Hope you don’t have to pay extra postage on this letter. If you do let me know and I will cut it down next time or add postage.
Jan 26, 1943
Dear Mother
You mentioning how the days slip by, well they do here also, our days here go by very fast and my time after class goes much faster and before I know it, it is nine o’clock and bed time and I have so much study after class that it seems I hardly have any time at all and I am looking forward very expectantly to not having any after next Thursday or rather this week Thursday for we are due to finish our classes then and we will more than likely have our first day in the hospital Friday and I am wondering just what kind of ward I am going to fall here to. I hope it is a nice ward with some very interesting patients or it may even be the operating room.
I went last week over to the practice ward to try my best in draping the operating room and patient and I got into the gown without contaminating it and got my hands into the rubber gloves quite easily after the technician in the act very carefully poured powder on them and held my hands above my waist all but once. And I look quite funny in a gown and gloves, you would not recognize me. The gown hangs within 6 inches of the floor and I had to put in on without it getting against tables, floor or my clothes that is the front of the gown can not come into contact with anything and the technician finishes putting it on and tying the belt. In all it is quite an interesting and tedious art called Surgical technique.
I received a letter from Edward Pfare and he is the same old Ed, rattle bearned(?) as ever and upbraided me for not writing him. I am going to write him back and tell him he was so good at writing me and giving me his address.
Well now for the surprise of surprises. Yesterday was payday and they gave me the huge amount of $5.00. How or why I do not know for I can not see how they figure that amount as two thirds the amount of pay I am supposed to receive but most of us from Barkeley received that amount and am I burned up. I am almost tempted to cancel that bond affair right now. But I do not necessarily need the money for I have been conserving for just such an occasion so I don’t need any. Of course next month I shall get more yet and when I leave I will get the entire amount due me.
I believe that I will make out the Income Tax blank and I think that if you will do it for me if it is properly made out etc.
The weather here has been very cold and rather foggy and a very cold wind and we have had a severe frost or two lately because quite a few of the plants around here are all black.
Sunday I went into town early and went to the famous Buckhorn Saloon, and talk of horns etc.
They really have them there. I am going to send home something and amongst them shall be some post cards folders etc which you can look at and I will send you cards from time to time so you perhaps can enjoy them with me.
I also went by the old Spanish governor’s palace but it wasn’t open as yet so we went to a show which I was not too fond of doing but went along with the others.
As for the cymbidium you can give Mrs. Miner perhaps one of the flowers and if you want to you can give Aunt Nina the balance or keep some for yourself but I think Nina would like a couple. You may have to stake up the spike and if it rains you may take it into back porch for the mud will do them no good. It stains the flowers. Clear water won’t bother them much. And I don’t think I would have any use for it here although I would like to see it.
As for a leave it will probably not be now until I am stationed somewhere. If it wasn’t for this school it would have been sooner.
Yes cameras were contraband. They ordered them all turned in but their orders were not followed so they issued another order the other day stating that all that turned them in to come and get them and go to the Provost Marshall’s office and register them and then they would be alright. I kept mine wrapped up and took it into town once.
As for a needle for the phonograph you might get one of the $1.00 ones which will play 1000 times or you might get two or three cheaper ones for they may become extinct also. What do you think I wrote Mrs. Scheltima in my first week here and Joe 2 or 3 days later but as slow as the mail goes in and out of here. No wonder he has not heard from me and I mailed him a couple of cards also. I may be mail clerk here in this barracks this coming month. The boys that are leaving here this month are leaving Thursday and I am going to get rid of the half wit that sleep across from me. He is just plain crazy.
Yes one of the surprises is a photo. The photographs were very good although Nelson looks quite old. Joseph wrote me quite a descriptive letter of your calling at their house.
Miss Mosher sent me a camellia flower and for some reason they opened it here at the Fort and did they mutilate it in rewrapping it.
At Barkeley they had a habit in some company offices of opening some outgoing and incoming mail and then call the person in and give it to them opened. It never happened to me if it had they would have heard of it for they have no right to because they are not censors. And then some people wonder why they tell us any complaints to congressmen etc must go through their offices or it will go hard with the person who violates it. Big bluff some more of the dictation they try and put once at Barkeley. They should oust that Gen in charge. He gets more silly every day.
Did you know that the Argonaut runs directly between here and L A in fact I watch it go by down in the little valley from here. I can also see some horses grazing in a pasture down there and it is quite useful to look down there.
Will you call up Mr. Matson and ask him if he would be able to mail the roses for me to Miss Mosher for me if I was to send him an order that is if he has time if not I want you to order them elsewhere for me. If I don’t get them soon it will be too late to get them bare roots. Did you show them the pictures of the antiques if so what did they think of them.
I received a nice letter from Aunt Mai Belle and Thelma the other day.
Ray Coates sent me a short note telling me of a play he was in last Friday and wanted me to come in but I was unable to. I shall wait for him to write again and I shall have to write Marshall very soon also but I did send him a card with the picture of the hospital on it because he told me how he liked this type of work. I sure feel sorry for him.
We sure have a lot of pineapple here. They had a very delicious mixture the other day canned peaches and pineapple cobbler, last evening they had cherry pie only made in a large baking pan, for they feed 300. At Barkeley they made 50 pies at a time. If I remember correctly I think. I think the cook told me it took about $4000 per week to feed the company. So you can imagine what it costs here with a few more and better food also. So them you see why when through here we are a very expensive piece of property of the government.
I had better be closing now for I have some study and a lot of it. So good bye for now and I will write sooner next time. Lots of luck and take care of yourself and get your arm taken care of. Thank Muriel for her letter and I will write her also.
