December 20, 1942
Dearest Folks,
I suppose you have been worrying about of late because I have not written you since a week ago. The reason is this. They have been planning on moving for weeks now and the first of the week they started on some of the supply, sgts and headquarters tents. And of course the usual confusion that takes place whenever they do anything here started, and I do mean started. And on top all this confusion there are once 20% of the company in the hospital with the flu or severe colds. With these conditions they continue to feed starches potatoes every meal and the big farce of a ceremony in the morning (roll call where they do not check whether you are there or not, which takes about 6:45. It doesn’t get light here until 8:10 and it is usually quite cold also and they would tell us not to wear overcoats after breakfast. So, Monday night they pulled another trick and had a nice road march and I was perfectly well up to that time, they had us carry loaded stretchers and then had us sit down and rest that is where it started and I got chilled as soon as we got back. I gargled my throat good and poured the Vicks on well. The next morning I awoke with a minor sore throat. Some of them were not able to come out at all. I continued the same procedure because I did not want to find myself in the hospital with the rest of them. I attended classes Tuesday and Wednesday when my throat was practically well but you know my old fault of losing my voice which I did, so Thursday I decided to stay in the tent. My throat was probably just overworked for every time you speak you have to speak twice as loud as is necessary to be heard over the constant noise that goes on here 24 hours a day. Then Friday we moved into our hutimets? And more confusion well as soon as we got moved in I got into bed again to be still and have some rest and I stayed yesterday also and am here today also although my voice is much improved.
They are taking measures to control it now forbidding spitting on ground which used to almost make me sick. Of course I do very little of it as you know and they are cramming us into stuffy mess hall classes either well, I hope we are all on the road to good health again and that I managed to escape with what I did.
Our new hutiments (?) are very nice. They are brought in in sections and put together and the walls and roof are about 1 in thick of some kind of pourers material coated on both sides with a type of tar. It is made by Johns Manville[1] because the initials J M are printed about a foot large on each peace. Jonnie Manville should be able to get rich of a few more wives with what he is making on this war. And of course they are all built lower than the ground around upon cement blocks these dumb Texans do not know any better and don’t want to and the government lets them put up such messes. Then they dig trenches around them to keep the water out. And on top all these conditions the government picks out a site like this for a camp so large. The old outhouses they used when we first came here became full. They started to fill them in. It flooded then they had to spray the entire length of house locations and what a sensed they have down there now then the brilliant sargeants got the idea of building raised walks yesterday so they did making them sloping towards the center and if everything is not a mess now for is rained all night and parts of today in fact right now.
Well enough for the woes of Camp Barkeley and to a more agreeable subject. There are fourteen in a building and thankfully we have quite an agreeable bunch. One in particular who has an IQ of 131 which by the way is ten higher than mine which is very good and you would think him to be a regular rattle brain to see him, but anyway he is inclined to gamble and never loses. He is supposed to have won a thousand dollars or more. In fact a few have seen it but I haven’t. They had quite a rumpus the other evening. One of the lieutenants mishandled one of the boys gambling who I guess he shouldn’t have and the boys were quite a few drunk. I think this boy has a pull of some kind I think.
Yes, I received the package Thursday and it is upon the shelf unopened, we had to buy the four electric light bulbs ourselves for our hutiment, quite a joke is it not. And I sincerely want you to know how much I appreciate it and I am quite sure I will be overjoyed when I open it.
But as to the presents for you, Muriel and probably Frances. I have not been able to get into town as much as I regret to say it so. I will make it up to you after Xmas although I am awfully sorry for it doesn’t make them seem like a Christmas gift if you get it afterwards.
I received a very nice card and note from the Miners, thought some of sending them a card but did not know their address then thought better of it. Is there any one I have not contacted that you think I should write to. You might get me Mrs Bourgonne’s correct name spelling and address and I will write them a note for she asked me to and I am going to send Paul and Thelma a card and addressing it Chappin. If I am wrong you can call her and tell her I made a mistake to cover up for me, She sent me a nice Birthday card I cannot understand Marshall not mentioning my letter if he got it. I will mention it on my Christmas card to him. He is not as prompt as answering his letters and he probably has quite a lot more time now also. I do not have Clarence and Frances Wilde’s address. You might send it to me and I might drop them a note. I also wrote Jay a line.
