Saturday Night – August 5, 1944
Hello Family,
Well just in case I have an extra lazy spell on in the morning and don’t want to wake up, I am going to get a little writing done now. I have messed around now till there isn’t too much time before lights out but I’ll write what I can.
We got off pretty early this afternoon and I got my necessary laundry done before night this time. I finished up about supper time and after supper I spent a little time reading. Then as Lula Bell and Scottie were on at the show I decided to spend my evening watching them perform. There was also sort of a “Rube Band” and couple other barn-dance style actors in it. The story wasn’t much but they just gave it life and the crowd really enjoyed it. There was as much real laughter (not just noise as I have seen from a bunch of soldiers.) 9:30
Morning
I’ve got 20 or 25 minutes before I leave for church so if I don’t get distracted I’ll get a letter written. Before I forget it I want to ask you about my watch. Have you received it yet and if you did what did Leo say about it? I am still in the notion of swapping if everything can be worked out. I wonder if Daddy or Richard remembers those watches we saw in Ft. Wayne or someplace that time we took the Slate car home last fall. They are something more like what I am interested in. But don’t get excited about this, just let time have its way and I believe everything will work out.
I got up at 7:30 for breakfast this morning and then I finished what little I had left in the August Readers Digest. I don’t know exactly what I’ll read this afternoon but maybe I won’t do anything but sleep anyway.
I’ve been trying to think who I’ll have to write to this afternoon. I believe I’ve about got caught up enough that I’ll write to Granda Craver and let it go at that.
1:30PM
Now to try and do some more writing. I received a letter from you at mail call just before chore at noon today. To be sure I was very glad to get it but I suppose I had about received my quota of letters this week and really didn’t expect any today. It almost surprised me when when you said that you had your first mess of corn the other day. The corn down here has been in the roasting ear stage for several weeks and we have had corn on the cob half a dozen times at least.
A little of what I’ve been doing – On Friday morning we went out to the area about 3 miles from here I have told you so much about and ran a problem. Then in the afternoon I worked in the pits out on the range for a group of new men in the company who had a fire for record.
On Saturday morning, two of us from each company who had had radio training went out with a captain to get oriented on the problem which will be run next week. The radios will be used for control of the problem and we will be more or less umpires instead of taking part in the problem itself. I am supposed to go out on that tomorrow morning but I see they have me up for KP so I don’t know what I’ll be doing for sure.
I notice I mentioned about the corn crop and I remember that I have been wanting to tell you about the area we went to when we stayed out 4 or 5 days a couple of weeks ago. This area is known as the South Carolina maneuver area and is some 30 miles from here.
It is composed of several large strips of land (a lot of it wooded) scattered though a typical southern farming area. There is even a little town in the area and another one not far away.
Everyday we would hike past several farms on our way to the training areas and you could get a real insight on the country. This was a lot different from hiking on the post and made training a lot more interesting.
I suppose this area here might have been typical countryside once upon a time but this has been a post since the last war. All the land is either heavily wooded or has grown up in scrub growth. Once in a great while you find an old building but it is very seldom.
I wonder what you folks are doing today. I surely hope you can have an enjoyable day. I suppose you had a minister today. I am happy that you have begun to get a little rain no matter how little.
I wrote this letter on some of the new stationary just to be a little different. Thanks for the package I got yesterday. I am about out of foot powder so that will come in very handy. I’ll find use for the darning cotton but as for mending sox – I have about quit. Whenever they wear out I just salvage them and save myself a lot of work. I feel like a nap now so I’ll sign off.
Love, Donald
I see I forgot to tell you we had a hike Friday night. Also I want to thank you for the clippings you have been sending. I like them.