February 1951 - www.lvandenberghe.net

Feb 1, 1951

Camp Polk

2100

Dear Rosie,

Got your letter today that you wrote on Jan 8. My mother mailed it from A2. Also got that letter with your picture in it. They look real neat. Just back from hearing the “Articles of War” read. That’s the soldiers law. Boring as heck. Some dumb wit lieutenant read it off. I hope he enjoyed reading it, cuz no one in the company enjoyed listening to it.

We were supposed to get the rest of our clothes today, but we watched movies most of the day about fighting. All about the “glorious 45^th division.” We’ve had that drilled into us everyday, so far, how wonderful it is to have the honor of being in the 45^th.

I got stuck with guard duty tonight, only you could never guess what I gotta guard. The John! The sergeant is afraid the pipes will freeze and I gotta turn the faucets on every few minutes and flush the johns. I’m on from 0100-0200. I’ll finish when I go on guard duty.

I’m on duty now. Just got thru taking a good shower. It’s about 0130 now. Just had to refill my lighter, it ran out of fluid again.

The sarge said we could sleep in until eight hundred tomorrow. That’s going to be really swell. Gus’s sister was supposed to come down tonight but I ain’t seen him all day. Most of the guys are all sitting around singing. You oughta hear some of the songs. They are really cute or maybe you wouldn’t think, but you ain’t a soldier.

From what I hear they hiked up our time from 21 to 27 months. I ain’t read a paper for awhile so I ain’t sure. Gotta close now my lighter is getting too hot to hold.

Lots of Love

Ken

Glad to hear I’ll get the picture soon, then I’ll be able to show the fellows what a good-looking girl from MSC looks like

Feb 2, 1951

Camp Polk

1900

I got your letter with the calendar. Thanks a lot it’s really neat. All the fellows got a big bang outta it. We’re going to hang it on the wall tomorrow, right after inspection the lieutenant would frown on it being on the wall if he saw it hanging there.

Where did you ever get the idea that it was warm down here? It is almost as cold down here as it usually is in Michigan. We got more ice down here than Michigan ever had.

One of the fellows got a letter from his girl asking how he was standing with the draft. He’s been in the army three weeks and she didn’t even know it. I guess she wasn’t too interested.

A coupla guys got boxes from home today. The cookies were real good too, only they didn’t last too long. A couple of guys haven’t got any mail yet, and they are really a couple of sad sacks.

For some strange reason we ain’t having no GI house party tonight. I can’t figure out why tho, but no one is mad about it. I’m going over and see Gus and his sister tonight. She came down Wed morning to see him.

It is also time to go to the PX. It’s our night to bowl, we don’t have to be in until 11.

We went on a sightseeing tour. It took us about 2 hours. They had us carry our rifles for company. It was really lot of fun tho. The country really looked beautiful. The grass was green except for the ice and it looked real neat. But as far as the marching goes, it is the bunk.

I can’t wait until you get that picture made. The ones you did send were real sharp.

Some of the boys are just getting back from K.P. They started at 0445 this morning and now its 2000 now. That’s a little over 15 hours of K.P.

Next week –Wednesday we can start getting passes up to 72 hours. In about 4 months we start getting 10 day and 12 day passes. I’m going to wait until I get at least a ten day pass before I take it.

I gotta close now and change clothes. We can’t go in the PX or any other place unless we got a class “A” uniform on. That’s with the “Ike” jacket, tie, hat and all the other trimming. Don’t work too hard and have fun.

Maybe I’ll get a furlong in about 4 months so I can see you, but that is up to Uncle Sam.

All my Love

Ken

Feb 3, 1951

2030

Dear Rosie

We got almost all of the rest of our clothes today. All I got yet to get is another pair of combat boots and 2 shirts. We’re confined to company area again tonight.

About 600 men are shipping out for Korea, Wednesday morning. Rumor has it one out of every 40 men is slated to get shipped every week for the next ten weeks. But in the army you believe nothing that you hear and only half of what you see.

I spend most of the afternoon sewing patches on my shirts and coats. It took most of the afternoon to sew five of them on. You should have been here so you could’ve sewed them on for me. I’m afraid I ain’t going to make a very good house wife.

