August 29, 1942
Camp Livingston, LA
Dear Mom and All,
Well, I guess I should have time this weekend to catch up on my correspondence that has dropped a week or so behind.
I just got my equipment put away from my regular Saturday morning inspection and it is nearly time for mess, so if you find a scrawl clear across the paper, you will know that I heard the whistle and didn’t have time to let go of my pen.
I haven’t heard from Peg for about two weeks. Alice says she hasn’t had a letter from her since she (Alice) left Elmira. I hear from Ruth once a week and get a letter from Alice every two or three days.
I got a letter from Britain, the fellow who left this outfit and went to “somewhere in England“ a couple of months ago.
It was postmarked July 25 and I got it yesterday, over a month on the way. I expect another from him, in a week or so, with the $30 he owes me. He said they hadn’t had a full pay since they left LA, but would the next payday, with English money. Said he’d have a hell of a time, figuring, for a while.
He was made a sergeant before they left this country and Corporal Chas. Bestuche(?), the other one that left at the same time in their ‘Top Kik'(?)
What kind of a time did the boys have on their camping trip? Tell Jay I’ll try to get a pup tent to send to him for next year. They’re light and roll into a small pack. I may be able to pick one up on maneuvers next month.
I have several more books and my photography album that I would have liked to have sent up, but they didn’t have much room and that was all of the paper and twine I had. The blanket is GI (government issue). I had seven after maneuvers last year and we’re only allowed two, so I turned four in and figured I earned the other picking them all up. The jacket is one I bought quite a while ago. I’d lost my issue at the time but found it later so didn’t need the boughten one. They cost better than six dollars.
Well, I didn’t leave a line, I anticipated that whistle by about a minute and a half so had time to set things in order. I just got your last letter at mail call after dinner.
There is a nice cool breeze coming through the hut this afternoon, papers just a ‘flopping around at it’, a (slang expression we use down here).
I figured Basil would get off fairly easy, how he does it I don’t know. If it had been anyone else they would have probably gotten 2 1/2 years in Rockview.
I never did care much for that Bryant kid, he thinks he knows too dang much. It sure would have liked to have seen him and Jay tangle. I have a pretty fair idea who’d do the work in that bunch.
We start maneuver September 14, for about six weeks. This is to be our base camp, but our mail will come through Leesville LA. They will be in LA and Texas and make it up into Arkansas, a pretty wide area.
Charlie D started home on furlough yesterday. His other one was a sick furlough he got after having that operation. They are starting furlough over, but they will be canceled near time for maneuvers. I took the fellows going on furlough to town yesterday and got back about five, ate supper, and lay down and started to read. I woke up this morning and dressed at 1 AM. I had intended to go to the show, but I guess the sleep did me more good.
Charlie and his girl, Liz have broken up. She tried to pull a fast one and he wasn’t as dumb as he looked. I found out how Ruth heard I was drinking and running around. Something or some relation to Reamers. Mrs. Suhr has asked Charlie if I drank, and he told her that I did once in a while, so I guess she enlarged on it a little and told Anna. I think it was the cause of Leland and Marq breaking up too; about the same thing was said in both cases.
I got a letter from Wilfred the other day. He sent me one of the pictures he took at Middleberry, so I sent him one that I took. Well, I reckon I’d better close this and get started on the next one. I have about four more to write.
Love,
Wayne.
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