Furlough Countdown

April Fool’s Day

DeRitter, La

Dear Rosalie

                Hope that I didn’t wake you up too early this morning, but I woke up too early, and then there was no one else using the phone so I hopped on it.  It was real nice to talk to you, even tho I can’t talk on the phone worth a darn.  I hope that you don’t mind but it was real nice to hear your voice again.

                I’m an uncle again only Ed didn’t get what he wanted so I’ve got another girl nephew.  I think that little girls are a lot cuter than little boys anyhow.  Maybe Ed will get his boy some other time.

                You should see Gus now, he had a tooth pulled Fri and his face is swollen just like he has a basketball in his mouth.  You’d never know him if you saw.  One nice thing about it, he has a no duty slip for three days, so he won’t have to do any work.  He should be a corporal as corporals don’t do any work anyhow.  One of the best features of being a corporal is that you don’t get K.P.

                Six more weeks of this camp and we’re all thru with it.  The sooner we leave here the better.  Some of the guys who came in with me went to Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland.  The really got a good deal, just a ½ hour from Philly, Washington and Baltimore, and they get stationed there permanently.  All they do is test new trucks, jeeps, rifles, etc.

                Me and Gus are in De Ritter again, we go there almost every Sunday I guess.  It’s about 21 miles from home (That’s using the term home awfully loosely)

                It’s getting almost time for us to wander back to camp so I should close.  I’ll write again when I get back to camp.

                Bye for now

                Love

2 of April, 1951

Camp Polk, La

1900 Hours

Dear Rosalie

                Didn’t get a chance to write last night, so I’m writing tonight.  Had a real soft day today, we fired machine guns this morning.  It took about 10 minutes to do the actual firing, and the rest of the time we just more or less chewed the fat.  It was a day wasted as far as I’m concerned.

                I’ve got to re sew my stripes on tonight, they don’t look just right the way they are now, so they gotta come off.  That means about 2 hours of work tonight.

                It turned cold last night.  It must be down to almost 65 or even 60 degrees.  We all in the Deep South aren’t used to cold weather like that.

                Too bad you had to get those afternoon classes, they can kinda wreck ones afternoon.  I never cared for them myself but sometimes you are forced to take them.

                Ole Gus has really got it soft now.  He didn’t do anything today, no work tomorrow or Wednesday.  He’s too sick to work, but he’s well enough to go on pass.  What a life!

                Our company is getting a softball team together for the battalion league, and I’ve been thinking about going out for it.  I like softball a lot and I was afraid I wasn’t going to get to play this year.  I guess baseball and football are my two favorite sports.  By the way, what is Swedish Gym?  I’ve never heard of it.

                I’m down at the USO with Gus tonight writing letters.  We’ve got about half an hour left as at 2000 hours they start showing movies here. They showed some of the drippiest movies that you’ve ever seen in your life.

                Well that’s about all that is new here today, and also I gotta get busy sewing.  I can think of about a million things I would rather do then sew.  About every 2 minutes I stick my self with that  @&^% (cuss word) needle.

                Bye for now

                                Sweet dreams

                                                Love

Miss Rosalie Nash

610 Ardson Rd

East Lansing, Michigan

April 3, 1951

Camp Polk, La

2130 Hours

Dearest Rosalie

                Not much new going down here now. All we’ve done all week is learn how to assemble and disassemble the B.A.R. (Browning Automatic Rifle). It’s a nice little weapon, only it weighs just twice as much as my M-1 so I don’t think I’d like it.  My M-1 gets heavy enough on a hike and it only weighs 10 pounds.  Then too if you have a BAR in combat the enemy also tries to knock out the automatic weapons first.  Once nice feature of it is that it can shoot 550 rounds a minute, and a machine gun can only fire 450, so it’s a power weapon.

                Me and my roommate bought ourselves a radio.  It cost $20.00 and when we ship out one of us is going to buy the other one out and take the radio home when we go home.  Only 39 days and 15 hours and we’re getting furloughs.  The C.O. told us that the colonel was considering starting furloughs the middle of April.  He will let us know pretty soon tho.  There is only 4000 men left in South Camp now as the 15^th corps hasn’t arrived as yet.  It is really nice now tho, the shows aren’t so crowded nor is the PX.  But when the 15^th corps arrives it will be worse than before.  It’s still colder than you know what down here, but it’s supposed to warm up soon.  I can’t stand this cold weather any more.

