Dear Mother;
How is everyone at home? I hope that everything is going well. I sure would like to go home for a day or two to see what is going on. I am not very homesick because I don't get time to think about it but I would like to know how the garden is growing and especially how and who is mowing the lawn. I think someone must be doing that job but who finds time besides you?
We are really going to work out hear (sic). Heat or cold, rain or shine we get out at 5:15 and begin. Today we really got the works. We started the day by learning how to assemble to pitch tents. As I am a squad leader a little of the resonsibility (sic) of such movements falls on me. We have to give a few orders to the squad only and since there are 3 of them besides mine you can see I do not get much gratitude but a lot of criticism by people who think they can do a better job and in some cases probably could. After we had done the movement several times the instructor gave up and we went to an hour lecture. After the lecture we had an hour and a half of P.T. (physical training) and cross country. After the 1 3/8 miles they decided we were ready for dinner.
Most of us felt too hot to eat dinner but most everyone did. We had potatoes, meat, vegetables, ice tea, two slices of bread and butter, and desert (sic). After a break of about 1/2 hour we started out again.
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| Picture from a Jefferson Barracks booklet found at http://www.b17tailgunner.com/, a website dedicated to a soldier who served just a few months before Austin and on at 2 of the same bases. |
At 12:00 we headed for the lecture field, (a beautiful woods behind the huts) and had an hour of gas mask procedure with practice gas masks. These masks are good for all gases but become saturated with gas in a short time and become unusable. We use them for learning the procedure and for a short time in a gas chamber (which we get later). You should see us when we all (50) get into the masks and light field helmets. We look like Orson Well's "Men from Mars". If you will send a camera I will send you a few shots of such things.
The camp is really a swell place but has too many hills on it. This really makes it tough marching.
(I seem to be off the subject)
After gas procedure we had a couple of lectures and at 3:00 went for P.T. again. The instructors are trying to build muscles in the arms and stomachs (The necks get developed in St. Louis) and to get a high degree of coordination in development of reflexes. We therefore get a highly diversified bunch of exercises. You really feel like going home to bed after that because they don't take it any too easy.
To top this off we ran for the first time the obstacle course. It is just what you have seen in pictures and when you get through you don't feel like standing up. You first run down a steep hill to several narrow planks, across them to 3 hurdles, 3', 4' and 5' high respectively, over them under a low platform, down a gully to the bottom and a steep wall. up the wall you go by the aid of ropes, run from that to a fence of logs piled about 11' high. You crawl up that and jump down if you feel like it, from there to jump hurdles going uphill until you come to a wood fence 7 1/4' high you have to get over this any way you can. I had very little trouble because I am tall, next is a series of pipes you have to crawl through, followed by a ladder over a very very muddy hole, you have to swing hand over hand over this (it don't pay to drop off) run up a very steep hill and you are done. We ran it slow today but I was still ready to drop at the end.
Maybe you thought at one time or another that you would like to live in the nice warm tropics. Well they may be alright to live in but terrible to work in. When you get the heat we have had you still would like to live in the tropics but do nothing else harder than sip nice cool drinks and relax. This is a killing climate to work in. Everyone seeks shade at 1:00 and stay there as long as possible. Today we had to sit one hour in the sun at the end of which time our uniforms were soaked through. When you get P.T. after such a period you look like mud has been thrown at you.
Many of the fellows are taking it rather hard. They were used to another easy life without too much hard work. There were used to only the best food also. Now they have trouble adjusting themselves. Some continually complain and threaten what they will do if they get a chance. Some just go off to the Service Club and pay 70 cents for a meal. I find however that what ever they do they feel a lot better when they get back. I guess there is a reason for letting the fellows gripe and groan.
I suppose you remember the letter that you forwarded to me with the Shrewsbury return address and wondered who I could have found out there. Well don't get excited because the girl was one of the class, them that took the pictures out at Prof. Thompson's house. {ed. note - See the 3 pictures posted in the 2nd post} She was a swell kid and I was delighted when I got the letter. It had several pictures of the gang and I am sending them to you. You can look them over but I want them sent back. I think you will be interested.
I hope you didn't miss the letter yesterday but I just had to thank the girl for those pictures and the letter. I guess you understand. Angela Fiorelli is the girls name and you will find her in the group. {The girl on the right in the second picture} The picture came out so good a letter was the least I could do to show my gratitude.
We are always looking for surprises out here in the form of packages with candy and cookies. If you send anything, don't make it too good as I will get about 1/8 of it.
With love;
Austin
Jefferson Barracks
Missouri
June 19, 1943
Dear A.P. (Do you like that better than Pop??)
You put A.P on the end of your last letter so you will get that until further notice even though I like Pop better and I may forget.
How's the potato business? I should think that the farming is booming but the buying and selling about stopped. This seems a little late to be still planting potatoes. William told me a little about what you were doing and I wish I could be there. I sure liked driving that tractor and I think potato planting could be fun when you can sit on that tractor and let the man behind do all the work. That is really hardly the case it seems. That tractor driving and the little hard work I did sure toughened up my hands. Now they are peeling and all the hardness is leaving them. We get no chance to use them. If you read Mother's letter you can find out a little of what I am doing. It is really tough and put muscles to work that have been sadly neglected.
How is the radio school coming? Do you realize that I haven't a copy of the code out here and I have almost forgotten it? Your better put that in the next mail.
Tell me something about the farming. Tell me what's going on at home but especially make sure that a letter comes every day from someone. You really miss mail and word from home when you get into such a different country and so far from home. Tell William to have patience and tell Mary I would like to hear from her.
One thing I didn't tell Mother was that yesterday we went on our first 5 mile hike. We walked along the outside fence for quite a ways and I was surprised to see the difference in the country. We also saw a pair of mules that Missouri are famous for. There really is not much to a 5 mile hike taken in the way we took it. We just walked a very slow pase (sic) along the sides of the road. As it took us more than 3 hours you can see we did not hurry. My feet did not hurt at all.
You ought to have a pair of shoes like I have. They are the most comfortable thing you ever saw. They are always a little large to give you plenty of room and although they don't look too hot and don't take a polish too easy I would rathe wear them than the Civis {Ciwis?} you wear.
Our whole issues is worth in bulk about $100 but piece by piece a lot more than that. We have 2 pair of shoes, 6 pair of socks, 3 sets of light underwear, 1 set of heavy woolen, 2 tan uniforms, 1 dark brown, that looks like my old R.O.T.C. uniform, 1 heavy coat, 2 sets of work clothes, a shaving outfit, 3 towels, a rain coat, 4 hats of different shapes sizes and use, 1 gas mask, a flight jacket, and other stuff I can't think of. {
ed note - For pictures and descriptions of the standard issue, see this website }The gas mask is quite a thing. Send a camera and I will show you. You should see the gang when they have them all on.
I forgot to write and tell Mother that all my clothes were not sent home. They were my sport coat and undershirt, and some handkerchiefs. I will send them as soon as possible. I don't know when that will be.
Tell William that I am not supposed to send any service insignia home but as lots do I may send them home until I have to wear the uniform that it goes on.
It's lights out so
Sincerely Yours,
Austin
{
For more information on the training program used by the Army at this time, see the first 6 pages of this article. Not a lot of details, but it does give a few more specifics on the types of lectures he might have attended as well as what he should have expected from his commanding officers.}
