April 9, 1944 (Easter)
Sunday Afternoon
Dear Mother and All,
By this letter I want to thank you the best way I can for what I received yesterday evening. I wasn’t exactly surprised to get a package but when I found out what was in it you can be sure that I was very pleasantly startled. Everything arrived in excellent shape and in fact the icing was hardly even cracked on the cake. If one of Mother’s angel food cakes was a treat at home I don’t have any words to describe it here. “We” enjoyed it so much that now it is a thing of the past. I spent almost all morning reading the funnies but haven’t found time to start on the S.S. papers yet.
Although I haven’t seen too much of Easter I have had more than you might imagine. They brought us in from the range at noon on Friday and then let us off for a little while in the afternoon so that we could attend Good Friday services. Then this morning they held a special Divisional Easter service. It was held in sort of an amphitheatre on a hillside with a very beautifully decorated stage and a band for music. I am sending the program so that you can see a little about what it was like.
We had our regular Saturday inspection yesterday and we are supposed to have the big one tomorrow. I don’t know whether it will be the Colonel or not who will inspect. I am expecting them any time now to tell us to scrub the floor yet this evening. These inspections consist of personal inspection, rifle inspection, inspection of our barracks and inspection of all our equipment. Here lately we have started to call this the P and I (parade and inspection) division. Some of this is necessary, of course, but since so much time is required in preparation it is easy to run it into the ground.
We haven’t been told for sure but likely we will start training with the regular company tomorrow. Even at that though it won’t be much of a change since most of the old fellows are scheduled to leave some time this week.
Maybe you weren’t very surprised but the story of Janette and Charlie sort of startled me. I guess I have been away long enough that I can’t realize the true state of things. Things are happening so fast anymore that it makes my head swim to think about them.
About suggesting what to send the boys in service I hardly know what to say. Besides something to eat most any little thing would be appreciated. If I get any great ideas I’ll let you know. The main thing to remember is that it isn’t so much what is received as it is the idea of just getting something.
Well keep plugging and I’ll do the same.
Love,
Donald