                If we come home before the 15^th of May I’m going to have to bring both my summer and winter uniforms home, as in this area we have to wear summer uniforms and when we get to Michigan we wear winter.  We’re in the 4^th army area here and Michigan is in the 5^th army area and they change uniforms at different times.  We’ve been wearing summer uniforms for three weeks now. I think that I like the winter uniforms better than the summer tho, but I don’t think too much about carrying two sets of uniforms home.

                I haven’t got any cigars from Ed yet, but I’m expecting them at any time.  I wrote Ed and told him to mail me a box of them.

                Gotta close now and hit the sack.  The captain seems to want us to get up at 0400 tomorrow, and if I go to bed now I’ll get 5 ½ hours sleep, but I gotta shave and get washed.

                So long, will write tomorrow.

                                All my love

April 4, 1951

Camp Polk, La

1930 Hours

Dear Rosalie

                Was very glad to receive your letter which you wrote Sunday.  You wanted to know Ed’s address, its 1325 South University, A2, Michigan.  You also asked about my schooling, I went to M.S.N.C.  from Sept 1949 to June 1950 (my frosh year) and then went to MSC  in Sept. 1950, then Dec 27^th I got my notice that Uncle Sam wanted me to work for him so when I go back I’ll be a second term soph.  Both of my roommates were frosh when I was there, and when I get back they should be ready to start their senior year.  We are supposed to get discharged about the time school starts.  I hope that they have the GI Bill again when we get out, it would really help out a lot.  It gives you $75 a month and tuition and books.

                My mother wrote and said that she was going to send you one of those pictures from the NYE (New Year’s Eve) party.  She said Hugo gave it to her.  He’s the one who took the pictures; he was kinda of tall with black curly hair.

                If you need a good term paper I got one at home.  It got an “A” in two different classes two year ago.  Only trouble with it is that it is on “inferiority complexes.” I didn’t write it myself so that’s why it got the “A”s.  I was going to use it at Normal but my teacher said I didn’t know enough about the subject, of course he had no idea that it was already written out.  So I had to write one on “Napoleon’s Retreat from Russia.” It was a great subject, really interesting; I think I got a C- on it.

                We shot the BAR today, and I hope I never shoot the bloody thing again.  I thought that it would be fun to shoot but it wasn’t, kicks like a mule.

                Speaking about being just a kid I’m the youngest guy in the platoon except for one crazy fool who enlisted.  He’s just 17 and everyone else is 21 or 22 and I’m only 20, so I’m just a kid too.  Some of the guys kid me about it too, they jokingly say they don’t like to take orders from a young punk.  They don’t have to do what I tell them to, but I can sure make them wish they had done it. 

                Tomorrow we are going to sleep in again, - til 5:30.  Getting up early doesn’t bother me at all anymore.  It used to be at home my mother always had to wake me 2 or 3 times every day, but here you get up or else – you’ve had it!  Thats the army way of saying you’re in trouble although in the army they usually put a few adjectives in it.  They aren’t too complimentary either. 

                It was hotter than a firecracker today.  We had to walk about 16 miles today and we’re really beat tonight.

                It’s good to hear that you got good instructors.  I don’t think that I had any profs you got now, in fact, I never did know the instructor in Office Management.

                Well its about time to bring this to a halt, as I’m going to retire early tonight as I’m slightly bushed.  Also I’m glad to know that you’re settling down now.

                How much longer is your sister going to bake those cherry pies.  She’s been doing it for quite a while now, hasn’t she?  About ½ of our platoon is from Muskegon where you sister is this weekend.

                I wrote too much to end on the last page so I gotta write another page.

                One of the fellows has a poem about the 45^th and Camp Polk.  I’m going to relay it on to you.

THE LAND GOD FORGOT

Down in the Louisiana swamp land

Camp Polk is the spot;

Battling a terrific heat wave

In the land God forgot

Down with the smoke and sun glare

Down here where a man get so blue

Down at the bottom of no where

A thousand miles from you.

