Dec. 19, 1943
Dear Mom-
Your letter
came yesterday and it was the most cheerful happening that has transpired since
I landed here. For a week I worried
whether you were sick or else something happened to you. This stationary I’m writing on I stole in a
building I was in so don’t think I’m in a hospital when you get it.
Sorry to
hear Oscar died because he was a very good friend of yours. Please extend to Mrs. Brunner my
sympathies. There is at the time (when I
write this) a stream of letters and cards coming to you. I’ve written more in the last 10 days than I
have in 5 years. There’s nothing else to
do in the tiny amount of leisure time permitted us. Its 8:15 A.M. now and I had sentry duty from
4 till 6 so a bed and myself are getting to be strangers. Time was when you couldn’t get me into one, then you couldn’t get me out of one. Now I sleep on the fly. Anyway we manage somehow. So Tom has departed for parts unknown. Well he’ll be back when he gets ready. I still have $8.00 of my money and it’s
sufficient for my needs although when Feb. 6 rolls around I might need trainfare home. I’ll
let you know in time about it. My next
pay should be about seven or eight dollars.
I also done one of the damndest things I ever done and that was state
preference for gunnery in the Fleet Marines which in pure unadulterated murder
1st degree. I was half
disgusted the day I made this choice and possibly they may not give me it. I don’t know.
If they do it’s the Tokyo Express as soon as I finish combat training
which means so many (?) months at Cherry Point or New River (N.C.) However
don’t worry I still have a good bit of time left and a furlough home besides.
Be sure to
have a nice Christmas but don’t work yourself to death getting ready for it
then be too tired to enjoy it. That was always one of your failings using 2
moves where one would suffice. I’ll bet
you still run upstairs. Remember
this that you and your health and welfare mean everything to me. So if you want to keep me happy you’ll watch
yourself first before anything else.
Christmas coming probably means extra work so use your head. Tell Mollie to go easy and write when she
can.
I was glad
to hear Frank and his friend were over.
He sure is a price of a fellow and he’s done me lots of favors. I hope I can help him out someday. It’s funny or is it, finding I like him and
Henry in the same family. I think the
Weiss’s as a group or family or whatever you want to call it are
the best I have ever run across anywhere anyplace. The Tuites aren’t
bad either except that stupid kid of theirs.
Call them by on Christmas and tell them I said hello and if I was in
town I’d stop by. Once in a while we see
newspapers a week or two old and rarely do we hear a radio so what’s going on
outside is news to me. We had snow and
ice here two days ago so the South isn’t all its cracked up to be. It must be bad in
You’d bust
laughing to see me wash my clothes. I
get them clean fast because everything we do is fast, but they have “Tattle
Tale” gray when they’re done. Nobody
cares so I don’t. These Marines are a
goofy outfit. The only thing goofier is
the parachute troops. You’ll notice a
big change when I come back. However I
never want to keep in civilian life the habits I learned here. They make snarling savages out of me in their
boot camps by shoving you into competitions in eating, drooling, sleeping,
washing, etc. It’s strictly
get yours first and to hell with everybody else. Anybody timid or backward has no chance at
all. It’s different in other camps they
tell me. I’ll be satisfied to never
achieve ranks higher than Private, 1st class. It saves wear and tear on the nervous
system. Now I’m assistant squad
leader. The 1st of January we
go to the rifle range which means things will be a little easier. In the Marines your rifle is your best
friend. One fellow dropped his the other
day and his punishment was to sleep with 3 of them. Imagine that in these tiny bunks. My rifle is new and its number in
1612276. I christened it “Betty.” A rifle is like a woman anyway, “it has nice
lines and can make a lot of noise in an argument” which is a thumbnail
description of that nice girl up the street (with which you probably don’t agree.) It’s too bad that old------Mrs. Mishlad didn’t croak instead of Oscar. She may have talked him to death. You might extend Christmas greetings to the Schageers, Sniders, Millers etc.
and the few remaining worthwhile neighbors on the street. Angie and Nick from the Academy sent me a
nice card but to date my mail has been the smallest in the barracks. As long as you and Frank write I’ll be
satisfied though. Especially
you. I wrote Henry and expect an
answer one of these days. We have a 10
day inspection coming tomorrow and if we flunk it there’ll be lots of hell in
store for Platoon 912 on
Some of the
jokes are pretty crude and crummy. I try
to avoid their company as much as possible.
It’s bad to see their actions. I
hope I never get like them. This life
don’t help anybody whose niceties of manner were slipping before they came
here. Mine will improve,
no question about it.
I’ll sign
off now because there’s washing to be done, equipment to be cleaned, and lots
of studying and never time to do it all.
But letters to you have priority over all so, don’t worry about me, take
care of yourself 1st (milk, medicine, enough rest, as little work as
possible, wash those heavy ash baskets) etc.
Well I’ll
try to get letters to you before Christmas so remember I’m always with you in
spirit. You’re the best mother in the
whole world and Mollie’s the nicest aunt.
I’m fortunate.
Lots
of Love,
Bun