October 9, 1943

Sat. Oct. 9, 1943

Camp Blanding, Fla.

Dear Mother & All:-

I received your air mail letter this morning and the Special Delievery letter this afternoon which you sent to me at Camp Grant. Good service on that wasn't it. The letter was stamped on the back Camp Blanding Sept. 27 so it was laying here most of the time. I just finished writting to Dora so I'll write to you yet tonight. I have lots of letters to write between tonight and tomorrow. Some to fellows I met up at Camp Grant. I also got the clipping. Thanks.

Have you heard from Fritz yet? When you do send me his address and when I have time I'll write to him. What did he do with his car sell it? He would be foolish to keep it. I guess the Army life will be pretty tough on him but he just as well make the best of it. The nicer you are to the fellows and officers the better you get along. and if he figures on getting out sometime on his age being nice will help him a lot. He probably can get out after he has his basic training.

You asked if the Howards ever got your card that you sent them. Yes they did. Edna told me to tell you but I forgot. Edna doesn't feel much like doing anything. Not even to cook for Frank, Richard or Edna. They always have hopes that Vincent was taken a prisoner instead of being killed. I got a letter the other day from Evelyn. She said they were out riding last Sunday and saw an airplane crash. The fellow had his head hurt and a few teeth knocked out. They felt pretty bad to see that as they had to think of Vincent. They sure all treated me swell on the 2 visits I had with them. Evelyn said Dorothy was on her way to see Florence and was going to stop by Maywood on the way back to see them. That would be Friday or today.

We all are kept real busy here. Don't get much time for yourself during the week. We got Saturday afternoons and all day Sunday off each week. A lot of the fellows went to Jacksonville or Storke for the week end. I had my blood checked today of the type. My type is O. That will be put on my dog tag. I was to get another shot but the doctor said I was caught up and didn't have to take one. Some of the fellows get sick and real sore arms but they haven't bothered me much yet.

You didn't have much luck with the garden this year again. You never get the rain at the right time. It has been cloudy and rained some each day this week but today. Today it was awful hot. Regular summer weather.

Thursday night I didn't get much sleep as I had my turn at guard duty. I had to walk my post from 9 to 11 and again at 3 to 5 a.m. I sure was tired and sleepy Friday. Before you go on guard duty you have to know the 11 general orders. That's a job learning them in order to.

Well I told you about all I know right so I'll close and hope to hear from you again in a few days. I'll write again when I have time.

Gus


Dad was writing again about his cousins in Maywood. Dorothy is Dorothy Tiefenbruck, a daughter of Dad's cousin Maud Luker Tiefenbruck (Edna Howard's sister) and her husband Fred, who lived in St. Louis. Florence is another of Maud's daughter. Either Dorothy or Florence lived in Michigan, so visit the other in St. Louis would mean that Maywood wouldn't be that far out of the way.