As heat waves keep on coming,

It’s more than we can stand;

For we’re not convicts,

But defenders of our land.

We are soldiers of the forty fifth

Each earning our meager pay

Guarding people with millions

For a dollar twenty a day.

Living only with memories

And only to see our pays

Hoping that when we return home

The 4 fs haven’t married our girls.

Back home we are all forgotten

We are loaned to Uncle Sam

No one knows we’re living

And no one gives a hoot.

‘Til the day’s work is over

And we know we’ve done well

Pray that God lets us in heaven

For we have served our term in Hell

Only 21 months we can stand it

21 months of life we have missed

Boys don’t let the draft get you

And for God sake, don’t Enlist.

                I haven’t got any idea who wrote it, but I think that it is pretty cute.  I really should close now but I hate to mail almost an empty sheet so I’ll have to finish off this page.

                38 more days and we get furloughs, and I can’t wait to get home.  I hope you can get a weekend or so off when I get home, and we can go and have a great time.  I hope so.  I’m not planning on getting too much sleep when I get home, I’m only going to when I can’t find anything better to do.  I’m sending this with all my love

April 5, 1951

Camp Polk, La

2130 Hours

Dear Rosalie

                Just got thru with cleaning my rifle and polishing boots etc.  We’re going to have a surprise inspection tomorrow, but one of my buddies was on CQ today and heard the CO talking about it, so he wised us up to it.  So we should pass OK as we’re the only platoon to know it’s coming off.  The captain will think we’re on the ball if we get the barracks extra clean.

                We got a dirty deal this morning.  Had to get up at 430 this morning.  Then we came in early from the field today, so we had a clothing checkup which lasted til 530.

                Then after chow when everyone was ready to go out they gave us two recoilless rifles to clean.  They took about 3:00 hours to clean so we didn’t get too much time off today.

                These weeks are really flying by now.  It seems like the weeks are just days now.  We just get started on the week it seems and it’s almost over.  The time can’t go too fast for me tho.

                We didn’t have to walk too far today, only about 7 miles.  It’s getting so seven or eight miles miles don’t bother me at all anymore.  Back in the Good old days I’d almost drop dead if I had to walk even two miles.

                One of the fellows had his girlfriend come down to see him over the weekend and the last couple of days.  So he cut a class yesterday so he could see her, and he got caught.  So he has got K.P. Friday night and when he’s thru he has to GI his barracks, Saturday he goes on KP right after inspection and GIs the barracks and Sunday he starts KP at 6:00 am and gets off at 800 pm.  Then he can see his girl til midnight.  So they’re not going to be together too much as she has to leave early Mon.  I guess he won’t cut too many classes from now on. They are just a little stricter in the army than they are in college about cuts.  Here they kinda frown on cuts.

                Well, I gotta close now and hit the hay.

                Love

                                Ken

You know I still can’t get over now nice that picture of you turned out.  I really fell in love with it I guess, cuz I think about you every time I look at it, and I got it right over my bed.

                Really gotta close now

                All my love

April 6, 1951

Camp Polk, La

2115 Hours

Dear Rosalie

                Picked up a little book today that tells what we are doing here. Most of it is true to life, so I thought I’d mail it on to you. 

                We just got thru with our GI party and I’m taking a break before I polish boots and clean my M-I.  We don’t have inspection tomorrow as we have 4 hour of classes to make up.  They are all on the 57 mm RR.   We had a four hour class on it today, and I’ve never sat thru a more boring class in all of my life.  It was actually pathetic.  All we get is the same old stuff over and over, and you get awful darn tired of hearing the same thing.

                Ed and Helen are going to name their baby, Pamela Lynn.  I guess that it weighs about 7 lbs 9.5 oz.  The baby was born on the 30^th of March, I think.  I’m not sure too sure of the date, as it isn’t too much along my line.

                Gotta close now and get back to work much as I hate to, will write more tomorrow, if it doesn’t take too long to wash.

