July 25, 1943

Boo to you too!

July 25, 1943

Dear Mother;

I might just as well tell you the first thing that I am on shipping again.  That means that you better stop writing and wait for my new address.  Monday we expect to leave and go to college.  This is probably a surprise to you but you couldn't be more surprised than I.  We were in Sq A no more than 20 hours and we were put on shipping.  That is indeed fast work even for the Army.

When you go on shipping in Sq A, you really get a break.  You get no more work but get a chance to catch up on lost sleep.  It also means you are confined to the area and that is not so good.  Every time you go anywhere you have to sign out and tell where you are going and when you will get back.  This is a lot of bother but is worth while considering that you get out a all kinds of work and details.  This is a lazy life but I can stand a little with out too much trouble.

I have a rumor about where we will ship.  We will go to a college in Wis. about 400 miles from here.  This is strickly a rumor so don't send my next letter to Wis. and trust to luck I get it.  People do such things.  One fellow got a letter with his name, serial number and Jefferson Bks, MO.  The people that handle the letters know how to find people or half the mail sent here would never reach the fellows.  

Something funny is slowly happening to me.  You may not believe this but I am getting so that ice cream does not have the old appeal.  The reason seems to be that I am getting too much of it.  I never thought I could get enough but now we get it every night and then I go get the biggest sundie you can get for a dime.  These sundies are the biggest you ever saw and you can't get them at home.  I still eat ice cream but may see a day when it won't appeal.  What a guy I'll be when I get home.

I still feel some times that I have just gone away for a short time and will come home soon.  It seems that when I do get home that things will be changed and things will be new.  It is as if every thing I wish was different has come true.

I don't know what I will write.  It is too hot and I have run out of ideas.  I could tell you that in this switch from one Sq to another I am now bunking with two mid-Western aircraft gunners, 2 fellows from Brooklyn, NY and one from Staten Island.  We also have a Corperal with us.  He is a 2 stripe general but a pretty good fellow.  The NY'ers are always fighting about the merits of Brooklyn and Staten Island.  We get quite a kick out of it.

How do the temperatures compare now?  You may have had some hot weather but do you get it steady the way we do with the humidity at 78% now?  Right now I wish I was back in nice cool, N.E.

With Love

Austin