I went over to the hospital to see Gus this afternoon. He’s pretty bad off right now. He had a cold and went to sick call and they gave him some pills. I guess that they made him sick. Any how he was walking home from visiting his sister and he keeled over. Someone took him to the hospital in a jeep and he was unconscious most of the night. They have him under observation for pneumonia now. He’s been there a day and ½ now. He’s in the nut house right now. They made the poor cuss get up at 5:30 and scrub floors. From what I hear he hasn’t even seen a doctor as yet. I guess you have to be dead before they even look at you.

I’m enclosing one of the patches I was sewing all day. I don’t know what use it will be to you, but maybe you can.

Next week we start getting passes, so yesterday they cancelled all leaves and passes indefinitely. It really don’t make too much difference tho because there is nowhere to go if you do get a pass.

Our corporal is getting married on the 11th if he can get a pass. The boys in the squad took up a collection of 1.00 each and we are going to buy him a wedding gift of some kind tomorrow. We figure if we give him something he won’t work us so hard. Seriously he is really a swell Joe, and everyone thinks a lot of him. In fact, all of our N.C. O.s are swell guys.

Thanks a lot for sending the Spartan, it’s really good this time.

Sunday Morning

0930

Just got back from chow. We had cold eggs and cold coffee for breakfast. It was really good. Ugh!

There’s chapel in ½ of an hour but I don’t know if I’ll make it or not. I should straighten up the barracks and write a couple of letters. Most of the guys are still sewing patches on, but I got mine all done. One of the guys downstairs won $150 in a poker game, but he’s headed for Korea so it won’t do him much good.

I was going to call last night, but it was 4 or more hours until you could get a line to Shreveport. All calls north from Polk have to go thru there. And from there you gotta wait to get Chicago. The whole wait would’ve taken about 6 hours, and you wasn’t in Lansing anyhow.

I gotta close now and shine my boots. They gotta be shone at least once a day.

Write whenever you get a chance.

Lots of Love

Ken

Miss Rosalie Nash

610 Ardson Rd

East Lansing, Michigan

Feb 4, 1951

Camp Polk, La

1800 Hours

Dearest Rosalie

Hope you’re having at nice weekend at home. It will do you good to go home for awhile. I was sorry that I couldn’t talk to you, but the connections weren’t so hot. I went back tonight a few minutes ago and they want a 6 hour wait to Shreveport listed. That would mean the call would come thru about 10 o’clock your time. I think that the Booths might frown on the phone ringing at that time of the morning.

Went to see Gus this afternoon. He’s looking pretty good now, but he’s still awful homesick. He’s getting his physical tomorrow to see if he is ready to leave the hospital.

This is really a swell camp. There’s nothing to do here. In fact it is the worst army camp I have ever been stationed at. Outside of drinking beer and playing cards there is nothing to do. Right now I’m debating whether or not to go over to the PX and indulge in a can of brew or not. I think the “ayes” will win out in the end. In fact one of the guys just talked me into walking over to the PX with him. I want to buy a picture frame for a real swell girl’s picture. They frown on hanging pictures on the wall, so I’m going to buy a frame for your picture. I wish that I had your 127 ½ pounds to carry around in my duffle bag. I’d much rather carry you than this M1

Gotta close

Love

Ken

Miss Rosalie Nash

610 Ardson Rd.

East Lansing, Michigan

2-4-51

Dear Rosalie:

Just a few lines for now until I get out of the hospital. I hope to write more later. Ken visited me and gave me greetings from you. We both just live for the army. You know how well. Hope to be home soon if my pneumonia stops. Love G. W. Hein (From Ken and Me)

Feb 5, 1951

Camp Polk, La

1900 hours

Dear Rosie

Today we started basic training, whatta day. First we had a two hour lecture on the Browning Machine Gun. Then we had a ten minute break and then had a 2 hour lecture on the division of the army. Both were so boring it was pitiful. Then we had two hours of combat training, how to hit the dirt and how to rush an enemy and then crawling on your stomach.

We had carefully selected terraine (sic), all uphill. We started at the bottom of a hill about 200 yards up at a 45 degree angle. We had to run about 12 yards then crawl the same length flat on your stomach. You couldn’t pick anything up over a foot or they hollered like the heck. I got about 15 yards from the top and was crawling the rest of the way. The corporal said that I was doing a real good job of crawling, but the truth was that I was so darn tired I couldn’t even stand up.