                                Lot of Love

Camp Polk, La

April 8, 1951

1915 Hours

Dearest Rosalie

                Just got thru practicing softball for the first time. It was a lot of fun but awful tiring.  We got a game Tuesday night with Company  C2.  We should have a pretty fair team although the outfield isn’t too sharp.

                I saw in the paper where M.S.C. was N.C.A.A. Boxing Championship.  I was surprised to see it as I didn’t think they had such a hot team.

                Me and Gus got back from DeRitter about 4:00 today.  We really got a good night’s sleep last night. Went to bed at 11 and got up at 10:30.  Tomorrow we rise at 3:00 so that we can get an early start on our little hike.  The CO wants to get back early so that we can practice softball tomorrow afternoon. He has really gone hog wild over softball, and it really makes me happy as I really enjoy playing it.  He seems like a real good joe and everyone likes him a lot.

                Gus and I went to the USO last night but it was practically dead.  There wasn’t hardly anything at all going on.  There were only about 200 soldiers there.  Usually there is about 1000 there but most of them are gone away.

                I’m trying to listen to the radio and write a letter at the same time.  I guess that it’s Corliss Archer, and it’s pretty good tonight for a change.

                I was going to wash out all my clothes this weekend, but since I went to DeRitter, I didn’t do anything except my fatigues, so I gotta stay in tomorrow night and wash.  All the other barracks except ours have automatic washers.  It would be a big help if we had one but we don’t.

                All the guys got themselves good and sunburned today.  Most of them spend most of the day outside with just their shorts on and the sun was bright all day.  It was really a perfect day.

                That’s about all the news so I’ll guess I’ll close and sack in.  I didn’t do a darn thing all day but I’m more tired than if I would  have worked all day.

                By the way, I’ve been thinking about asking you if you could spend a weekend in A2 when I get my furlough.  If you would like to and could get off from work.  I know my mother wouldn’t mind as Marcus always used to bring his girlfriend home with him from Fort Wayne.  (That’s where he went to school for about 5 years or so. He went with the same girl all the time and ended up marrying a girl from St. Louis MO)

                That’s about all so I’ll close now.

                                Love

April 9, 1951

Camp Polk, La

2200 hours

Dearest Rosalie

                Was very pleasantly surprised to receive two letters from you.  One of them you wrote on Friday and the other on Tuesday.  We get real good mail service here.

                The whole platoon was really P.O.ed at the sergeant today.  This morning we didn’t fall out of the barracks fast enough to suit him, so we practiced falling out for hour tonight.  He said we had to do it in 15 seconds and we did in 16 twice but that wasn’t good enough for him.  He’s the former corporal, he was promoted. 

                By the way on my address after Bn its is TNG (Training).  I noticed that you spelt it Ing.  Why writing ain’t so hot as my Ts and Fs look something like Is.

                That Swedish gym class of yours looks like fun.  Is it co-ed or not?  That would be a good class to get into, I think.

                I’m so tired tonight that I’m not going to clean my rifle or polish my boots.  If I get time in the morning I may do it, otherwise hope I don’t get gigged. 

                Marcus’ little girl is named Marcia and I think the middle name is Ann but I wouldn’t swear to it.  I should know it but I don’t.  Their baby weighs around seven lbs now, it’s about a month old.  I guess that they are quite proud of her too from the way they talk about her.

                I can’t quite picture Ed a daddy either. Somehow it doesn’t seem just right.  I thought Ed would never settle down and raise a family, but we got a funny family, a sailor, minister and soldier all in the same family.  Being a soldier or sailor seems like being as far from being a minister as possible.

                About those upside down stamps, I put them on that way on purpose.  I never heard of it before I got in the army, but they say if you put the stamps on upside down it means that you think a heck of a lot about the person you are writing to.

                It’s getting late, 2300 in fact so I guess that I’ll have to close now.  Our little hike was a lot of fun today, rained like a fiend all day, got everything soaking wet.  I’ve never seen so much mud as walked thru today.

