Dear Folks,

The past three days has been typical Calif. weather. It has rained every day. We went out and drilled for 3 hrs. this morning without any raincoats and then the officers got enough of it so we came in.

Dad, your letter came this noon and believe me it was really swell. It was the first letter I have received so far but I imagine there are a bunch waiting to be sorted.

The food is getting better but I still don’t like getting up at 5:15. We have to eat breakfast, wash, make beds, shine shoes, + sweep out by 7:30 + be ready to go on the field. We had shots Tues. and Wed. I didn’t know if I could make it through the day or not. Everyone is afraid to go on sick call for fear that they will get washed out. They have washed several out all ready. I am feeling O.K. today.

We won’t get to leave the post for at least another week and we might get shipped out before then, however, that remains to be seen.Everybody is hoping to get out of here as soon as possible. I was talking to some of the old timers and they say it is the worse place they have ever been. It was a Jap concentration camp up till Dec. 1st so we can’t expect everything. We are due to fall in very shortly so will finish this letter tonight if we don’t have a lecture or detail of some kind.

(6:00 P.M.)

It rained all afternoon so we didn’t drill. We had school instead, studying the soldier’s manual.

I guess you know that I tried to call you last night again. I called about 6:00 (8:00 your time) and they said they would hold the line for me at 8:30. I had a lecture at 7:00 and they called me out of that but by the time I got to the phone it was too late. I have given up so I won’t try again.

About this major on the post. I wouldn’t do for me to look him up so I guess he will have to hunt me up. It would be alot easier for him to find me than me to find him.

I am going to cut this letter shorter than I had expected to. There is a big inspection tomorrow and we found out alittle while ago that our flight was on K.P. tomorrow, which means we get up at 3:00 A.M., + get our barracks ready for inspection tonight. We get one or more demerits for something we do wrong and after so many we don’t get to go into cadet training. So far my record is clear but they keep getting tougher, I wish we would get shipped out of here before I do get some.

Ich schlafe gut uber nicht lang genug.^[1]I do not sleep well enough.

My German could stand some brushing up.

Love,

Tom

Notice the little change of address.

It means the 80-5 Training Group. Basic Training Command #8.