After that they gave us a 2 hour lecture on tearing down an M.1. They thought we didn’t know anything about it, and we’ve had it for 2 weeks already. In fact about ½ of us can put it together blind folded. Me and the corporal had a race today to see who could put their rifle together the fastest. He took 33 seconds and it took me 36 seconds, so I polish his boots tonight, instead of him polishing mine. Army regulations says you have to do it within one minute. They give you about 10 minutes to tear it down and rebuild it, blind folded. I haven’t tried it as yet, just rebuilding it blinded. It took 2 ½ minutes.

We got to sleep in this morning, the orderly overslept and didn’t wake us up until 6:00. Imagine, sleeping in until 6:00, ugh!

I should be polishing boots now, and then clean my gun (please excuse my grammar, I should have said rifle. It’s taboo to call it a gun.) It’s filthy dirty after crawling around in the mud for 2 hours.

Last rumor from H.Q. is that we’ll be shipping out in 4 more weeks. I sure hope so, so we can get out of this #%!$ -cuss words- camp.

I should quit now and clean those boots, but I’d rather write to you. It’s the next best thing to talking to you but those boots are calling

Loads of Love

Ken

Feb 6, 1951

Camp Polk

2100

Dear Rosie

Tonight the corporal polished my boots for me. We had a little bet as to who could put the M1 together the fastest and I happened to beat him by one second 40-41. It was too close for comfort tho. We’ve been wading around in about 6 to 8 inches of mud all, and they were really muddy.

The boys in the squad took up a collection for the corporal today. We got about $35 for him. The poor guy really needs the money because he’s getting married next week.

We took machine guns apart all morning. We got all our classes outside and it rained like mad all day. It’s really lot of fun sitting out in the rain listening to come crazy sergeant talk about some thing he doesn’t know anything about.

This afternoon we had drill for 2 hours and then about 2 hours of bayonet practice. The drill wasn’t bad, the bayonet practice was a pain in the arm. It’s just about like your fencing. Same footwork and stuff only the foil weighs about 11 lbs.

I found out I owe the government $8 more on my income tax. I wasn’t planning on filing one with what I made while working at MSC, but they sent me a statement.

My mother wrote me that I’m a uncle now. Marc and his wife have a little girl. Weighed about 4 lbs, I guess. I guess that it was premature. In about another month I’ll be an uncle again, I think.

The camp is really dead tonight. The whole camp is dry. I don’t know why, but there is no beer at all. I gotta close now and write my mother.

Love

Ken

Mr and Mrs Otto Zill

1713 Maryfield

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Feb 8, 1951

Dear Mom and Dad

Got your letter saying I was an uncle, or did I write that? We’re supposed to get passes this weekend, but there is no where to go.

If no one at home is using my camera, could you send it down sometime, I’d like to use it.

We’ve been sleeping in until 6:00 lately, because the CQ has been oversleeping lately.

We got practically all our clothes now, all I need yet is two dress shirts. We are supposed to be getting new uniforms soon. They have some in the storeroom already, so maybe we’ll get them in a month or so. They are confederate gray, somewhat like the Marine dress uniforms, real flashy. Maybe we won’t even get them, you never know what the army is going to do.

I get a letter from Monroe today, it took 10 days to get here.

It’s almost lights out so I gotta close.

Love Ken

Feb 10, 1951

Camp Polk

Dear Rosalie;

Got your letter today. They’re working us pretty hard the last couple days. We have one week of our six weeks of basic. After that we can and probably will get shipped out. We were told by our captain that in 3 months, 75% of us would be overseas, probably in Germany. I can get a 21 pass in 5 weeks and $200 if I want to, but I don’t think I’ll take it. The only catch is that you have to sign up for F.E.C. (Korea).

We had our first taste of combat. They shoot a few shells off, set off a few mines and more or less tried to scare us. We also learned how to sneak up behind a lone sentinel and more or less end his miseries.

We got our first passes this weekend. Everyone in the company was broke so they decided to give us some money so we could go to town and have some fun. They give us $16 and told us it would have to last us the rest of the month. Hardly anyone even took a pass because hardly anyone could afford to go to town. The town is not much to brag about, in fact half the town is off limits to army personnel. Someday I’m going to go there and see why they don’t want us to go there.

It’s almost lights out so I’ll finish tomorrow.

Sunday

1000 Hours

It’s tomorrow now. Just got up a few minutes ago. Today there is nothing going on. All the other men went to town today, so just us rookies are running around here.

This afternoon I’ll guess me and Gus is going to a show or maybe we’ll polish our boots again. They should be polished about twice a day, but if we do it once, it is doing pretty good.