                So long for now

                                Love

Miss Rosalie Nash

610 ArdsonRd.

East Lansing, Michigan

April 11, 1951

Camp Polk, La

2130 Hours

Dear Rosalie

                Listening to that windbag Truman blow. I was listening to a good fight, but then the Pres had to come on.  I don’t think that he knows what he’s talking about.  All the fellows are sitting around the radio laughing at what he’s trying to say.  I don’t quite see where the United Nations are fighting in Korea, when all the soldiers are American, but enough about Truman and Korea.

                I finally got around to doing my washing.  I had to wash tonight as I didn’t have any more clean socks to wear.

                Did you get that picture of that New Years Eve party yet?  I got mine today and I thought they came out pretty good.

                We got to sleep in this morning as the C.Q. over slept.  He really caught heck as he was supposed to wake us at 4:00.

                Tomorrow we’re going to fire 50 cal machine guns.  Those are the big ones they use against airplanes.  We’re going to ride out in trucks as it is 18 miles out there.  It’s a 36 mile round trip so it would take a while to walk there and back.

                That crazy Truman is finally off, so now we can get something worthwhile.  By the way, I hope that you’re not a Truman supporter as you probably know by now that I’m not.

                For some reason I’m too tired to write.  I will try to do better tomorrow.  Gotta sack in now.

                                Lots of Love

April 16, 1951

Camp Polk, La

2030 Hours

Dear Rosalie

                Sorry I ain’t written sooner but we’ve been pretty busy lately.  They’ve been getting us up at 4:00 lately and hitting the sack around 11:00, so we are a pretty tired bunch of soldiers.

                Tonight I’ve got the honor of being CQ again.  That means I was on duty from seven this morning til seven tomorrow and I get to stay awake all night.  It’s really a very monotonous job, because you don’t do anything except sit around and act important.  Most of the afternoon the first sergeant and I were shooting crap for pennies.  Each of us had about 15 pennies so we shot crap for them.  I think that he won about 10 cents from me.  Which in my condition (financial that is) is a lot of money.

                Gus and I didn’t go to DeRitter this weekend for a change. We slept in Sunday morning til 1130, got up just in time to go to chow. Actually we got 26 hours sleep during our 42 hours off duty.  That’s more sleep than I got all the rest of the week put together.

                You must be a sorry looking sight from what you say.  From what I hear sinus isn’t any fun, I’ve never had it and I hope I never get it because I don’t want it.  I hope that you feel better soon and get back to normal, I know what it’s  like to be miserable like that, it’s no fun for sure.

                Well, I’m the big wheel of the company now, the lieutenant just left, so I’m big dog of B2 until 5:00 tomorrow morning.  It doesn’t do me any good tho,  cuz there is nothing to do.  It’s nice tho to feel all powerful, more or less.  About all I do is watch the guys sign in when they return their passes.

                Maybe I’ve told you, but now we got class “a” passes.  That means we take off anytime that we’re not on duty.  Only trouble is that now on one hardly ever, because everyone is trying to save money for their furlough.  I wish that we would have had them about 3 months ago, when we really wanted them.  But in this bloody army you never get anything when you want it.

                Trying to listen to “My Friend Irma” and write at the same time.  It’s kinda hard to do both and do a good job on each so I’m going to do a poor job on each and listen to it, as it sounds pretty good.

                I just got good and interested in that program and the telephone rang.  It was long distance from Boston, then I had to hunt up the guy, then he talked for half an hour so I missed most of it.  I’ve got a typewriter here, but I can only type about one word a minute, and if I was to write a letter on it it would take from now until the time of my discharge to finish it.  I’m getting too tired to write so I guess that I’ll close.  It’s getting if I stay up late I start getting tired about 11:30.  When I get home I’m going to have to change all that. 

                So Long for Now

                Here’s hoping you are yourself again soon,

                                Love

Miss Rosalie Nash

610 Ardson Rd

East Lansing, Michigan

April 18, 1951

Camp Polk, La

2300

Dearest Rosalie

                Just a note to let you know I’m still living.  Right now they are really laying the work to us.  Friday is going to be our worst day so far tho, we’re going on a hike, 10 miles long, then pitch tents and then hoof it back in.  I bet we’re going to be a tired bunch of lads when we get back.

                You asked about my hair it ain’t too long, about an inch I guess, I just had it cut about a week ago.  It’s just about right so that it will be grown out in about 2 weeks.  Right now it’s just long enough to comb.

