June 8, 1953

Monday  June 8, 1953

Dear Mom, Dad and Snapper

Well I finally have time to write.  Have done quite a lot since I wrote you last.  Friday we got a pass till last night.  Martin and I went to Paso Robles.  I left my clothes there to be altered.  About 9:30 pm we decided to go to LA.  We hitched hiked to San Lous Abisbo and got a bus there to LA.  We got into LA about 4 am.  We got a nice hotel room about 6:00 it cost us only $3 for both of us till Sunday morning.  We slept till about noon and then fooled around town for awhile then went over to Hollywood.  We went to the Pantages Theater and saw a 3D movie “It Came from Outer Space.”  It was good.  You should see one of those 3D show some time.

We went to the USO for awhile then to Hollywood Planet.  Less Brown was there.  That was some place.  It is a lot like the Playmore only a lot more and a lot nicer and bigger.  After that we came back to the hotel and got a bus about noon Sunday back to camp.  I didn’t think much of LA but did like Hollywood.  We only got around Hollywood and Vine and Sunset and Vine.  If you had a car you could probably see a lot more. 

I got your letters and a box tonight.  I haven’t opened the box yet.  I know it will be good and I enjoyed getting it.

That was a nice letter Snapper’s teacher wrote.  I’m glad he goes to bible school.

I will finish basic next Thurs the 18^th and I will come home just as soon as I can get away.  If you think you could send me another $25 I could use it.  Don’t send anything that won’t get here by then.  I may not get it if you do.  I would like to have the money with me in case I need to use the phone when I go to LA to catch a plane.  I’ll sure be glad to get home. Don’t know what I want to do when I get there,  I do want to go out to work and see the guys and go out a couple of nights and see a few people.

I hope my orders are good and I can go to a good school and go to Germany.  If they sign the treaty tonight Korea might not be so bad.  I hope they sign it and its over with.  They don’t say much about it here.

I might go to church tonight if I have time. 

I want to go and take that High School test before I leave here.  No sense in taking my car now I guess.  I think 1650 might be to much. 14 or 1500 would sell it now.  It would be better to sell it at that price than to fool around with it to much. 

Our training is fairly good now.  We have squad tactics and combat tactics now.  The main thing we do now is do the bayonet course, assault course and Combat City.  I guess I told you about our training with tanks.  Riding on top of tanks etc.

Thurs  we are supposed to give blood.

Not to much more important stuff to do.  That deal about Marylyn Monroe was a record.  They played it over a loud speaker.  It was made just for that training.  She tried to talk you into surrendering.  Psychological warfare is what they call it.  Something like Tokyo Rose use to do.  

Well not much more to say.  I’ll write more later.