We had a real nice breakfast today. Eggs. We’ve had eggs every day for the breakfast for the last 7 days and everyone is really getting tired of them.

I washed last night and I’ve got it spread all over the barracks. Sgt. James came back from furlong last night and wanted to know if I said hello to you for him. He’s the one who donated the money for the phone call. I gotta close now and gather up my washing.

Lots of Love

Ken

P.S. Was real glad to hear that you made some cookies, I hope you’ll get a chance to mail them soon.

Feb 13, 1951

Camp Polk

Dear Rosie

I got 2 of your letters yesterday. I haven’t heard from my mother in about 4 days, seems as tho my sister is (not) doing so hot. (The one that just recently become a mother.)

We just got thru GIing the barracks. We had a surprise inspection and the captain didn’t think too much of our housecleaning. He’s coming back tomorrow and if it isn’t any better we will have to GI the barracks every night until we get transferred, you can bet we really got to work.

Thursday we go thru the gas chamber, should be a lot fun. They finally broke down and gave us beds. It’s really going to be nice to sleep in beds for a change. I was barracks orderly yesterday. All I did all day long is sit in the barracks and sleep. We aren’t supposed to sleep on the job, in fact they think its important enough to carry a 30 year jail sentence if you get caught. So of course I didn’t get caught. All I supposed to do was too make sure no one stole the barracks. Outside of working 27 hours a day we don’t do much. They’re really rushing us thru basic. Some guys have been here since September and aren’t any farther along then we are. Its lights out so I’ll finish this tomorrow.

Tomorrow: Gotta close now

Love

Ken

The corporal just came staggering in. He just got thru playing poker, didn’t do so hot either.

Sarge James and Corporal Turner said to say hello to you when I called you, because they are paying for the call. We got in poker game for nickels and I won about 4-5 dollars from them. That’s enough to call home on, so I’ll say hello from them in the letter instead of the phone.

Just got thru making the rounds again. Once more and I’m going to bed. Its 0145 now and in a couple minutes I’ll be thru and gotta wake up the next guy. He’s going to love me for walking him up at this time of night. I may get to sleep in this morning until 6.

I just got thru so I’m going to bed.

Love

Ken

P.S. Thanks lots for the pictures they are really swell.

Feb 14, 1951

Camp Polk, La

Hi Honey:

Well, we got restricted to barracks. After working all last night scrubbing the floor and etc, we forgot to wash the windows, so we got gigged. We gotta GI the barracks every night until it does pass inspection. The inspecting officer comes around with white gloves on and rubs his hands in all the corners and places where dirt might be. Those gloves have to be white when he leaves or you’ll be really in trouble.

By the way, I quit smoking! Haven’t had a cigarette in three days now. It been awful living on food and drink and fresh air. I got (bad cold in my throat and can’t talk) so I decided to knock off smoking for awhile. I hope I quit for good, but I don’t know how long this spree will last as I have 7 pkgs of cigs yet in my locker.

Just got thru washing the windows. They really look nice too, you can even see thru them.

We got the lowdown on the gas chambers. It’s a seven mile hike out to the place, and of course we walk, it takes about 2 hours to get there via foot.

I got a letter from my mother today and she said that Marilyn is pretty good now. The baby has to stay in an incubator for about 3 weeks yet.

The only bad part of this restriction is that all the other guys come around and rub it in quite a bit.

We had to go to the boxing matches Monday night. Every Monday night the camp puts on boxing matches, and the attendance has been rather pitiful lately, so the order of the day was “180 Inf Reg is invited to attend the fights.” Oh were they ever exciting! I’ve never been so darn bored in all my life.

I’ve gotta close and polish my boots. The corporal isn’t here to polish them for me.

Love

Ken

P.S. Thanks loads for sending the cookies. Also I hope you had a nice Valentines!

Miss Rosalie Zill

610 Ardson Road

East Lansing, Michigan

Feb 15, 1951

Camp Polk, La

Dear Rosalie

Got your telegram tonight at chow. I couldn’t figure out why the heck I was getting a telegram. I’m glad you liked the roses.

We passed inspection today but it didn’t do any good. We got restricted so that we could get shots tonight. Then of course we can’t go out tomorrow because its regular GI night. They’ve got us coming and going.

We got the official news today that the 45^th would be in Germany by Sept. I think I’d much rather go to Germany than Korea any day, so I hope like mad I don’t get transferred before the division gets shipped. When you get transferred out of the 45^th you go to just one place and you can probably guess where that is without my telling you.

