Saturday Night – September 16, 1944
Dear Family,
I am happy to tell you that this has been a usual Saturday evening. And to be sure Saturday evening and Sunday is one part of the week I hate to be anything but usual.
I have messed around, done a little cleaning up, sewed on a pair of chevrons, read some and all the time have been thinking that I ought to get around to writing.
Since I don’t have to go back any further than today to catch up on my news there won’t be much of this to tell. We had an inspection this morning and a couple hours of drill. And this afternoon we really had a snap. We had care and cleaning of equipment – which simply means staying in the barracks and doing anything that you need to do. The main thing is just be busy and don’t get caught doing nothing.
That just almost brings me up to date so I expect it would be a good idea to sign off until tomorrow. This isn’t too good a start so I just hope I am long winded tomorrow.
Sunday Afternoon
It seems to me that Sundays for me just aren’t long enough. All week long it is so hard for me to get up that I think I’ll sleep all day Sunday. Then on Sunday if I sleep I feel I should be doing writing or something and I don’t sleep I feel that I haven’t been fair to myself if I a tired after the weekend is over.
As a whole I spent this morning sleeping. I got up for breakfast and then went back to bed till church time. Then I spent most of the time between church and dinner being lazy too. All the extra I did get accomplished this morning was address some change of address cards. We address the cards and put our name, rank and serial number on them. Then we turn them in and the new address will be stamped on them. They will be sent out when we leave and we won’t have any idea of our new address.
Likely you’ll know at least to which side of the world I am going as soon as I do. But other than that for everyone’s good, you and likely even I myself won’t know my final destination till I get there. Sure wish I knew when it will be.
It seems to me that even today I can’t think of much to tell you. A furlough seems all but out now. I hate to think about the fact that the last time I left Indiana might be for a good while. I sure hope going now will make the final coming back a little bit sooner. I’ll quit for a while now before I get too deep in this line of thought. I’ll think of more to say before night.
5PM (1700)
I think the most important thing wrong with my writing this afternoon was the chatter going on in the barracks. I finally got enough of it so I came over here to the library where the atmosphere is a little more of a quiet nature. I have been able to get a letter written to Uncle Pauls in just a little while.
I wonder what kind of things you have been doing today. No doubt you had preaching services this morning as usual. Richard is up to his neck in school work and football so I expect preparing and resting up for that has taken a good bit of his time.
The weather here sure has been running along its customary weekend lines today. It looked this morning like it might be a sunshiny day but by noon it was up to its old trick of raining. Since then it has continually been first raining then drizzling then raining again. This makes about 4 out of the last five Sundays that the weather has been like this. I don’t remember having heard you say anything about the weather at home for a while. I wonder if it isn’t beginning to almost seem like frost time now.
**
It is almost bed time now. This hasn’t been too much of a wasted day after all. I accomplished a good bit while I was away from the barrack tonight. Besides the letters I wrote, I spent almost two solid hours reading. I had a little magazine about like the Reader’s Digest that I almost read through.
When coming back to the barracks tonight the weather made me almost happy enough to shout. It sure is like an early fall evening at home. It’s stopped raining and is a good bit cooler than usual. It sure will be good sleeping tonight. In fact I’m getting in a pretty happy mood now.
Love, Donald
If I cut short it’s because any more that I might have to say isn’t worth starting a new page.