Wednesday Nov. 4, 1942
9:30 AM
My Darling Mary Ellen
I’ve been on my first guard duty dear, as I told you in my letter last night. I had to get up 2:30 get dressed and then be at the guard house by 3:00, although I didn’t go on duty until 4:00 this morning. From the guard house we were taken in a truck, to our various posts. I was on guard at a warehouse, and we were given shot guns, incidentally they are just like mine, only sawed off short. I happened to have a short shift, I was relieved at 7:00. I’m not sure just yet as to how long I will be on this duty but I imagine it will be for at least a week. Some have had two weeks of it at a time so it just depends on how lucky I am. If I wasn’t on guard duty I would be on K.P. so it really doesn’t make much difference does it. It was rather miserable this morning though because it rained all night long. Not a hard rain, but enough to make it miserable. I don’t know which I dislike most, the dust or the mud. I think I would rather have it dusty. This soil is just like glue when it gets wet. It sticks to your shoes and the only way to get it off is to scrape it or take a brush and wash it off. I have to go to a guard meeting at one this after noon and I’m pretty sure that I go back on guard duty at seven tonight. The way they work it is that you are on four hours than off twelve.
I feel kind of low this morning. Most of the fellows in the barracks that I have been with all along, have started recruit school this morning. I wasn’t eligible to start because I was posted for guard duty. It means that I will have to wait until this bunch is through and then start with another bunch of fellows. Of course I will know a lot of them, but not as well as I did the rest. The school is only a two week course so it wont be so bad. There are only two of us in the barracks now, all the rest are in school or on a special detail. We are both on guard duty so we are exempt from most work while off duty. That part of it isn’t so bad. I sure need you with me today. I’m just plain down in the dumps. I think its because we are really getting into Army life now and some of us are being separated as far as our jobs are concerned.
Bob and I went to the show last night, but it wasn’t very good. Some of the cadets and officers had their wives and girlfriends with them and that made us both homesick and kind of low. The same show is on tonight but if it were a different show I couldn’t go anyway because I’m on duty now 7-11, that means I will be on Tomorrow from 12-14 in the afternoon if my guess is right as to hours. There is a different show on Tomorrow night and I might be able to go to it. The name of it is “The Flying Tigers” I think I will like it. I don’t care for any of these deep shows anymore heartbreak, love scenes etc. All they do is remind me of how much I want to be with you again. When the day comes that I can once more be with and do all the things we have planned, I will be the happiest person on this earth.
We were cut up from each other so quickly that I don’t think I realized for awhile just what had happened.
There’s no use crying about it though because its one of those things which has to happen and we’ve got to make the best of it. I think I feel just about the way George does. I don’t like the Army, I’m sure of that, I don’t think I would like any service. Taking orders and doing what you are told to do without saying anything, isn’t what I don’t like. It’s the being away from everything and everyone, that you have been with for so long. If I weren’t so far away so I could see you ever so often it wouldn’t be so hard. I’m going t try and call you sometime in the near future. I will have to plan it out carefully so we wont get mixed up in any way. The time here is two hours later than back there so we will have to figure that into it. The main thing is for me to find out for sure when I can get into town. The phones here are few and far betweenand they are old phones besides. There are no public booths at all so you see why I want to get into town. Sometime if I tell you I am going to call a certain night Heaths and then find out that I can’t get off that night I will try to get into town and call you before you have the office. Darling write me the Heaths phone number, I get it mixed with ones at the apt. I think its 510 but I’m not sure.
Be
sure and tell me if my letters are getting to you all right. How do you like
having me send them to our box number. If you would
rather I send them to your house I will just mail them to “
I have $19 left out of the $45 I had when I enlisted. I don’t know where it has all gone but it has gone. Of course I have bought quite a few toilet articles and pop. The shows are only 15¢ so they don’t amount to anything. I have more than enough to last me until payday. When I get paid I am going to send all that I have left at the end of the month; to you. You can do whatever you want with it. Don’t put it ini my name anywhere because I want you to have it. When I get out we can have everything in both our names, but not now.
