January 1, 1944

Pvt Aug. Haferkamp 36684775

Co. A 225th Bn. 69th Regt 2 R.T.C.

Camp Blanding, Florida



Sat., Jan. 1, 1944

Dear Mother :-

I received your letter yesterday and I was glad to hear from you. I have been wanting to write to you a week or so ago but just didn't have the time. I'll try to write you a few lines today as it will be about the only chance I'll have for the next 2 weeks or so.

I have a lot of work to do today and tomorrow such as washing some of my clothes and getting ready for our 1 weeks camping trip which we start on Monday morning. Where we are going I don't know but we will be away from this camp for 2 weeks. You should see the list of things we have to take with us. We really should have a truck apiece to carry it all.

Well I think I'll be home to see you all pretty soon. I hope to leave here for St. Louis in about 3 weeks from now or about Jan. 22nd. I went in at noon today and gave my Captain $20.00 to get me a railroad ticket. I should get some money back as the ticket isn't that much. I will be aloud to stay home 7 days. That's not many days but that is all any of the fellows here get. That doesn't include the time we spend on the train. That really isn't what you call a furlough but is a 7 day layover as I won't come back to this camp but I will either go to Fort Mead, Maryland or Ford Ord, California and then I guess from there we will get a boat ride to somewheres overseas.

I got my medal for shooting expert with the rifle. We got them Wednesday evening. Tuesday and Thursday of this week we were out to shoot the machine gun. We fired about 25 shots each on the 50 caliber machine gun.

Tell Henry I said "thanks" for the money he sent me for Xmas. I would have written to him but as I said I've been too busy. I also got a $5.00 check from the firemen and also $5.00 from George Wegener. I wrote a letter to thank the firemen but I haven't wrote to Wegener yet. I sure miss not being able to be up at the fire department today as it will be the first New Years party that I missed.

I guess by this time Dora has been up to see you and tell you all about her trip. I got a pass and left here last Friday evening and I went to Starke and got her. We then had to come back to this camp to catch a bus for St. Augustine. We sure enjoyed our visit there as there are lot of sights to see. The only trouble was that it rain Xmas and the following day so we didn't get to take as many pictures as we wanted to.

Dora's cousin's husband who is here in this camp came over to see me last night. He is in the rifle company. He married the Watkins girl. The one that Hermann Ruffini was going with when he died.

Well I guess I better close and get busy. I'll try to write to you while I'm in the woods if I get time. If you have time write as they are going to bring our mail out to us once a day. I hope in 3 weeks from now I'll be on my way to Staunton to see you all.

So long
Gus

Tell Bill that Bill Stoermer quit at Atlas and got a job at Quincy on a bardge job. Stemp White got his 1A card and Zeke got a job back there. I wrote to Regot several weeks ago but never did hear from him.