Ken is in the front row first soldier.
Miss Rosalie Nash
610 Ardson
East Lansing, Michigan
May 1, 1951
Camp Polk, La
2030 Hours
Dear Rosalie
Just got thru cleaning up for tomorrow. All we do now is fool around. Took the OCS test this morning, I don’t really care if I pass it or not, as I don’t intend to go to OCS even if I get the chance.
Did I ever get the most beautiful case of poison oak you’ve ever seen in your life. I got it on my back, chest, legs, arms and face. It itches something awful and I can’t itch it or its spreads like mad. I think I picked it up
while we were on bivouac. About 25% of the guys in our company have got the bloody stuff.
We got less than 2 weeks to get thru with this camp. As
of right now I guess we’re still going to Japan, although it isn’t definite as yet. They told us that when the 45th pulled out that we would rejoin them, now we’re not so sure. We’re going to have to wait and
see what is going to happen.
We just had a little party. It’s a rule in the army have to take at least 2 showers a week or the boys will give you
one, clothes and all. One of the fellows didn’t take one for two weeks so the sergeant “suggested” that we give him one. We did, then we got the bright idea to give the sergeant one. After we threw him in the shower the boys got
the idea to throw the squad leaders in, so yours truly got an uncalled for shower. Then we threw the assistant squad leaders in. Since that many already had showers, we figured the rest of the platoon might as well have a shower so everyone got
one. As the late comers come in, they’re all getting them too, so no one in the platoon will escape one. The only thing wrong with it, ice water is used, and is it cold.
It’s raining like a mad fiend here tonight. It’s about the first time in a month that’s it has rained. I hope that it rains all day tomorrow so we won’t do too much. Some times when it rains we don’t go outside,
then again sometimes we do.
Well its getting about closing time so I guess that I’d better close. I’m getting pretty tired as I had a hard day
of doing nothing.
Write soon
All my Love
Gus said to say hello to you and he always sends his love.
Miss Rosalie Nash
610 Ardson
East Lansing, Michigan
3 May 1951
Camp Polk, La
Dear Rosalie
Well we’re finally pretty sure our furloughs are coming thru. In Gus’ company A, they were told that they would start Sun the 13th at midnight, but then they get a weekend pass so we leave Sat. at noon, so we’ll be
home before our furlough starts. The whole battalion is leaving at once so we’re getting off at the same time. Now I suppose the time will start dragging by as now we know when we’re going home. Up til now the time has been flying by.
Everyone is really getting excited now about furloughs, as everyone is really anxious to get home. I can hardly wait until I get home now. We’ll probably get home on the afternoon of Mother’s Day.
Next week we’re really going to get a workout. We’re having forced marches, and when you are on a forced march it is almost double time. We’re supposed to walk 5 miles in about an hour. Wed and Thur nights we’re going on
night problems, then we get to sleep late Thurs and Friday mornings, all the way til noon. That is really going to be great to sleep until noon during the week, it’s been a long time since I’ve done that. Now it’s getting so if
I stay in bed later than 700 I don’t feel good, but I’m going to sleep til noon anyway.
There is 6 of us coming home in a ’48 Buick. We’re just going to stop for gas and that’s all.
Just got thru with my washing. We’ve got an
automatic washer here now. All we do is throw our clothes in, add soap, and 25 cents and wait. It is really a lot easier than scrubbing everything out by hand. I don’t think I was cut out to be a wash woman anyhow, so this auto washer
really is swell.
Congratulations on beating West Mayo. You must have a pretty good team to run up 28 runs in a single game. The most our team could
ever run up was 18 in one game. I was glad you whipped West Mayo, as I know a couple of kids from there. Good luck in the future, but I doubt if you’ll need it, as it sounds like you’ve got a hot team. Maybe I’ll get a chance
to see you play sometime as I’ve got to go to the clerk’s office at MSC some day.
I got a rifle to clean so I’ll have to close. I’ll
call you after I get home. You’ll probably be home at E L Monday afternoon won’t you? We’re only going to get one weekend home, the 19th and 20th which is a blow. I was hoping to get 2 weekends, but
Uncle Sam said no.
Be seeing ya soon
Love
Ken
P.S. I passed my OCS test without any trouble, but I still don’t want to go to O.S.C.
Miss Rosalie Nash
619 Ardson Rd
East Lansing, Michigan
May 7, 1951
Camp Polk, La
1600 Hours
Dear Rosalie,
Well we got 146 hours until our furloughs start. They are going to begin next Sat at 1200 noon. I’m getting so excited I can hardly wait to get home.
Gus and I went to DeRitter today to say goodbye to the minister. He invited us over for
dinner, so we got a free meal. It was really good too. Like crazy fools Gus and I volunteered to help with the dishes and the Rev.’s wife took us up on it. So we wiped dishes for the first time in quite awhile.
Right now we are at the U.S.O. writing letters. It’s now 145 ½ hours until our furloughs start. When we got drafted I never figured I’d get homesick at all because up at MSC I never did. But at school you go home anytime
you want and here you can’t. But since we know when we’re going home, golly it really makes you homesick.