I had to give so much out of my check each month for bonds, so I took the smallest amount. This was $1.25 and it wont add up very fast. I had them mailed to you, and also named you as my beneficiary. I want to send you all the money I can possibly save. I’m not forgetting the bills I left, that you probably had to pay. I will send 25 or 30 dollars as soon as I get paid, to take care of them.
I hope I get a letter from you today darling, it would give me a lift. Dear, if some little thing, or big thing either if the cars, I hope you aren’t worrying about it. They are the least of my worries. About the only thing I don’t want you to do is sell them, and I know you wouldn’t anyway without first asking me.
Its now five minutes to eleven just about time for lunch, I think I will go eat then write some more this afternoon. That way I will probably have something more to write about. I have to write mother a letter also. I am still sending her mail to Wake Forrest, I don’t know their new address yet, maybe I will wait until I hear from her first. I will probably get all my mail at once. I have been wondering just what to do with the letters I receive. I couldn’t keep them because I haven’t the room. The best thing to do would be to put them in a package and send them to you. That way we will always have them. Well I guess I’ll go eat darling. Good – Bye for awhile.
11:45 Here I am back again darling, and after a good meal I feel a lot better. I sure got a surprise before I went to lunch. The sergeant handed me a telegram. It was from Mother 6 George. I’ll give you the exact words.
Dearest Glenn Happy to receive letters have written to you Hope you are well all our love and best wishes for the future
Mother and George
It gave me kind of a lift hearing from them.
On the way back from lunch, I bought some stationary. It is real nice and you will be able to see it in your next letter. I think stationary is going to run my expense account more than anything else. I don’t know if I will be able to write much more right now. I have to be over at the guard house in an hour and I have to clean my things up before I go. I will write again when I get back, and tell you just what the meeting was about. Bye – Daryling (I guess I can’t even spell anymore.)
1:35 Just got back from meeting. All it was for was to tell the
fellows to be there each day at 1:00 for drill and instructing on doing ground
duty. The sergeant said we would or should be relieved by the end of the week,
so I should only have but one week of duty. After that I still have a week
before the second school starts, so I will most likely be on K.P. or some other
detail. I stopped by the R.X. and a light colored belt with a brass buckle for
my uniform. We were only issued one belt and it was dark green with a plain
fastener. This other belt is more dressy and looks
much better with the uniform. I still haven’t had a chance to get my uniform
altered. The coat is all right but the pants are too long around the waist and
a little short in my estimation. My shurst shirts
are all right but the sleeves, they are about one inch too long. I wish you
were here to fix them for me. I know you could fix them
jus the way I wanted them and do a better job too.
The weather is clearing up now, the sun isn’t out but it is getting sultry. I sure hope it doesn’t rain tonight.
I could call you this Saturday dear. I wish I could know if you would get this letter in time to let you know. I’m afraid it wouldn’t because the mail doesn’t go out until tomorrow morning, that would only give it Thurs. Fri. and Sat. So I’m afraid it would be too late. I’ve been figuring out my shifts and I’m pretty sure that I will be off Saturday night. I will put in my call at seven Saturday evening, that should be plenty of time for it to get there.
Darling I’ve decided after all this figuring to let the whole thing go until I will be sure you will know when I’m going to call. I will find out about the rates, and also how to plan about the two hrs. difference in time. When we get to answering our letters we can plan better. Be sure and let me tell me if you did get this letter Sat, so I will know. This is the last sheet of this tablet darling. I have really been writing haven’t I. I will use my new stationary on my next letter. I won’t mail this letter until I have to go on duty in case I think of something else to write. Say hello to your folks and Beulah and Cheever Jrs. For me darling.
Good-Bye Sweetheart
All my Love
Glenn