Postmark: 02/19/1943

Return Address:

Pvt. Vincent Misitano
Co K 342 Inf
A.P.O. 450
Camp Howze, Texas

Sat. 20, 1943
3:40 afternoon.

Dearest Mother,

   Today is Saturday, and boy is it hot. To keep cool here during the day you would have to go around in a bathing suit, but of course we soldiers can't do that, so we just have to suffer, is it warm back home mom? Every day it is hot here, except in the nights and early mornings. Mother it's really nice out here.

   Mother, all that I did today was, put in to my class and drilled from 8 till 12 in the afternoon, it wasn't hard at all, we learned how to hand salute, right face and left face. We march and drill for one hour, and rest for 10 minutes all morning. Monday I got to go out again and drill, that's when they'll probably give me my gun and bayonet.

   At one oclock this afternoon we had a parade and I was in it. All the big officers were there and they said for new guys we did pretty good. I just got back from marching and took a shower and started to write to you.

   Mother please don't worry about me because I'm O.K. and feeling fine. We soldiers are very well fed here. Mother I haven't received any mail yet and gee, every day at mail call I'm out to see if there's any mail for me, and so far there wasn't. I guess you wrote to me and the mail hasn't got here yet, maybe it takes longer than I think for mail to come out here.

   I wrote a letter to Tony and Pauline and soon as I finish this one I'll write to Phil.

   Mother, my basic training for 13 weeks won't start until March 1, so that meens that I won't get a chance to come home for about 4 months, but the sgt. did say that after our basic training we have a good chance to be shipped back east, so don't worry about me mother, because I miss you as much as you miss me, but we both got to take it, I don't mind being here except for how far from home it is and the fact that I get homesick once in a while.

   I met a lot of fellows from Altoona out here, and that helps me feel a lot better, that is not so much homesick.

   Well mother, I guess that's all for now, so I'll close with love and kisses to you, daddy and the kids.

   "Your loving Son,"

"Jimmy"

P.S.

   Mother when you write, tell me how daddy is and all about the kids and also tell me if Tony came home yet.

   Love

"Jimmy"

Informational Header on Camp Howze Stationery:


The Civil war still had eight months to run when a baby christened Robert Lee Howze was born to strong-charactered parents in East Texas. Reconstruction limited his schooling opportunities, but he won admission to the United States Military Academy. As second lieutenant he was assigned to fighting record in Cuba and the Phlippines. He commanded a division through fierce battles in France. Before death in 1926, Major General Howze had served as superintendent of West Point. Camp Howze is named for him. Camp Howze, Texas

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Following is a clipping from the Altoona Mirror of July 10th, 1940. Pauline is the older sister of dad's. She would go on to spend her entire career in government service performing secretarial duties, both on a local and federal level. She is mentioned frequently in dad's letters to his mother.