick now, unless they are really fooling the Germans, and us too. They sure tore our outfit up in the last couple of days. I mean the gang I was running. We finished our painting job and they transferred all my men to the shipfitters, except 4, and shipped three of them out, so I only have one left and that is too many, because we don’t have anything to do.

The weather is sure nice here, but is pretty chilly at night. I had the graveyard watch on the outside Security Guard Friday night and had to dig my overcoat out and was still pretty chilly.

I am only supposed to have two more turns at guard duty and then will be off it for a month or two, maybe. I don’t count on anything here anymore, because when I do, just the exact opposite happens. If I do get off the watch list, I will have to be here every fourth night anyhow, but that won’t matter, because I am here at least three out of four anyhow. That is about all I can think of now, so I guess I will go back to bed and sleep for awhile more. I can still do plenty of that when I get a chance.

Love,

Tom