I hope you made out o.k. on that test you were worried about. If you don’t do so hot, you can ace the final. That ought to make everything ok.

I haven’t seen Gus in a week now. I guess he’s been working pretty hard too. He’s going as he gets along pretty good with the army now, although he has no great love for the army.

Our corporal comes back from his honeymoon tomorrow, so he can start polishing his shoes again along with mine. He will also take my job of squad leader away from me. When he was gone I was acting squad leader. We’d go to class and have something explained to us and I’d have to show the squad in return, when most of them knew more about it than I did. It was fun tho, ordering 10 guys around, but the honeymoon is over now.

One of the guys is buying an iron tonight so we can iron our stuff. Can’t you just picture me ironing clothes? It should be a lot of fun, because it doesn’t look like there is anything to it.

We are getting new dress uniforms soon. Maybe you’ve seen them already, they’re confederate gray. They’re something like the Marine dress uniform if you’ve ever seen them. Any how they are really sharp.

Just got our shots, whatta pain in the arm. We line up and walked into the room where they had a doctor waiting on each side of the door with a needle. They would stick about 10 guys a minute. If you stopped for a few minutes you got stuck twice.

My arms are starting to get sore as heck. Right now I’m just lying on my bunk trying to mess it up all I can. We can’t sit on the between 7 & 5 so we mess them up royally right after 5. I gotta close now because these darn overseas shots are hurting too much tonight.

Lots of Love

Ken

Feb 17, 1951

Camp Polk, La

Dearest Rosalie

After cleaning the whole barracks and straightening out all my stuff to suit the army, I find out I don’t have to stand inspection. I was lucky and got K.P. Everyone in the barracks was hoping that they would draw K.P. for tomorrow. Everyone would much rather do K.P. than stand inspection.

We worked all day to perfect a formation to use in the parade tomorrow, then about after 6 hours work they decided that they wouldn’t use it after all. That’s army efficiency for you.

It’s been nice and warm down here lately, we run around with just our shirts on. It’s almost time for the snakes to come out down here. This place has more snakes than Carter’s got little liver pills. We been getting lectures almost every day on what to do about snake bite and all that. I guess they wouldn’t hurt you unless you bother them and I ain’t planning on bothering any of them.

I sold my lighter tonight, so I won’t probably take up smoking for awhile again. My mother sent my camera down so I think I’ll buy film instead of weeds.

Still haven’t seen Gus, I don’t know where he’s been keeping himself.

I got all of my clothes ironed, only I found out it ain’t no snap. I guess I don’t want to make a living ironing after all. It isn’t quite as easy as it looks.

I should close now, I gotta shave and take a shower.

Loads of Love

Ken

Miss Rosalie Nash

610 Ardson Rd

East Lansing, Michigan

Feb 19, 1951

Camp Polk, La

1330 Hours

Dear Rosalie

Just got thru with chow. Whatta bunch of crap. Thru everything in the garbage pail and am going to the Service Club to get something to eat.

Waiting now for Gus to come along. We’re going to the hospital to see a sick guy form A2. Was going to take some pictures but there is no sun out now.

I was surprised to hear Barbara won the state pie baking contest. She must be a pretty good cook. Tell her if she has any leftover she can mail a few down here. You must be awful proud of her too, that’s quite an honor to the state title.

There’s really no news here except that we’re going to Germany, that’s about all everyone is talking about. I guess its certain that’s where most of them are headed. Oh well, that’s a whole lot better than F.E.C.

K.P. wasn’t too bad after all. All I had to do was scrub pots and pans for about 13 hours. Great Life. Our corporal came back last night, he was lucky and didn’t get married.

Time for Gus to come soon. I’ll close now and will write again tonight.

All my love

Ken

Miss Rosalie Nash

610 Ardson Rd

East Lansing, Michigan

Feb 18, 1951

Camp Polk, La

Hi Honey

Just got thru with a little poker game. We were playing for pennies and I lost all of about 15 cents to those card sharks. Right now there is a real game going on. There is from 15 to 20 dollars in every pot. In that game you can get rich quick or go broke quick. Some of the guys have been playing since noon, they should be getting tired pretty soon tho.

