7-13-1943

Dear Don,
Sure was glad to hear from you again. I am doing O.K. here although it is damn tough though. We get up at 5:45 and drill 1 hour (calisthenics) then we eat and go to school, drill 2 more hrs, & then study & then wash, scrub, clean, etc & got to bed anytime after 10 P.M. & before 11 P.M.
This is no snap but I’ll bet yours is a hell of a hard grind too by the way you talk. The exercising “shore” makes me feel good though. Everything we can put into these schools comes right back to us however.
You asked what we do on leaves & how often do we get ‘em. Hell the town is so dead there is no more to do than go to a show which is as old as heck. We get a pass at 1300 Sat. which lasts till 2400 then a pass on Sunday form 0700 to 1930. That’s as good deal but there is nothing to do when you get a pass so we just chew the rag with the old timers around the ship.
You say you have to wash in the lake. Hell I washed yesterday & couldn’t even get my whites white in a washer full of hot water & soap. I’ll bet you hate that, I know I would.
Coon & I were down in “Poky” Saturday on pass & we thought we would look for some dungarees. We went in a hardware store & asked the fellow if he knew if we could get a used flat iron, he said no, but just as we were going out the door he called us back & asked us if we wanted one he had in his hand. He gave it to us! The one coil is burnt out but the Gen. Electric Co. is fixing it for us. Good deal huh.
Well good luck & study hard. I’ll write again soon—Don’t mind the writing---Love, Bill