That’s about all I can think
as I’m too excited about furloughs to think about what to write. So I’ll close
Be seeing you soon
All my love
Miss Rosalie Nash
619 Ardson Rd
East Lansing, Michigan
May 8, 1951
Camp Polk, La
Dear Rosalie,
Just got back from the show, went with Gus. We saw “Apache Drums.” it wasn’t too bad a show, same old ending tho, the Calvary rides up and saves
the fort.
Had a real rough day today, spent the whole afternoon at the hospital finishing our physical exams for O.C.S. I don’t know if I passed or not,
as the stupid cuss that called himself doctor said that I was color blind. I don’t think that I am but the army says I am, so I guess that I am. After spending most of the afternoon at the hospital we went to the PX for a while then went
for a hike in the woods. Got back too late to fall out for retreat, and I was really broken hearted alright. The company gave the CO a gold watch tonight. He seemed pretty happy to get it too.
The company really caught the devil today. There are 290 men in the company and when they got to the field today there was only 109 there. Only about 50 guys had “excused absences” and the rest were just goofing off. The C.O.
said that the ones who weren’t there might not get to go home as early as the rest of the company. We’ll find out tomorrow what the score is. Also tomorrow we get to sleep until noon. Only catch is we’ll be working til bout
3 or 4 the next morning.
Three and ½ more days and we set sail from Camp Polk. It will make me real sad to leave this lovely place, but I gotta go.
It’s going to be hard o leave this place as I’ve become quite fond of it (Ha Ha).
Are you planning on going to A2 the weekend of the 19th
and 20th or not? If you do I can come up to EL and get you Fri. afternoon or Sat. I’ll call you up before then, probably Monday.
It’s getting late so I’ll close. I can’t wait to see you but I guess I’ll have to.
All my love
Ken
Miss Rosalie Nash
610 Ardson
East Lansing, Michigan
May 11, 1951
Camp Polk, La
Dear Rosalie,
How’s everything in EL? It is hotter than heck down here. I won’t be able to call you Monday as we’re still going to be in Camp Polk. Yesterday they announced that all furloughs were cancelled. But we’re getting delay
en route starting Wednesday. We’ll get about 5 more days at home and also we’ll get paid for it, so it ain’t too bad. We had our forced marches, they were only 6 miles tho. It took us one hour and 4 minutes and out of 200
guys who started, only 115 couldn’t make it. 3 of them had to be taken to the hospital. Our company made it in the best time, we beat A2 by one minute and they weren’t carrying packs like us. We’re having our “final
test” now. It covers everything that we’ve have in our basic so far. They are really a snap as they don’t want anyone to flunk so they made them real simple. I’ve just about gotten rid of my case of poison oak.
That’s about all for now, will write again Sunday as I’ve got CQ so I got all day with nothing to do.
Love
Ken
Miss Rosalie Nash
610 Ardson
East Lansing, Michigan
May 13, 1951
CAMP POLK, LA.
Dear Rosalie;
I’ve got the whole night to kill, so I’m going to type you a letter. I got stuck with CQ, and there is absolutely nothing to do. Usually the CQ has to sweep the floor, but there is a couple of “misfits” who are restricted
over the weekend who are going to do it. They “volunteered” to do it, if you know what I mean. In the army, all work is done by “volunteering”, either you volunteer voluntarily or they volunteer you. Anyhow the work
gets done. Those poor cuss’s who are doing the work have really got it bad. They have to report in to the orderly room every hour on the hour from 0500 to 2400, and if they are as much as two minutes late reporting, they will have to do it again
tomorrow, and in the meantime they are confined to their barracks, can’t even go out on the porch, so they have it pretty bad.
We got two days left in this
bloody camp, then we leave for good, and forever thank God. I don’t think anyone is going to miss this camp, as it isn’t too popular a place mainly because it’s Camp Polk.
Just got thru shooting the breeze with the Sergeant Major of the battalion, he used to be our platoon sergeant so I know him pretty well. It’s starting to get crowded, as most of the boys are starting to return from their weekend passes and they
have to sign in when they return and I just sit here and watch them sign in.
I guess that I got the paper in a little crooked, the lieutenant just tried to pull
his rank on me and use the typewriter for awhile, He pulled the letter out when I was out on an errand, and I couldn’t get in straight. Just pulled the thing out again.
Tomorrow we’re in for a real rough day. All we do is lay around and kill time. The army is making, excuse me, keeping me awful lazy.
They finally
told us for sure where we’re going. It’s Camp Stoneman, Cal. That’s the POE for the west coast. Our DIR starts Tuesday, we get a partial payment
at noon and we can leave anytime after that so we’ll get home Wednesday PM sometime. We are rumored to receive about 150 dollars. We also get some traveling pay, probably about 100 bucks. One nice thing about a DIR is that we don’t
have to go to the next camp on a troop train. I doubt if you’ve ever rode on one, but they are no fun. Also it doesn’t count against our furlough time. The army has a rule if you don’t take a furlough you are retired two
months before your term of enlistment. So according to army rules we should get discharged after 19 months.
Well its’ getting late so I’m going to have to quit. I’m going to try to get some sleep if I can, but these no good soldiers will be coming in at all hours to sign in and they always make enough noise so you can’t sleep.
ALL MY LOVE
Ken
PS About your being busy when I get home, you ain’t going to have time to be busy.
I’ll call you Wednesday if you are home or Thursday.