I see in the paper where ole M.S.C. kinda took care of that school at A2. One of the fellows happened to see the score in the paper and showed it to me. It really looked beautiful to see it. Some chaplain told us today that we would be getting furloghs in 2 weeks. I don’t know where he got his information but he was pretty sure. He also said we were heading for Mass. to practice landing operations. The last time this outfit made a landing was at Salarno, Italy. This division has more actual days in combat than any other division. It also suffered more losses during the last war than any division. All of CoE was wiped out in fact. There are all new men in this company. They tell us to be proud of this G.D. outfit but I think it’s a crappy outfit. I really wish that I would’ve joined the Airborne now, you get a lot better training than you do here.

I’m getting tired so I think I’ll hit the hay. We supposed to go for hike tomorrow. I think it is going to be a lot of fun.

Don’t study too hard and write whenever you get a chance.

Your loving soldier,

Ken

Miss Rosalie Nash

610 Ardson Rd

East Lansing, Michigan

Feb 20, 1951

0700 Hours

Got your cookies yesterday. They are really good. Thanks loads for them. I will send the box back in a couple days. I was going to write last night but all the lights in camp went out. They go out at least once a week here. It’s raining out today, but we’ll probably work outside all day any how. We spent most of yesterday learning how to pitch a tent.

Also yesterday I got the Spartan and the other papers. Haven’t had time to look at them yet. Right now we are supposed to be cleaning our rifles.

Tonight we draw guard duty. That’s from 6-6 so I’ll have plenty of time tonight. You only walk 4 of those 12 hours.

Gotta close

Lots of Love

Ken

Miss Rosalie Nash

610 Ardson Rd

East Lansing, Michigan

Feb 20, 1951

Camp Polk, La

2000 Hours

Dear Rosalie:

Well I don’t have to do guard duty. Only 35 out of 39 went and I was one of the lucky ones who didn’t. I’ll probably get it next week. Tomorrow we go to the rifle range to learn how to shoot an M-1. Next week we also start bivouac. (mock combat)

We double timed for a ½ hour today. Whata sorry looking lot of soldiers we were when we got thru.

There’s nothing going on here tonight. There’s just a couple of guys in the barracks, not even enough for little poker.

Me and Gus are going to town next week, or maybe I wrote that, anyway we’re going.

Oh yeah, we got sheets tonight. For the first time since A2 we’re finally sleeping in sheets again. I gotta close now to polish my boots, clean my rifle, etc.

Love

Ken

P.S. Thanks again for the cookies. It was swell of you to send them and I love you for it.

Feb 22, 1951

Camp Polk, La

1330 Hours

Dear Rosalie

Got your letter #1 yesterday. Boy its hotter than a firecracker here today, it must be almost 80 degrees here today. You work up a sweat just thinking about doing something.

We got the day off today. Nothing to do but loaf around the barracks, didn’t get up until about 1000 this morning. After I did get up I polished by boots, cleaned my rifle and took a nap.

We had a little poker game last night. Had a bad night, only won three dollars, just enough to get my clothes out of the cleaners. We’re supposed to get paid a week from yesterday, if we do, I’ll be filthy rich for a while.

Gus is coming over at 1400 so we can take some pictures. It’s really a swell day for taking pictures. Seems just like A2 in the middle of July. I’ll send you some when we get the developed. It usually takes 10 days. Also we had our picture taken for our ID cards last night.

Monday morning we start going to the range. We get to shoot everything, rifles, pistols, BARs, carbine, machine guns, and bazookas. Only we gotta get up at 300 in the morning and walk out there. It’s about a 8 miles walk out there. That’s not as far as we go on bivouac tho, then we will probably go about 15, but we’ll stay overnight.

The army announces last night they don’t want to send us drafties to Europe cuz we’re only in for 20 more months, sees as tho they would kinda of like us to be replacements for the troops in Korea. What they really want to do is give you six months of combat and then a six month break. It sounds like good idea except for the 6 months of combat.

I got fined 10 cents today for not having a button buttoned. Some sergeant caught me with my pants pocket unbuttoned. So I was fined 10 cents.

I guess that’s about all there is, so I gotta closes

By the way, have you mailed those pictures yet or not? I’m getting anxious as heck to see them.

Lots of Love

Ken

Feb 24, 1951

Camp Polk, La

2100

Dear Rosalie

Just got thru with our GI party. Had a great time, it was really a swell party. After cleaning the whole barracks and everything, we found out there would be no inspection.

