March 7, 1943
Camp MacKall, NC

Dear Mom,
I got your last two letters at the same time, Friday noon. Thanks for sending the money order. I didn’t need it as we did get paid, but I didn’t know in time to let you know.
I drew $231.98 and I’m paid up to the first of this month now. I sent Wanda a telegram for 160 bucks so you can get your $10 from that.
I got into a no-limits game payday evening. I played for about five hours for pots ranging from 20 to 100 bucks apiece. I wound up around 30-35 in the hole but that’s not bad for a game of that size. A couple of my buddies lost 250 apiece, one of the Lieutenants was out a little over 700 bucks and writing checks. One of the boys won about 1100.
I haven’t answered Ruth’s letter and don’t intend to. Bernard Shaw says “the worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that’s the essence of human inhumanity”. I reckon it’ll bother her more if I don’t write at all then it would to write something I’d probably regret later.
Don’t blame her too much, it was partly my fault. I know I shouldn’t agree with things she’d said before, and expected me to agree that it was all right, anyhow. You know how girls are: they say something about themselves wanting you to say you don’t believe it, but get madder than hell if you agree. That’s why we didn’t get along, I wouldn’t agree so I guess she thought I didn’t care.
These women! I get a kick out of it, some of them can be so “catty“ that it’s funny.
I got a letter from Fern a week ago or so, she had misinterpreted something I had written and was upon her ear. I answered it and made out I was terribly hurt and disappointed, and boy did I get a soft answer to it yesterday. I guess she thought I was heartbroken. She said she knew she was wrong and was sorry the minute she dropped it in the box etc., etc. “Ain’t it a bitch”, as Chuck used to say.
Writing to five or six girls is just like a correspondents course in psychology. What I mean, you have to study their letters and be able to tell what kind of nature they have and write accordingly.
I gave Jerry Santangelo, one of my buddies from Brooklyn, two bucks to play blackjack with. He was one of the fellows who lost 250 in the poker game. He just gave it back (one and a half hours later) and split what he made with me. We each had 12 1/2 bucks. I’d just as soon make an investment like that every day (625% interest) in an hour and a half.
How are Blanche and Jay getting along now? I can just imagine their argument, but I’d hate to have to sit in the next room and listen. It’s a wonder someone wasn’t injured or killed.
I haven’t seen Chas since I left the “frying pan”. I know what regiment he’s in (513) and I wrote to Harrington, a friend of mine in the same outfit that knows Charlie, and ask him to have Chas write me.
The outfit Rumsey is in, the 511th, has moved here to. I haven’t had time to look him up yet but Jerry and I intend to go over this afternoon and look some of our friends up. We’ll have to go to their HQ and find their records to locate them.
It is a beautiful day here, warm and the sun shining bright. It rained yesterday and the day before, but this ground dries up an hour after the rain stops, so it’s nice now. I imagine it’ll be pretty cold tonight though!
Well, I have to answer a letter from Wanda yet so will close this.
Love to all,
Wayne.
PS. You remember that girl that stopped there with Rudy when I was home? She sure do write interesting letters, they’re even intelligent, which is more than I can say for some of the letters I get.
PS Junior – This camp has been named Camp McCall.
PS third – Just got a letter from Doris Jones. Will send that diploma if I can get it in an envelope without folding it too much.