April 30, 1944

April 30, 1944

Dear Mom & Dad –

It’s Sunday night - & tomorrow starts another grueling week of training. When will it all end? Everyone is so fed up with this war I don’t see how anyone can have enough patience to let it last much longer. When I think of how beautiful & fresh it must be there in Mpls. this time of year, it makes me furious – all this wasted time. Bring on those Japs I’m mad enough to eat ‘em alive for doing this thing to me.

I didn’t get to see Lee and Roger this weekend, for the first time in a month. I had two reasons for not making the trip. First I was O.D. on Saturday, & secondly I had the makings of a lonely cold coming on. I felt the tell tale symptoms coming on Friday morning & by that nite it was on me in all it’s glory. Guess I must be in good shape tho cuz by Sat. night, after sniffling all day, I started to feel O.K. Today – no signs of a cold. I’m really rugged!

Boy – what an O.D. I turned out to be!! During my tour of duty some thief came into all of the officers tents & some of the men’s tents & stole money & other valuables. Capt. Healy lost his much cherished Parker 51 pen & pencil set along with $200. The culprit removed my fatigue pants from the nail right over my head & went thru all the pockets. Luckily all he found in them was a very snotty hanky – my billfold was in a pr. Of CKC. Pants hanging on the next nail. He didn’t look thru them or I’d have been $10 poorer. We don’t suspect any of the men of doing the job but think it might have been some of the natives nearby.

I think you know this but anyway in case you don’t – we are allowed to reveal the fact that we’re in the 25th Division. I’m sure you knew that by the A.P.O. number.

I received your letter of April 13th yesterday – pretty poor service. I hope you’re getting mine much faster.

Glad to see you are both still keeping up with the “Jones.” You must take some pictures of yourselves & send them over here – you in your new spring coat & Daddy in his.

No, I’ve never had a letter from you that has been even opened. I guess censorship is mostly a one-way proposition.

Well I have a few survey quirks to iron out before tomorrow so I’ll bid you “good night.” I feel swell now & hope you do too.

Love, Dorance

P.S. This is a New Zealand pound note – worth $3.28 in U.S. currency. Most of us down there made the very costly mistake of spending them like dollar bills. They seemed to go just as fast. The smallest paper money is the 10 shilling note, two of which make 1 pound or 1£.