You asking me if it has seemed a long time since I have been away. Yes, it does. It seems months but I might be him soon for time sure flies especially as busy as they keep us here. I understand the next place will not be so bad then I hope to be able to keep up with my correspondence in a more business like manner. Fred spoke of going out for truck driving, yes I suppose he will. They have literally hundreds of trucks and ambulances. I have seen as many as one hundred ambulances in a driving test convoy, most of them are Dodges while most of the trucks are GMC and the big ones have ten gears in them including reverse and they also have quite a few half tracks. The average training class usually manages to do 1000 dollars damage to the ambulances and trucks and some of them are wore out at 10,000 miles and they are now claiming the Dodges are no good, use a quart of oil in one night fifty miles, quite an expense. Of course they are all governed(?) to 35 miles per hour. If they didn’t they would be wrecked sooner I suppose.
My letter is perhaps getting very long and boring by now, but it is perhaps my last one to you before Christmas. Has Marie returned the pictures as yet?
And Mother, whatever you do, do not work too hard Christmas. Have you gone to see a doctor about your arm and have you as yet gone on the dinner I told you anniversary if not you had better or I am going to do something else about it. Have you seen Matson’s recently, it is funny they have not answered my letter, it seems that people mention me not writing but when I do they don’t seem to answer it. How funny. Did Mrs. Barrow take the job at Matsons? If so, does she like it as well now. By the way what do you think of their house. Do you think it is very nice or is it what you expected.
I suppose Grandpa keeps the room all closed up now that I am away?
Have you found anything more on the camera as yet.
How is Uncle Bill coming with the draft?
I had better be closing now and I hope you have a very happy Christmas and lets hope we can look to a better and happier New Year.
Your son, Stanley
[1] Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality building and specialty products. In business since 1858, the Denver-based company has sales in excess of $2 billion and holds leadership positions in all of the key markets that it serves. Johns Manville employs about 9,000 people and operates 43 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China.
1945: Government mandates production of asbestos-containing insulation products (silica/asbestos combination) to insulate Navy vessels, and products for other war purposes.
1939: Johns-Manville shifts into wartime production.
Dearest Folks,
I suppose you have been worrying about of late because I have not written you since a week ago. The reason is this. They have been planning on moving for weeks now and the first of the week they started on some of the supply, sgts and headquarters tents. And of course the usual confusion that takes place whenever they do anything here started, and I do mean started. And on top all this confusion there are once 20% of the company in the hospital with the flu or severe colds. With these conditions they continue to feed starches potatoes every meal and the big farce of a ceremony in the morning (roll call where they do not check whether you are there or not, which takes about 6:45. It doesn’t get light here until 8:10 and it is usually quite cold also and they would tell us not to wear overcoats after breakfast. So, Monday night they pulled another trick and had a nice road march and I was perfectly well up to that time, they had us carry loaded stretchers and then had us sit down and rest that is where it started and I got chilled as soon as we got back. I gargled my throat good and poured the Vicks on well. The next morning I awoke with a minor sore throat. Some of them were not able to come out at all. I continued the same procedure because I did not want to find myself in the hospital with the rest of them. I attended classes Tuesday and Wednesday when my throat was practically well but you know my old fault of losing my voice which I did, so Thursday I decided to stay in the tent. My throat was probably just overworked for every time you speak you have to speak twice as loud as is necessary to be heard over the constant noise that goes on here 24 hours a day. Then Friday we moved into our hutimets? And more confusion well as soon as we got moved in I got into bed again to be still and have some rest and I stayed yesterday also and am here today also although my voice is much improved.
They are taking measures to control it now forbidding spitting on ground which used to almost make me sick. Of course I do very little of it as you know and they are cramming us into stuffy mess hall classes either well, I hope we are all on the road to good health again and that I managed to escape with what I did.
Our new hutiments (?) are very nice. They are brought in in sections and put together and the walls and roof are about 1 in thick of some kind of pourers material coated on both sides with a type of tar. It is made by Johns Manville[1] because the initials J M are printed about a foot large on each peace. Jonnie Manville should be able to get rich of a few more wives with what he is making on this war. And of course they are all built lower than the ground around upon cement blocks these dumb Texans do not know any better and don’t want to and the government lets them put up such messes. Then they dig trenches around them to keep the water out. And on top all these conditions the government picks out a site like this for a camp so large. The old outhouses they used when we first came here became full. They started to fill them in. It flooded then they had to spray the entire length of house locations and what a sensed they have down there now then the brilliant sargeants got the idea of building raised walks yesterday so they did making them sloping towards the center and if everything is not a mess now for is rained all night and parts of today in fact right now.
