19 Jun June 19, 1944

Camp Blanding, Florida
6-19-44 Mon. 8 P.M.

Dear Alice and Ronnie,

Four days to go, then a few days wait and home. Boy, I am telling you it
is going to seem like heaven to get out of this place and be home again.
Friday we graduate -- diploma and all -- they say. That diploma is really
going to be something I know. Rumor still has it that most of us will
leave here Tuesday, but no official word yet and won’t be before Friday
or Saturday. By the way, if you haven’t already sent the money, you had
better get it off the fastest possible way.

Now for your letter I received today the blue one or something.
Of course, I am not foolish enough to think that everything always goes
along at home on an even keel and 100% perfect.
On the other hand, I hope and don’t think things are as bad as this letter
pictures. Perhaps it is because you have been working too hard and you may
not be feeling up to par.  You are not holding out on me are you?  It
couldn’t be that junior is finally on the way.  I hope the symptoms
sound promising.

Now back to the regimental subject. I don’t like very much you paying any
attention or <? time> thinking about such things as me marrying you for
the reasons you gave or for any other than the real one. And that is that
I love you very much and I knew from the first you would make a good wife
and mother both of which to my opinion you have most certainly done. You
and I both know when we were planning on getting married  that there would
be <? criticisih> and difficult moments to live through. But I think we
both agreed that our lives were our own to live as we saw fit and as long
as we satisfied each other that would be all we were to worry about. I for
one still feel that way 100%. And I want you to feel the same way.  As for
me going to the army to get away from you or some such foolish reason you
know there is absolutely no foundation for that belief at all.

As much as I hate this damn army, and I know my hate is as strong as anyone
who is in it, I believe I have always felt <? locu> before meeting you. Yes,
<? locu> while Margaret was living. That some day as I would be in it, and
it would be the only right thing to do.  Now I didn’t think I am trying to
be heroic, just fulfilling a certain service of duty. A duty many people
that I know and you know. Many who are doing what they can to make life
harder for us. Do not seem to realize they should have too. It is

people like them who will be one of the reasons why we will have to remain
away from home that much longer. I would like to see some of them trade
places with any of us for just one short month. They would soon see that
war is hell <? loue> in a training camp. And they would soon realize

that very few men get into the army just so they can get away from home.
Tell some of them that just last weekend alone, four men that we know of
in this camp died. Two from the heat of exhaustion, one from lightning
and another they didn’t give out the reason. Right now in our own company
we have a man who took sick while we were in bivouac either from our
drinking water or from the water we had to lay in most of the day and
sleep in all the night, and has been unconscious since last Sat.

And has definitely been practically been given up for dead a
number of times. His folks flew down and they haven’t been able to see
him. The man killed by lightning was standing in the doorway of his hut
right across this street from our mess hall. The heat here is constantly
above 100 degrees. Today is 110 degrees and right now I am laying here
with absolutely nothing on with the perspiration dripping from me in streams.
Tell them some of those things and then maybe they will take heed and tend
to their own business and do a little better job of the things they are
supposed to be doing.

 Now once again my dear just keep in mind that the only person in the world
that you have to satisfy is me - your husband. So far I am very well pleased
with you, what you are doing and the way you are doing it.

Now for something else. In order to satisfy me when I am home you are
going to have to be 100% well and not all tired out, I don’t know what all
you have in mind for us to do, but I for one would be satisfied to just
remain at home and rest and enjoy you and Ronnie and our home.  It may be
some time before I’ll get another chance, so I want to take full advantage
of it.  If people want to see me, let them come over.  They know where we
live and I would much rather the house be a little out of order and the
grass a little long than to have you work yourself to death trying to get
everything in apple pie order by the time I get there.  You know I think
I can still push a lawnmower.

I am glad you went to this doctor.  What did he say and did he remember you?
I hope the news is very encouraging.

I didn’t go in sick call yesterday.  I was afraid they would send me to
the hospital and I didn’t think I would stand that down here, especially
at this time.  Besides now that I have had a couple nights rest, it has
cleared up a little.  Rest always seems to help.

We spent the morning today turning in some of our clothing. Mostly winter
stuff.  This afternoon four hours of very boresome classwork, all review.
You can imagine how much we gave a damn for classes by this time.
We are a very carefree, don’t give a damn bunch I can assure you. We feel
just like come what may, we can take it in stride.  I guess everyone feels
this way during their last week in this place.

Well my dears, this is a little longer letter than usual and may make up
little for the one I didn’t write yesterday. Besides the fact that I didn’t
get one from you yesterday  I just couldn’t get myself in a mood to write
anyone.  I went to a show Saturday night and Sunday PM and that’s absolutely
all I did except lay around and rest.

The package was from Gladys.  She sent it, express. It came last Thursday
but they wouldn’t deliver it. I had to go after it today. Was a nice box
of national press stuff.  I did do very well with packages. None of which
I have sent ever with thanks back.  This I’ll get around to it though.

Well Ronnie, my little boy, I wonder how you are tonight and if you are
going to remember your daddy this time when I get home next week.
You’d better. Lots of love to you both

Daddy.