8-26-1943

Dear Don,
I was sure glad to hear from “yo’all” and glad to hear that you are doing O.K. I guess you have about the same set up there as we have here, only they are strict as hell with us, but then they should be because we are just “Boots”. The thing I don’t like about it is that we stay apprentice seamen the whole damned time we are here, and never get any more than $50 per month. We also have insurance taken out, like you guys, and I am taking out a bond a month which leaves me about $23 bucks per month for whiskey, beer, cigarettes, and so forth.
I hear that Jim Reese is home on a 30 day furlough. Boy I’ll bet he is glad to be back “alive” because he has really seen some action. I hope I can get another 2 day pass so I can drop down and see him.
You asked about our chow here. Well!----I guess it is “purty” good but that is only because the Navy health officers came thru and made the cafeteria people clean up and serve better food. But no kidding, there for a while we went to the school café in the student Union building and bought our own class chow. Today at noon we had, roast beef, mashed potatoes & gravy, bread &butter, 2 glasses of milk, pear salad, fruit juice, & some ice cream but don’t let that one meal mislead you into thinking that it is that good all the time. That is just one meal out of hundreds. But as a whole I can’t kick because I have put on 10 pounds and it is all hard muscle.
We have four chief petty officers here in charge of the company’s physical drill and they all used to be pro baseball or pro football men. Every morning we have a half hour of the damnedest exercises you ever saw and then in the afternoon for an hour and a half we have ‘em too so it really is building the boys up. We also do quite a lot of swimming, which is very good for us.
I guess you have calisthenics and stuff too so I imagine you are really getting built up.
By the way, what kind of instruction and study do you get down there, and how are your officers?
Well I guess I had better hit the books so I can get to sleep before midnight tonight.
Best of luck
And leave that Texas gal alone,
Your Brother Bill
P.S. There aren’t any good gals in Poky so I guess I had better wait until I hit Houston or Chicago before I look any farther.