Feb. 27, 1953

Friday, Feb 27

Dear Mom and Dad

Well I thought I would start a letter.  I won’t have time to finish it.  We just had our first day of basic.  Most of it was class lectures on most everything - tradition, military justice, courtesy, etc.  We had 3 shots today.  Didn’t bother me a bit.  We will take some more later.  My feet were sore this morning.  Couldn’t hardly  move.  I haven’t got the mail yet.  The mail call is about 6:30.  Hope to hear from you.  They are starting to get rough on us over the barracks.  We have to GI them tonight.  Move everything out and clean them from top to bottom.  Wax the floors etc.  Our clothes and field equipment has to be in order and in the right position. Won’t get to bed to early tonight.  We are still restricted to the Btry.  area.  Probably will be for another week.  Well we just had mail call.  I got two letters from you and one from Margie.  That was a nice check from Westinghouse, didn’t take to long to get it.  Pay my bills with it and make a payment on the car.  If I need any money I will write you for it.  Use what you want too.  You asked if I see the boys.  Underwood and Keith and I are in the same Btry which is 4 platoons.  Keith and I are in the 2^nd platoon and sleep right across from the isle from each other.  We are always together.  Charles Kurt was separated form us when we first got here.  Haven’t seen him sense.  He was next to me on the end of the picture you got.  Keith was on the back row.  Underwood wasn’t in it.  Underwood is in the fourth platoon.  We see him in the day and at night.  But we are right together.  All 4 platoons go everywhere together – 212 men altogether.  Well I feel good except for my feet and my cold.  If I could straighten them up I would be all right.  I could take what they dish out easy..  I am doing it good now.  Well will try to write you Sat and Sun.  I get your airmail the next day after they are postmarked.  I mail a letter at night here.  It probably doesn’t leave here till the next day sometimes.  Let me know how log it takes you to get them.  I am just going to put 3 cents stamps on the letters.  You probably couldn’t get it before Monday.  If I am in a hurry for something I will send a wire or air mail.

Lots of love Ted

How is Snapper?  Hope he gets over the measles ok and gets back to school.

(over)

I appreciate you doing work for me mom.  I feel a lots better.  I am going to church as soon as I can go.  They have services on Monday night.  Yesterday when we were marching and double timing I thought I was going to fall out once.  I repeated to  myself what I knew and made it all the way back with less trouble even though my feet hurt.

Love Ted

P.S.  Margie just called me again.  She wants to come out here.  I can’t make her understand that I can’t find out anything and there is nothing out here.  Explain that I am restricted and in the army I can’t  do what I want to do.  They won’t let me make a phone call or go anyplace just because I want to.  She calls me, I have to go the C.O.’s office and use his phone.

Sat Feb 28, 1953

Dear Mom and Dad

Have some time tonight so I thought I would write you a line and send you a set of pictures I took.  I was paid today, $70.  I didn’t get paid for a full month for my pay or my allotment.  Why don’t you take the 40 dollars out of the bank.  I will put this in the bank here when I get a chance.  I want to have money here so I can have it in case I get a chance to get home etc.  You should get a check from them after the 1^st of April.  Still have a cold and my feet hurt me.  We had an inspection today and I told them about my misfit clothing and I will get to change them this next week.  Have some more mail to send so will close and try to write later.

Love  Ted

Sat Feb  28, 1953

Dear Snapper

I thought I would send you a letter and let you know how I am.  Hope you get over the measles ok.  How are you doing in school?  I hope you do good and learn something.  I have been training and learning to be a soldier.  I am sending you a shoulder patch like I ware on my uniform.  You can have grandma put it on one of your coats and you can ware it.  I got this one just for you.  Write me a letter and let me hear from you.

Love  Daddy

Sunday March 1, 1953

Dear Mom and Dad

How is everything at home?  I wrote you a letter last night but guess you will enjoy getting this one too.  I didn’t do anything last night to speak of.  Wrote letters and played Black Jack.  I won $2.  Everybody had money because they just got paid.  Some colored boys took a young kid from the farm for all his money with dice.  He didn’t know anything about them.  He will be broke till the end of the month now.  I won about $1.50 at craps in Camp Crowder the day we left.  I lost about a dollar at black jack last Sat night.  Donald Underwood won about 12 dollars last night and Keith lost 6.  If I start to loose I get out.  I have won more than I have lost.  We played till 10:30 last night, the lights went out then.  Our corporal played with us.  I went to the PX a little earlier in the evening.  I bought things I needed to put in my foot locker for display when we have inspections.  I am not going to use that.  I spent 5 dollars and didn’t get all I needed.  I couldn’t hardly go to sleep last night because I coughed for a long time.  I hope I can get over it before to long.  I use to have a single bunk but I had to double up because some more boys came into our squad.  Martin the boy I sent a picture of and I bunk together.  I took a upper bunk.  I like it better than a lower.  It’s wormer higher up too.  Martin kind of sticks by me.  We got up at 6:30 this morning.  Had 2 eggs and bread for breakfast (and coffee)  That is all I felt like eating.  I went to the church today again.  The service is different than you would find in a regular church.  The Chaplain talked and had hymns and a collection.  There is no one faith, all are present.  The Chaplain is a Southern Baptist but the service is just a regular service.  I came back and washed my clothes, some underwear and two pairs of dungarees and socks.  I put my name in about 8:00 and got to it around noon.  I hung them up over my bunk and layed my dungarees out on the foot locker and used my comb to press the wrinkles out and then hung them on coat hangers.  It is about 4:00 now.  I may go to the show tonight if they have a formation.  It gets lonesome  here on Sunday and Sat night.  I felt a little home sick today.  It rained a little this afternoon but cleared up now.  We are going to eat about 4:30.  Wish I could see you once in a while but I guess it will have to wait.  Hope I get some letters tomorrow from you.  I didn’t get any Sat.

All my love  Ted