                Your sister is getting married two days before Ed’s anniversary.  It’s the same day that you go back to work, if you go back the 18^th as planned.

                You missed my address, you left B2 off, and that is one of the most important things, but it makes no difference as the mail is sorted at Battalion and you had that right. Also I’m not in the 180^th right now, although we’re supposed to return to our old regt. And company when and if we go across.  But just so you write, that’s all that counts.

                Be good and write when you get time

                                Love

                                                Ken

Miss Rosalie Nash

610 Ardson Rd

East Lansing, Michigan

April 19, 1951

Camp Polk, La

2100 Hours

Dear Rosalie,

                Just got thru getting ready for tomorrow.  We had a parade today for retreat.  We were judged the best company in the parade, which made the commanding officer happy, but I wasn’t especially proud of it.  We were too tired to care whether we came in first or last.

                We got a little goat kid for a mascot now.  Some of the fellows found him running around loose so they latched on to him.  He really is a cute little guy.  His horns are just starting to come out. He’s black and white and he’s only about a foot or so high.  I don’t know what’s going to happen to him when we ship out, probably just turn him loose.

                Tomorrow we go on our little hike out into the country.  We’ll probably get up early tomorrow morning although they haven’t told us officially as yet.

                I’m enclosing a couple of pictures that were taken about a month ago. That’s before I quit smoking so I’ve still got a cigarette in my mouth.  The other squad leader, Dekker, (the one with the white stripe across the helmet, the white stripe means squad leader) is a cousin of the Dekker who plays football for M.S. C.   He is also my roommate, he’s about 6 ½ ft tall or a little bigger.  We’re standing next to the shortest guy in the platoon.  The other one is John, Geo, and myself, we’re the first three in my squad and we’re bosom buddies. They were all taken during a break in the field one day.  Also notice how nice and clean our fatigues are.

                Just figured out we’d be home within 25 days. We heard today that the 45^th hasn’t reached Japan yet, in fact they haven’t left San Francisco yet.  Supposedly they are just waiting for further orders now or waiting for us to catch up with them.  The 40^th Division left the same time the 45^th did and they are in Japan now according to the radio and newspapers

                That’s about all that I can think of so I’ll close now.  Will write again tomorrow night after our GI party and Saturday I’ll write a little longer one.  Get rid of that cold before the middle of May, too, because the way you talk you’re not having much fun with it.

                All my love

                                Ken

Write whenever you get time

Rosalie Nash

610 Ardson Rd

East Lansing, Michigan

(The back of the envelope says: Hi!! G.W. H. –says- S.W.A. K.)

April 22 ‘51

De Ritter USO

1400 Hours

Hi Honey Chile (sic)

                You know I finally am picking up a little of that southern accent, although most of it is in my profanity.  I haven’t noticed it too much, but everyone says that I’m getting it.

                Our inspection was a pain in the arm yesterday.  We had to take our rifles completely apart and lay the pieces out on the bed so that the inspecting officers could look at any piece he so desired.  He didn’t inspect mine tho as he didn’t come into any of the cadre rooms.  It would have been my neck if he would of because I had mine laid out backwards.  There is a S.O.P. on how they are to be laid out.  After I got thru checking my squad over I found out mine was wrong and it was too late to change it.

                It is hotter than heck here now.  It’s over 90 degrees today.  It wouldn’t be bad if we didn’t have to hike in it like we do.  When you get about 30-40 lbs. on your back and walk 10 miles or so, it’s kinda tiresome, especially if it’s hot.

                About 20 more days and Gus and me should be in good old A2 again.  I’m afraid if I ever get there I won’t want to come back to this beautiful country.  God was sure asleep when he made this country.

                We had a great time on our hike Friday.  We were just in the process of pitching our tents when we were attacked by the enemy.  Our squad didn’t even see any, but on both flanks there was some fighting.  The attack lasted about 2 hours, and we weren’t allowed to move around during that time, so we just took a 2 hour break.

