[Date unclear – probably February 6, 1944]
Sunday Morning
Dear Folks,
I am now again at the middle of the range. But this time I am not feeling miserable like I did on Sunday before.
It is sort of a miserable day today but we have had a fairly nice week. The only day last week that it rained I was lucky enough to work in the pits of the rifle range where I didn’t get too wet.
I guess our important qualifying with weapons is over so now I won’t have to worry about that anymore. We worked in the pits while the 11th company fired on Thursday. Then we fired on Friday for practice and yesterday for record. Again I didn’t do anything extra but I did do a lot better than I did before. I fired 163 before which only lacked 2 points of being a sharpshooter but this time I fired 175. Of course, as you might know this lacks only five points of being an expert. But I have a feeling that being a sharpshooter is just as good or better for me than being an expert. I am not in the lowest bracket and if I ever see actual combat too much responsibility might be placed on my ability as an expert riflemen (that is if I had become one).
Maybe since I had shot before I should have shot expert but I did my best and I feel better than I would have had I cheated a little to pick up those extra five points that I lacked.
I suppose that next week will be spent doing combat firing etc.
I don’t know whether I told you about our record firing before or not. We fired 4 shots at 200 yds from the sitting position, 4 shots from the kneeling position and 4 from standing. Then from 300 yards we fired 4 rounds from the prone position and 4 from sitting and at 500 we shot 8 from the prone. We also shot rapid fire 9 rounds from both 200 and 300 yards. This is about right anyway whether it is perfect or not.
Incidentally our rifles shot shells or rounds as we (the army) call them the same size as those Richard and I picked up after the graveside services for John Flemming. Only our rifles are alot more modern than those they fired that day. The ones we shoot are semi-automatic which means that we insert a clip of 8 rounds and all we have to do is aim and pull the trigger 8 times. It loads each round and extracts the empty shell automatically.
Whether you have heard tales about the army rifles kicking or not, the kick isn’t anything to worry about. They kick a little worse than a 12 gauge shotgun but they teach you how to hold it so that the kick is absorbed by your shoulder and you don’t feel it at all.
My shoulder after firing about 150 rounds in the last two days feels no worse than it would if it had been a year since I had fired. Maybe Richard will be interested in this anyway.
I just got your package yesterday and have been getting your letters regularly. That little flashlight will do me more good out here than anywhere else and I am grateful to Richard or whoever is responsible for it. Those pictures you sent me were sure welcome. I don’t suppose I’ll get to send you a picture of me till after basic but I’ll send one as soon as I get a chance.
By the way did you ever get those shoes I sent home. I have never heard of them.
About the Spectrum, I would sure be glad to see one but I would want to send it home after I have thoroughly absorbed it. Do as you like about buying one for that purpose. I might get to come home about that time anyway.
So far I haven’t heard anything about church services today so I suppose I’ll have to miss another Sunday. I sure am glad though that I don’t have to be firing out in the rain.
Well I hope everything is OK back there. I hope Dady’s ear doesn’t give him too much trouble.
Love,
Donald
P.S. Thank you for the little extras in the package!
Sunday Night
I had this letter sealed but just for fear that it might be a good while before I get to write againI decided to write a little more.
The main thing I wanted to tell you was to be sure and have my Gruen taken care of. Thanks for reminding me of it. By the way, how has it been acting?
Well I have sure spent a lazy day today. I wrote your letter this morning then took a nap. I spent almost all afternoon catching up on my newspapers and reading the Sunday School papers. I maybe should have written a few more letters but I didn’t feel in the mood and the relaxation sure did me good. I am going to hit the hay