Friday Nite

[February 12, 1943]

Dearest Mom:

I got your letter today and I was glad to hear from you again. Won’t think you can write too many to me, I wish you would write one a day so I wouldn’t be disappointed at mail call every day.

Mother I have been in charge of a detail cleaning our hotel today. I did not have to do any of the work but I just went around to see that it was done right. I felt like a big shot. They would say Sergeant West, take five or six men and do so + so. We really gave this place a going over.

Saturday Afternoon [February 13, 1943]

I had to stop and go down to the classification center to be interviewed. We had a General Classification Test and I made 123 on it and Bob made 120 on it, if you make 110 on it you are eligible for Officers Candidate School. We are doing a little bit of all right.

I just got back from a parade, we had to stand at attention for about one hour and a half. It is very tiresome but it will make a man out of your if you don’t weaken.

We had about two hours of exercises this morning and they are teaching us ju jitsu and the vile art of killing a man with your bare hands. We took off our shirts and it was plenty cold. I have a cold, and my feet hurt and my face is pealing off. I have had to have nearly all my hair cut off. It is one inch long and I look like a picked chicken. You wouldn’t know me I’ll bet.

As for “Bee,” she seems to be missing me terribly, I have not heard the first word from her. I have not heard from anyone except you and Aunt Rene except a valitine from Aunt Cora and one from Aunt Lillian. I haven’t heard from Bee, Bettie, or Frances. You can find out how much some people think of you when you get away from home. Oh! Well, if they want to be like that there is nothing I can do about it.

It just makes me sorry that I have to go through what I have already and will have to go through for them trying to keep the Japs and the Germans away from their homes. Mother if you will excuse the expression, I have caught hell these two weeks, we get up at 4:45 every morning and we generally are shining shoes and cleaning our buckels and so on until 10:00, so you see how much time we have for sleep.

We start to breakfast about 5:30 A.M. and fall out for drill about 6:30 and drill until 11:30 and I mean we drill. We have a lot to drill on and when about 600 men get to walking on a place the dust is really bad, that is what happened and caused me to have a cold. I guess I will get over it.

I am having trouble with my left foot, the arches in my left foot are giving me trouble and I have a time trying to march and keep my men in step and marching right. I won’t fall out though until I can’t more. I bought me some arch supporters tonight and tried them on and they feel like they are really going to help me a lot.

Mother, I received the shoe polish and the steel wool, thanks a lot is it hard to get down here. That is good polish and I really needed it. I also got the box with the candy, the manual, my trunks and supportor and everything so far. Thanks a million. Mother, I think I will send the manual back to you and let you get your money back, they issued us one the other day so I have no real need for it and there is no need to waste that money. I’ll get Uncle Ben to sent it back. I hate to be so much trouble but everything is in an uproar ever since we got here. We are the first class of this type and they were not organized at all when we got here.

I don’t know whether or not I told you but we took some pictures out at Uncle Ben’s last last Sunday and we went to his church. We met Dr. Augil too. He is a swell fellow. We had dinner with Uncle Ben. They are really swell to us.

It is Sunday Morning and I have been up about an hour, it is 6:45 now. They let us sleep late on Sun. We will be off all day today and I think I am going to stay in and doctor this cold. I have an awful one.

Sunday Night [February 14, 1943]

I have just gotten back from over in Miami, Uncle Ben was not at home so we just messed around town.

We stopped by a concert and heard Lily Pons sing. There was a crowd and a half. We stopped by a fire station where Bob’s dad used to work and we got invited out to dinner (chicken) by one of the firemen, we are really stepping.

We found out today that we may be on guard duty out around the hotel or around the beach and and any where they might take a notion to put us.

Mother, this one is getting sorta long, so I will close for now, I am enclosing a little gift for you.

Give my love to all.

Your loving son,

Roy