                This army is really making a loafer out of me.  In civilian life I used to like to be busy as the time went faster, but here the more you loaf and goof off the better it makes you feel.  No one does anything unless someone higher up watches them to make sure it’s done.  The army has an old saying that it takes 10 N.C.O.s to make one private work, and from what I see, it’s really true.

                If you’ve got your driver’s license now, why don’t you hop in your daddy’s car and come down here and get me.  I’ll pay your way down. 

                Seriously tho, I wouldn’t want to have you see this place.  Some of the guys’ girls were going to come down to see the, and the boys wrote back asking them not to come.  It’s one of the worst army camps in the U.S. to be brief, it’s a hell hole, if you’ll excuse the profanity.

                I’ve finally taken up drinking again. Only this time it's milk.  I can never in my life remember drinking the stuff, but I’ve decided to start drinking it.  I don’t particularly care for it, but I guess it’s good for me, so I force a quart down every day, and I mean force.

                Gus and me went to the show last night and saw “Katie Did” with Ann Blyth. It was a pretty good show, in fact I almost split a gut laughing at it.  Has that movie “Up Front” been up at Lansing yet?  The guy that wrote it (Bill Mauldin) used to be in the 45^th division before he was wounded.  It’s a pretty good show but nothing exceptional except it’s about the forty fifth.

                I wrote my mother and asked her if it would be all right with her I asked you to come to A2 for a weekend and she said she’d love to have you, so I hope that you can.

                I can’t think of anything else to write so I’ll close now.

                                Lots of Love

                                Ken

Miss Rosalie Nash

610 Ardson Rd

East Lansing, Michigan

Miss Rosalie Nash

610 Ardson Rd

East Lansing, Michigan

610 Ardson Rd

610 Ardson Rd

East Lansing, Michigan

April 29, 1951

Camp Polk, La

1400 Hours

Dearest Rosalie

                Over in DeRitter again this weekend, only Gus ain’t with me.  He got gigged on his rifle and was restricted to camp over the weekend, so John came to town with me.

                Boy did hell break loose in the platoon yesterday.  The sergeant was in a bad mood when he gave us P.T.  We had 40 minutes of pushups and side straddle hops without a break.  I never thought that I could do so many pushups.  Anyhow, he worked us so hard that 8 guys had to drop out.  Two of them had to go to the hospital, two more were being considered for treatment, and the other four couldn’t walk after our little session.  Then to top it off, one of our corporals told the sergeant off in no uncertain terms.  He called the sergeant about everything it is possible to call someone.  I wouldn’t be at all surprised if both the sergeant and the corporal are busted to privates now.  The C.O. is pretty mad about the while situation.  We’ll probably find out all about it Monday morning.

                I got my second pair of boots finally after 12 weeks.  We were supposed to get two pair at Fort Sheridan, but they only had one of my size, so I didn’t get them.  I polished them last night.  I worked on them a little over three hours.  They don’t look bad, I should have them almost done with about another hour of work.  I’m going to save them for inspection and then wear them home before I wear them to the field.

                10 more days of this camp and we’re heading home.  One of the fellow’s folks surprised him by bringing his car down, so we’re going to drive home.  We are going to leave Camp Polk one minute after our passes start.  Gus is going to come home with me.

                He’s been kinda worried about her lately.  He hasn’t heard from her for three weeks now.  He said he ain’t going to write her anymore from Camp Polk.

                By the way do they have that ROTC review or parade or whatever it is every Tuesday night?  I’d kinda like to see that and watch all those backyard soldiers drill.  I know quite a few of them and I would probably get a big bang out of watching them.

                Tomorrow morning we get paid then tomorrow after I and 19 other guys take a test for O.C. S.  I am not particularly interested in going to OSC but I’d like to get a chance to go to leadership school, and if I pass the O. C. S.  test there’s a good chance to go to L. S.   We get sergeants ratings automatically if we go to leadership school.  The only bad thing about OCS is that you have to re-enlist for 2 years after your schooling, but then too you are a lieutenant when you come out.  Well, I’m beginning to run out of gas, so I’d better close.

                Hope to see you in about two weeks.

                                All my love

                                Ken

Copyright © 2013 Mary Elizabeth Zill VandenBerghe