January 16, 1944

Pvt. Aug. Haferkamp
Co. A 225th Bn. 69th Regt.
Camp Blanding, Florida

Sun., Jan. 16, 1944

Dear Mother:-

I've been getting your letters and the clippings out of the paper that you have been sending me but  I've been just too busy to answer so I'll try to write you a few lines this morning.

Well we came in from our 2 weeks bivouac yesterday morning about 9:30. We were all sure glad to get back. I'm also glad I'm not out there in the words this morning as it turned pretty cool over night. Those 2 weeks that we spent in the woods wouldn't have been bad if we wouldn't have had so much rain. It rained the day we left and every time we moved to a new location and also yesterday when we came in it rained fairly hard all the way. We got up at 4 o'clock and at 5:30 we started for camp. It was just a little over 10 miles back in. After the first week out we kept coming in closer. I guess at first we were out 25 or 30 miles. We slept in our tents. Two fellows to a tent. The ground was always wet and cold. We laid our rain coats down and then 4 blankets and then covered up with 2 blankets. In the 2 weeks we were out I never had my shirt off and only took my pants off once to put on a pair of heavy underwear. We slept with our clothes on all the time even our shoes and leggings and overcoat. We had fairly good meals while we were out and ate canned rations a few times.

Dora sent me Harold Regenhold's address. He is down here in Camp Blanding in the 215th Company. I started out last night to find him but it started raining so I came back. I'll try to look him up today or before I leave here. I guess he will be surprised to see someone else is here from Staunton.

So Freddie is out on a camping trip to. Have you ever heard how he got shot and how he is getting along.. He should be over his basic training soon to. It would be nice if we both got a furlough at the same time but I guess there's not much hopes for that. It would be nice if the Army gave him a discharge after his basic is over. I guess John Lee would sure like to have him back.

Well next week this time I hope I'm all packed up and ready to head for Staunton. I'll be riding a troop train as far as St. Louis. I guess I won't be able to find out when it leaves or when I'm due in St. Louis as they are pretty careful about giving out information about troop trains. The way our Sergeant talked yesterday that we would have to take a barracks bag full of clothes home with us. I sure hope not. We are to have our names and number printed on our bags today. Yesterday when I got back I had all my clothing replaced that was lost in the laundry some time ago. I came out ahead as I got all new things and they were out of face towels so I got bath towels instead. Tomorrow we have to lay out all of our clothes for a inspection and if any needs replacing they are going to replace it before we leave.

So Skipper still comes up to see you quite often. I just wonder if he would remember me if he saw me. I bet he would.

Have you ever heard from Uncle Henry lately? I wonder if he got the letter I wrote to him. I also sent Lillian a folder of this camp about the same time. I got a card while I was in the woods from Kuehnen. He told me they had a good time New Years day.

Well I told you all I know so I'll close as I have a lot of things I want to do today and if I don't get started I won't get them done. Well I hope to see you all in about a week and a half from now. If I hear when I'm to leave I'll try and let you know.

Gus


It was interesting to read in this letter that Uncle Freddie had been shot. I had never heard that. When reading Aunt Clara's letter about visiting him in the hospital down in Alabama, I just assumed that he was sick. Apparently this would be a training accident.

Funny to read about Skipper going to my grandparent's house from across town. Mom used to tell stories of how he would go looking for my dad, and my impression was always that he continued that most of the time that Dad was away.

September 26, 1943

Pvt. Aug. Haferkamp
A.S.N. 36684775
Co. D, 210th Bn, 65th Regt.
I.R.T.C.
Camp Blanding, Florida

Sunday, Sept. 26, 1943

Camp Blanding, Florida

Hello Mother & Everybody:-

Here I am way down in Florida. The land of sunshine. This camp is 40 miles south west of Jacksonville, and 7 miles from Starke. We left Camp Grant at 10 to 6 Wednesday night on the C.B.&Q. There were about 500 of us. We rode Pullman cars and slept 2 nights on the train. I had a lower berth. There was 12 cars filled with soldiers, 1 with our barracks bags and 2 served as a kitchen. We ate right on the train. It took us about 55 hours to make the trip. We traveled the freight routes. We crossed the river at Quincy after leaving Aurorua, Ill. We got into St. Louis Union Station about 6:30 A.M. We stayed there until 8 o'clock when the Frisco R.R. took us to Memphis, Tenn. We got in there about 4 P.M. That's the best town I saw on the way down here although we didn't go thru many towns. The cars were serviced here and the Southern R.R. left there with us at 5:15 P.M. During the night we went thru Chattanooga, Tenn. The next day at 9:15 A.M. we arrived at Atlanta Georgia. We stayed there an hour. At 1 o'clock we got in Macon, Ga. We were told to get out of the cars to take a stretch. That was only for 10 minutes. This was the first and last time we were off the car. At 3:30 P.M. we went thru Cordele Georgia and at 4:45 we passed thru Tifton and at 7 P.M. Friday night we crossed the Florida border. I think it was about 1:30 A.M. when we got here. We didn't get to bed until 3 and had to get up again at  Saturday morning. I saw a lot of cotton; cotton gins and pine trees on the way down. There wasn't so much scenery to look at. I don't see where people think the south is a pretty unless it is down farther.

I don't like this camp very much. There are 15 fellows to a barracks or as they call them, huts, and they are huts. Just like a chicken house. The beds aren't so good. We only got 1 sheet and you use the mattress cover for the other sheet. I don't care much for the food. I never ate breakfast here yet.

The officers are all young fellows and are real nice so far. This camp is a Infantry Replacement Training Center. We are in the heavy equipment division dealing with machine guns, mortors, and etc. I don't like that much but have to make the best of it. I missed my best chance by not getting with the fire fighters. It is very sandy here. We have old wooden walks enough for 1 person to walk on. If you meet someone one or the other of you has to get off. When  you do you sink into the sand several inches.

They told us to write but not to receive any mail yet as we may get transfered to another company, but the devil with them. If you want to write you write as I haven't had a letter since I've been in the Army. There is 4 different branches open here. Buglers, truck drivers, wire men, and radios. Some of us may get into one of those and get put into a different company. Some of them went at 2 o'clock this afternoon. I don't know if there will be more or not.

I wrote Dora a letter last night and told her all I know and told her to tell you what I wrote as I may have missed some things in your letter. I never did hear from her either or in fact from no one. If you wrote like I told you to Camp Grant, the letter will come here someday, soon I hope. I wrote Freddie a letter last week. Did he tell you? Just a few more days and I guess he will be leaving. Camp Grant is a palace against here. We will be here for 17 weeks for our basic training.

Well, I told you about all I know for the time being so I'll close and will write you all later when I have time. Write me here and if I get moved I'll let you know.

Love--
Gus


This letter impressed me. The way he wrote about all the towns they went through on their way to Camp Blanding, including the times of arrival and the names of the train companies is so precise. I can only assume that he was writing these things down as they rode along, so that he'd be able to write home with all the details. The "Freddie" he mentions is his brother who he referred to as "Fritz" in past letters.