Feb. 25, 1943
Thur 7:00 oclock P.M.
Dearest Mother,
I received your letter and was very glad to hear from you and that everyone is fine. Mother,
Gainesville is about 6 miles from my camp, so when I go in to town on a wk. end pass maybe I'll
be able to see that lady and her husband that you mentioned about, and mom I see that your friends
don't only show up at funerals but almost anywhere ha. ha. ha. And another thing mom, if I should
meet her, and she didn't invite me to a spaghetti dinner, I'll bet you 10 to 1 that I'll ask her,
because I sure do miss it, and for a dish of beans and macaroni I think I'd give my first month's
pay, providing it would be made like you make it.
Mother, my friend and I, by the way my buddy's name is Tony Villano, he's from Scranton Pa.
Well, he and I are going down to see if Russell Gallagher is really in the hospital, his company
is about 2 blocks away from mine, as soon as I finish this letter and maybe write a card to Rosie,
we'll start down.
Mother today, my company went on an obstacle course, or rather we went through an obstacle course.
We had to jump over fences, jump down in holes, climb under barbed wire fences, but the pay off was
our last object, and that was a platform, 25 feet high, we climbed a ladder to the top of it
walked across it to about the middle where there was a rope ladder, something like the ones on
boats, you know the ones that hang over the sides? well this was just like that, we had to climb
down it and boy that was really tough, the ropes would swing back and fourth and every thing else.
We finished about 11 oclock, went back to our barracks, washed and ate dinner, after dinner we were
supposed to march and drill till about 4:30, well my company did but I didn't, and for the last
couple of afternoons I haven't been marching, the secret is or rather my secret is, that if we
have to work, or march, or drill all I do is go over to the supply room and start painting names of
fellows on their helmets, because every day I have so many to, but I take my time on it so each day
I have some to paint and whenever there is any hard work or tiresome work to do, I tell my Sgt.
that I have helmets to paint, and he leaves me go. My Cpt. gave me that job, because he asked if
any one could letter and I told him I could so I get off pretty easy in the afternoon. I'll
probably finish them up tomorrow because next wk. my basic training will start and every one will
have to train for at least 8 hr. a day, and have some kind of infantry schooling in the nights.
And that reminds me mother please don't worry about me if you don't get a letter for a couple
of days because I wont have very much time to write.
So far mother, my meals have been pretty good and so far I have no complaints about the army, I'm
sort of getting used to it.
Well mother I guess I'll close now with love to you, daddy, and the kids.
"Your loving Son,"
"Jimmy"
P.S.
Mother, I can't send any pictures home because no one is allowed to have a camera in their camp,
and there are no studios to have taken yet.
Please Write.