Love,
Stanley
Jan 26, 1943
Dear Mother
You mentioning how the days slip by, well they do here also, our days here go by very fast and my time after class goes much faster and before I know it, it is nine o’clock and bed time and I have so much study after class that it seems I hardly have any time at all and I am looking forward very expectantly to not having any after next Thursday or rather this week Thursday for we are due to finish our classes then and we will more than likely have our first day in the hospital Friday and I am wondering just what kind of ward I am going to fall here to. I hope it is a nice ward with some very interesting patients or it may even be the operating room.
I went last week over to the practice ward to try my best in draping the operating room and patient and I got into the gown without contaminating it and got my hands into the rubber gloves quite easily after the technician in the act very carefully poured powder on them and held my hands above my waist all but once. And I look quite funny in a gown and gloves, you would not recognize me. The gown hangs within 6 inches of the floor and I had to put in on without it getting against tables, floor or my clothes that is the front of the gown can not come into contact with anything and the technician finishes putting it on and tying the belt. In all it is quite an interesting and tedious art called Surgical technique.
I received a letter from Edward Pfare and he is the same old Ed, rattle bearned(?) as ever and upbraided me for not writing him. I am going to write him back and tell him he was so good at writing me and giving me his address.
Well now for the surprise of surprises. Yesterday was payday and they gave me the huge amount of $5.00. How or why I do not know for I can not see how they figure that amount as two thirds the amount of pay I am supposed to receive but most of us from Barkeley received that amount and am I burned up. I am almost tempted to cancel that bond affair right now. But I do not necessarily need the money for I have been conserving for just such an occasion so I don’t need any. Of course next month I shall get more yet and when I leave I will get the entire amount due me.
I believe that I will make out the Income Tax blank and I think that if you will do it for me if it is properly made out etc.
The weather here has been very cold and rather foggy and a very cold wind and we have had a severe frost or two lately because quite a few of the plants around here are all black.
Sunday I went into town early and went to the famous Buckhorn Saloon, and talk of horns etc.
They really have them there. I am going to send home something and amongst them shall be some post cards folders etc which you can look at and I will send you cards from time to time so you perhaps can enjoy them with me.I also went by the old Spanish governor’s palace but it wasn’t open as yet so we went to a show which I was not too fond of doing but went along with the others.
As for the cymbidium you can give Mrs. Miner perhaps one of the flowers and if you want to you can give Aunt Nina the balance or keep some for yourself but I think Nina would like a couple. You may have to stake up the spike and if it rains you may take it into back porch for the mud will do them no good. It stains the flowers. Clear water won’t bother them much. And I don’t think I would have any use for it here although I would like to see it.
As for a leave it will probably not be now until I am stationed somewhere. If it wasn’t for this school it would have been sooner.
Yes cameras were contraband. They ordered them all turned in but their orders were not followed so they issued another order the other day stating that all that turned them in to come and get them and go to the Provost Marshall’s office and register them and then they would be alright. I kept mine wrapped up and took it into town once.
As for a needle for the phonograph you might get one of the $1.00 ones which will play 1000 times or you might get two or three cheaper ones for they may become extinct also. What do you think I wrote Mrs. Scheltima in my first week here and Joe 2 or 3 days later but as slow as the mail goes in and out of here. No wonder he has not heard from me and I mailed him a couple of cards also. I may be mail clerk here in this barracks this coming month. The boys that are leaving here this month are leaving Thursday and I am going to get rid of the half wit that sleep across from me. He is just plain crazy.
Yes one of the surprises is a photo. The photographs were very good although Nelson looks quite old. Joseph wrote me quite a descriptive letter of your calling at their house.
Miss Mosher sent me a camellia flower and for some reason they opened it here at the Fort and did they mutilate it in rewrapping it.
At Barkeley they had a habit in some company offices of opening some outgoing and incoming mail and then call the person in and give it to them opened. It never happened to me if it had they would have heard of it for they have no right to because they are not censors. And then some people wonder why they tell us any complaints to congressmen etc must go through their offices or it will go hard with the person who violates it. Big bluff some more of the dictation they try and put once at Barkeley. They should oust that Gen in charge. He gets more silly every day.
Did you know that the Argonaut runs directly between here and L A in fact I watch it go by down in the little valley from here. I can also see some horses grazing in a pasture down there and it is quite useful to look down there.
Will you call up Mr. Matson and ask him if he would be able to mail the roses for me to Miss Mosher for me if I was to send him an order that is if he has time if not I want you to order them elsewhere for me. If I don’t get them soon it will be too late to get them bare roots. Did you show them the pictures of the antiques if so what did they think of them.
I received a nice letter from Aunt Mai Belle and Thelma the other day.
Ray Coates sent me a short note telling me of a play he was in last Friday and wanted me to come in but I was unable to. I shall wait for him to write again and I shall have to write Marshall very soon also but I did send him a card with the picture of the hospital on it because he told me how he liked this type of work. I sure feel sorry for him.
We sure have a lot of pineapple here. They had a very delicious mixture the other day canned peaches and pineapple cobbler, last evening they had cherry pie only made in a large baking pan, for they feed 300. At Barkeley they made 50 pies at a time. If I remember correctly I think. I think the cook told me it took about $4000 per week to feed the company. So you can imagine what it costs here with a few more and better food also. So them you see why when through here we are a very expensive piece of property of the government.
I had better be closing now for I have some study and a lot of it. So good bye for now and I will write sooner next time. Lots of luck and take care of yourself and get your arm taken care of. Thank Muriel for her letter and I will write her also.
Love,
Stanley
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