Monday morning we go to the rifle range. We get up at about 03:00 then to walk out there, its roughly 10 miles out there. Also next week we go thru the infiltration course. Thats where we crawl along on our stomachs while they fire machine guns just over our heads. It's designed to make you keep your head down, and believe me you do. All you have to do is to sit up once and you have your fool head blown off. Last week one of the fellows was going thru and he ran headlong into a rattle snake, I guess he was pretty scared as he couldn’t sit up or holler or nothing, so he grabbed it by the neck and carried it all the way thru the course. He got rid of it O.K. finally. There are all kinds of snakes down here, only most of them are still underground. And I hope that I get out of this camp some time. There’s nothing to do here. Well its almost lights out so I gotta close.

Love

Ken

Feb 25, 1951

DeRitter, La

2130

Dear Rosalie

Well I guess that we are wanted over in Korea now. We got the news yesterday afternoon about 3:00. Me and Gus were in DeRitter at the time drinking a malt in some drug store underneath a radio station. Some fellow came running in hollering the 45^th was going to Japan. We told him he was crazy in no uncertain terms. He told us to go upstairs to the radio station to read the bulletin, so we went up and sure enough he was right.

I don’t know whether this is going to affect me and Gus or not, as we would not have completed our basic as of yet. Anyhow two bulletins were issued, one said that the unit would be kept intact, that means we go, the other said that we would be shipped to another outfit to finish basic. We’ll probably find out the first of this week.

This news really caught everyone off guard. 2 weeks ago the general had said we were going to Germany, which is a complete about face from what was expected. The camp is really down, no one has completely recovered from the shock as of yet, everyone acts as tho they were in a drunken stupor or something, no one can believe that we’re going to Japan. That’s all you can read in the newspapers today, “45^th sails for Japan”. Then the next step after Japan is Korea. If me and Gus are going to Japan, we will get a furlong in the next 2 or three weeks, which won’t be hard to take.

Tomorrow we start our 15 hour day. We get up wither 330 or 4 and to the rifle range and come back about 5. I may not be able to write every day or may be not even every other day. I just wanted to tell you so you wouldn’t think I had forgotten about you, as I haven’t and don’t intend to.

Me and Gus are planning on flying home when we get the chance. It takes about 12 hours from the time you leave camp until the time you pull into Willow Run from here. That’s making a little better time than what we did on the train coming down here.

I thought I had told you that I received your telegram, but I guess I didn’t, any how I did. It came about 500 that night you sent it. It got it during chow that night.

I’m writing this from the M.S.O. in DeRitter today. Gus and I went to church here this morning and we’re going to spend the afternoon over here writing letters. I guess that we’ll head back to camp tonight and go to a show tonight. Just ran out of ink and had to go and refill my pen.

It’s hotter than blazes here again this afternoon. Its about 85 degrees today and we have to wear our work uniforms so it really makes it hot. I just hope that we move back up north pretty soon, because in a month or so it gets to be over a 100 degrees in the shade, and that’s too hot for me to work.

We’re going to start bivouac at the end of this week. That will really take the fat off of us. I’ve lost about 1 ½ inches off my waist already although I’ve gained a coupla pounds. My belt gets just a litter larger every day.

Well that about all that’s new. I’ll write again as soon as I get a chance. We were told we were going to work this week, like we never worked before.

Will write when I get a chance

All my love

Ken

P.S. I may get to see you in a coupla weeks

Gus said that he is still madly in love you

Love Gus

Feb 27, 1951

Camp Polk, La

Dear Rosalie,

Well, we got our orders today, we ain’t going to Japan. I guess that we’re going to get shipped to a different camp and division. I’ll have to leave Camp Polk, I need Camp Polk like I need holes in the head. Maybe the next camp won’t be built in the middle of a swamp.

We are going to get paid tonight. For the first time in the army we’re going to get full pay. Right now my financial condition is fairly low in fact in round figures they’re all round $0.00. We are going to get about $70.00. It won’t be hard to take either. Its time for lights out, but I guess no one has enough ambition to turn them off.

I was real glad to hear your sister finished as high as 4^th. She must have been up against pretty good competition.

I hope that when we move out that we go north. I’m getting tired of the south, they’re still fighting the civil war here.

Its sill hot here, always between 70 and 85 degrees. Its real nice in the mornings and evenings, tho but its hot at noon.

You ought to taste some of this army food. The cooks go to school, but the way they cook I doubt they ever saw a cookbook even. I think I could cook better than what they do. The only good thing that they can make is the stuff they take out of a can and didn’t have to do anything to, but enough about the cooks. It time to get paid now so I gotta close.

Lots of Love

Ken