December 20, 1943

Dec. 20th 1943

Dear Mom & Dad –

Have received your letter of Dec 2nd. I’m glad you got my wire so you knew I was all right & didn’t worry about me. Mrs. Healy was exactly right about her son’s whereabouts & my little hut is only about 20 feet away from his. Need I say anymore.

I was lucky to catch the outfit just when it was on it’s way back for a rest period – how long it will last I don’t know. A couple of us officers from each Btry. were sent ahead of time to set up the camp & get things in readiness to receive the rest of the men. It was a big job & we were all kept very busy – that’s why I couldn’t write for so long. Besides we were miles from any military post office (which we must use) & no facilities were set-up as yet in the outlying camp areas. That was a part of our job as a forward party.

Now that the Bn. is all here & most of the dirty details are done we are starting to have some fun. We officers get passes regularly (so do the men) & the training is light. We’ll start training again in earnest as soon as the men have had a good rest.

I’ve been on several 3 day passes to the nearest large town & have had wonderful times. The people here are very much like those at home – very friendly & hospitable. They can’t seem to do too much for us. I’ve met several very nice girls that I’ve been dating when I get in. They are just exactly like those at home – like to dance (they’re good too) play tennis, ride, golf, & swim.

Are you interested in names – O.K. There’s Beverly Coleman – very high class home-loving type of girl from a nice family (I’ve met them). She works in the fur dept. of a store downtown. Then there’s Ann Jones who is a manicurist in same store whom I met on a blind date. She’s a perfect dancer & lots of fun – looks something like Margaret Sullivan in the movies. Then we have Joyce Baker – I’ve only dated her once so don’t know much about her but a very nice gal & good company.

They have quite a few odd customs here that have been hard to get used to. First of all they drive on the left side of the street. Steering wheels on the cars are all on the right side, (wrong side if you ask me). I’m so used to it by now tho that it would be odd to drive on the right side. When we go in town on pass we usually rent a car & really operate on a big scale. Most of the cars here are small like our Austin’s – they’re mostly Fords, Morris’s & Austins. A couple of the officers have bought cars which they hope they can sell again when we have to leave.

We have a completely new & strange system of currency now. We all had to change our American money into the native money. It was all quite confusing at first but now very simple. The army Finance pays us in the native currency. However I had to buy a new billfold to fit the large bills.

The people here are really died in the wool tea drinkers – even worse than the swedes with their coffee. They grab the tea pot at the drop of a hat. The other night Gene Eckroth (he’s an off. in the Bn. who I chum with a N. Dakota lad) & I brought a gal home around midnight & her mother was waiting up for her. Not with a rolling-pin as we expected but with a pot of tea on the stove – nothing we could do but come in & have tea & cakes at that hour! Beats me! I’m even starting to like the stuff myself. I took Ann to lunch the other day – she had coffee & I had tea. Can you beat that?

Our camp is about 50 miles from the big town & right in the midst of several big sheep farms. This is beautiful country out here – every turn in the road is a landscape. It’s very hilly & well covered with grass & trees – mostly pine trees like northern Minnesota. The ocean is only 1 ½ miles from here – good fishing & swimming there. We live very comfortably in little wooden huts – electric lights too. I’ve taken some pics – when I get em printed I’ll send some.

It’s late now so I’ll close & write again in a few days. Feel wonderful & having a great time. Hope things are going as well at home. G’night.

Love, Son