Postmark: 10/07/1943

Return Address:

Pvt. V. Misitano
Co. A. 350 Inf.
APO 88
Fort Sam Houston, Texas
U.S. Army

Oct. 5, 1943
Wed. nite 7:15

Dearest Mother,

    Just a few lines to let you know that I'm O.K. and feeling fine and hoping that you are the same.

   Well mother, I hope that you'll forgive me for not writing sooner but since I've got here I've really been kept busy. We're still out on bivouac but we're going to go in to the fort tomorrow morn. All wk. we've been out on the rifle range. We new fellows were used for the pits. That's down where the targets are. We would mark the targets while the regular fellows of the 88 div would fire. We would go down to the range at 6:30 in the morn and quit at 8:00 at nite, and then the only reason they would leave us off at 8:00 was because it was too dark to see the targets any more. When we would get back to the tents we would wash up and eat and then go to the P.X. or show. I would have written those other nites but we don't have any lights in the tents and they wouldn't leave us in the mess hall to write. The reason I'm writing now is because we happened to get off a little early tonight.

   Mother, in my other letter I told you that I was real disgusted about my buddy and my other friends being split up. Well I've got new friends now and since I've met some fellows and got acquainted with them I feel a lot better. I seen some of the guys that came down on the train with me the other night at the P.X. and we had a swell time.

   Well mother it's now 7:55 and time for chow so I'll close with lots of love to you mother dear, daddy and the kids.

   Your loving Son,

"Jimmy"

P.S.

   Did you receive my suitcase with the stuff in it yet. ans.

World War 2 Era Rifle Range Target Pit


Photo Credit: Denix.osd.mil
This is an example of the rifle range pits that are mentioned in this letter. The targets are moveable, and can be adjusted by the handlers standing in the pit below them. The handlers are safe from the bullets being fired at the targets. After a round of fire, the targets are lowered by the handlers and newly formed bullet holes are marked with colored discs so that spotters on the firing line can score the hits made by the shooters.