Fri.  Nov 19, 1943

Dear Ida and Patty,

So sorry I couldn’t write yesterday but they got us running around crazy.  They expect you to learn a year’s training in 7 weeks.  So you see it’s getting tougher everyday.

We had our examination yesterday to see whether we go to school or not.  We won’t know until about another month, I hope.  I think I did pretty good.

I went on guard duty last night from 4 to 6 in the morning.  There’s an “officer of the day” that comes around once in a while.  When he does, you have to say, “Halt who goes there?”  Then he replys, “Officer of the day, who are you?”  This is my reply, “Dormitory guard, Company 418, reporting all secure, Sir.”

They have some funny sayings down here that really make you laff.  For instance, when we first came, we still had our hair, and they called us “Barber Bait.”  When we got our short, short hair cut they called us “Skin Head.”  There’s others, too, but I will tell you those when I come home.  I have to make my letter short because I have some washing to do before going to bed.

Lots of love
From Daddy

Source: http://spitballarmy.com/

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