Things are pretty good around here. Yesterday I saw Jim a few minutes after church. We marched to church and had services similar to those at home. It was sure a swell feeling and spirit-cause it seems like we been away from home for years. Not homesick-we haven’t time for that but I just miss you and the folks. At first I thought I was the only one so I just acted natural and never said anything but pretty soon Dick said he thought he’d go crazy if he didn’t see his girlfriend-that made me feel better cause I wasn’t the only one then. I hope you got the other letters and cards. I just found out this morning that the mail failed to go out the last day or so. Before I forget, please write when you have time or feel like it and don’t go by the bargain you set cause I’m telling you we don’t have time to think or hardly chew our food around here-what there is of it. Besides that a day here seems like two days put together home. But seriously I’ll try to write a card a day anyway more if I can possibly make it. I don’t even have time to read these letters over after I scribble them off.
We had a
big day today-about 05:30 “Junior” that’s what we call first mate to the
skipper-he came in and hollered, “Ok you land lubbers hit the deck!!!!!” I
imagine you could hear him over in Pleasant View. We call the Skipper (our
Captain or C.O.) “the Old Man” not to his face of course. One kid just about
got shot cause he addressed him accidentally “hey You.”
First things after putting our
bunks ship we found our cleanup detail. The boys kidded me cause my job is doing
the C.P.O room-that’s the room where all the officers sleep and stay. The
skipper and his first mates the “Juniors” and the Platoon Commanders. The boys
said, “rubbin elbows with the Officers huh?” I have to swab the deck there and
dust a little. I guess I’m lucky cause I haven’t stood Guard yet-probably it’s
just around the corner though.
We went over to R4 building at
13:15 (1 p.m.) to see a show. It was purely educational nothing
entertaining-the asst. C.O’s walked up and down the aisle and the first man in
a company who went to sleep had to stand up the rest of the show. The 2nd
man asleep and everybody in the Company stood up. Everybody who went to sleep
soon got woke up by the gab next to him. The show was about different maneuvers
in drilling and parading-such drills as right and left oblique, flank, colmn.,
reverses, dresses-etc, etc, etc… After the show we went out on the “Grinder”
(drill field) and practiced (correction nearly committed suicide) boy I don’t
know how many hours we were out there but it seemed more like days. Especially
when some of the boys couldn’t dress the ranks to suit the “Old Man” and we all
had to hold our arms out from our shoulders-try it for just five minutes and
you’ll get the idea. I felt sorry for the kid next to me. He just about
couldn’t take it.
Well tomorrow we have to take the
G.C.O.T. a test that determines our future in the Navy after boot camp. I’ve
taken tests that lasted a few hours but this one lasts all day. We have to have
the barracks ship shape and report to regimental headquarters at 06:30 (6:30
p.m.). I haven’t heard from Utah
since I left so write-tired-as ever-
Yours.
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