Well enough for the woes of Camp Barkeley and to a more agreeable subject. There are fourteen in a building and thankfully we have quite an agreeable bunch. One in particular who has an IQ of 131 which by the way is ten higher than mine which is very good and you would think him to be a regular rattle brain to see him, but anyway he is inclined to gamble and never loses. He is supposed to have won a thousand dollars or more. In fact a few have seen it but I haven’t. They had quite a rumpus the other evening. One of the lieutenants mishandled one of the boys gambling who I guess he shouldn’t have and the boys were quite a few drunk. I think this boy has a pull of some kind I think.
Yes, I received the package Thursday and it is upon the shelf unopened, we had to buy the four electric light bulbs ourselves for our hutiment, quite a joke is it not. And I sincerely want you to know how much I appreciate it and I am quite sure I will be overjoyed when I open it.
But as to the presents for you, Muriel and probably Frances. I have not been able to get into town as much as I regret to say it so. I will make it up to you after Xmas although I am awfully sorry for it doesn’t make them seem like a Christmas gift if you get it afterwards.
I received a very nice card and note from the Miners, thought some of sending them a card but did not know their address then thought better of it. Is there any one I have not contacted that you think I should write to. You might get me Mrs Bourgonne’s correct name spelling and address and I will write them a note for she asked me to and I am going to send Paul and Thelma a card and addressing it Chappin. If I am wrong you can call her and tell her I made a mistake to cover up for me, She sent me a nice Birthday card I cannot understand Marshall not mentioning my letter if he got it. I will mention it on my Christmas card to him. He is not as prompt as answering his letters and he probably has quite a lot more time now also. I do not have Clarence and Frances Wilde’s address. You might send it to me and I might drop them a note. I also wrote Jay a line.
You asking me if it has seemed a long time since I have been away. Yes, it does. It seems months but I might be him soon for time sure flies especially as busy as they keep us here. I understand the next place will not be so bad then I hope to be able to keep up with my correspondence in a more business like manner. Fred spoke of going out for truck driving, yes I suppose he will. They have literally hundreds of trucks and ambulances. I have seen as many as one hundred ambulances in a driving test convoy, most of them are Dodges while most of the trucks are GMC and the big ones have ten gears in them including reverse and they also have quite a few half tracks. The average training class usually manages to do 1000 dollars damage to the ambulances and trucks and some of them are wore out at 10,000 miles and they are now claiming the Dodges are no good, use a quart of oil in one night fifty miles, quite an expense. Of course they are all governed(?) to 35 miles per hour. If they didn’t they would be wrecked sooner I suppose.
My letter is perhaps getting very long and boring by now, but it is perhaps my last one to you before Christmas. Has Marie returned the pictures as yet?
And Mother, whatever you do, do not work too hard Christmas. Have you gone to see a doctor about your arm and have you as yet gone on the dinner I told you anniversary if not you had better or I am going to do something else about it. Have you seen Matson’s recently, it is funny they have not answered my letter, it seems that people mention me not writing but when I do they don’t seem to answer it. How funny. Did Mrs. Barrow take the job at Matsons? If so, does she like it as well now. By the way what do you think of their house. Do you think it is very nice or is it what you expected.
I suppose Grandpa keeps the room all closed up now that I am away?
Have you found anything more on the camera as yet.
How is Uncle Bill coming with the draft?
I had better be closing now and I hope you have a very happy Christmas and lets hope we can look to a better and happier New Year.
Your son, Stanley
[1] Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality building and specialty products. In business since 1858, the Denver-based company has sales in excess of $2 billion and holds leadership positions in all of the key markets that it serves. Johns Manville employs about 9,000 people and operates 43 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China.
1945: Government mandates production of asbestos-containing insulation products (silica/asbestos combination) to insulate Navy vessels, and products for other war purposes.
1939: Johns-Manville shifts into wartime production.
No comments:
Post a Comment