Ft. Sill, Okla.
April 8, 1943
Dear Mother, Dad, + Grandma --
First of all I'll answer your Friday letter, Dad, and your Sunday letter, Mother.
If you can get Sid Appelbaum's address, I'd like to have it. If he is here at Sill I certainly want to look him up.
Thank you for the curtains + for sending the radio. They haven't arrived as yet -- but I suppose they will either Saturday or Monday. I certainly will be glad to get the radio. I really haven't had the use of a radio since I came into the Army, and you have no idea how interesting the other radios in the barracks sound.
By the way, before I forget. The laundry, cookies, + candy arrived. Thank you very much. We are saving the cookies and eating them each evening with ice cream or sherbet from the PX. Last week Shay had a show-fly pie he brought from home. So this week it is my turn to treat.
No, I don't need any bureau cover. I wouldn't have anything to put it on. All I have in the room is my bed -- a metal folding chaìr -- a plain wooden table which serves as a desk -- and my footlocker. Later I hope to get a little bookcase on which to put the radio.
I see by the church calendar that we got some new members at communion. Who joined? Anybody I know? The shaving cream, etc., wasn’t mine -- I use an electic shaver -- but thanks anyway. It may come in landy later. on.
I am inclosing a money order for $50. Will you pease deposit it to my account, Dad. I got my pay from Mar 18th to Mar 31st -- total $74.80. I feel like one of the high salary men.
The refresher course material is proving very interesting + helpful. We continue on it until Sat. morning. As yet we have not been told definitely what we shall do beginning Monday -- but I'm sure we shall start in OCS material.
This has been a busy week. Monday night the Dept. softball team had a ball game. I played again and again we were defeated. The game wasn't over til 8:30 and then (transportation being what it is at that hour) we didn't get back to the barracks until about 10:00. You see I'm living in the OCS area and working so far on the main post -- about 3 miles away -- and there is no direct bus service. We have to transer and wait for the bus -- one every half hour. During working hrs there is an an army car running a free taxi service -- so that it is easy to get over in the morning + back at night if I don’t have to stay late.
Tuesday night I had to attend the Gunnery class held for the members of the Dept. We ran a survey. Wednesday night I stayed in + did the computation & plothing of the survey so that I could hand my solution in today. The idea is to keep us on our toes + not let us forget the things we learned in O.C.S., but which we don't ordinarily come in contact with as Material instructors.
Tought Lt. Dean (one of the other new Material instructors) and myself went into town for dinner + then went to a movie.
Tomorrow night we have to attend a lecture by the head of the department. They do keep us busy.
I had a very nice letter from Fred Schaffer. today. He tells me Jean had a serious operation. I guess I should have gone to see them while I was home.
The weather has been lovely -- until today when I decided to shower. But all in all it has been ideal since I returned. The trees & grass are that fresh + new shade of green that makes spring so attractive. Things are at just about the stage now that they reach up home along about houseparty time.
I guess its time to stop & go to bed -- so until Sunday --Love,
John