July 28, 1954

Note: This letter was mailed to Casper, WY but forwarded to the regular Independence address. You will see why later.)

July 28, 1954

Dear Mom, Dad, and Snapper

I hope you get this letter OK and hope you are surprised too. I guess you are having a nice trip and wish I could be with you. I had a letter from Dad today mailed the 22 of July. It was to bad about Mr. Patterson. I didn’t think he was 65 years old. (note: Patterson was a neighbor up the street. His daughter about my grandparent’s age was a wicked old woman who use to harass all the kids on the block and called them Fart Dobbers. One of the guys about my age ended up throwing her in the lake one summer years later.)

I haven’t heard from Jim for awhile now. I guess he is plenty busy. He will probably be awhile getting my mail I sent to his old address. I guess that this address you sent is his basic training address, at least it sound like it. I get you mail OK. Some days I miss but the next day I get 2 or 3. The last letter I wrote was yesterday to home but I don’t think you will get it before you go on your trip so I will tell you what I am doing.

Yesterday we moved out in the field. We are about in the same area as we were last time. We didn’t do much yesterday but set up our pup tents and dig drainage ditches etc. Last night I went to the show and saw "Scoutmaster." It sure was a good show. Early this morning it started raining and it has rained every since. We didn’t do much today but work around our tents fixing them so they wouldn’t float away. It’s sure a mess here. It’s all mud. We are supposed to stay her till Aug 13 or 14. There are a lot of guys who have come down with diarrhea and it is in the whole Bn. The Col has it and the Co commander and most of the men. So far I have been OK. They think it is the water. It started about a day before we moved to the field. It has hit the whole Pusan area. It it gets worse we will probably go back in. I hope not as I don’t like to move. I have moved about 75 times since I have been in the army. It won’t be bad here if it quits raining. You get so you feel like you are part of the rain and mud.

How did you like the Yellow Stone and Black Hills. I bet Snapper is really enjoying it.

Well I can’t thing of much more to say. I’ll write again to Cheyenne. Did you go through Cody. The gunner in my squad is from there. His name is Cpl Glen Fish and his wife’s name is Betty. His father’s name is Gen too. We are showing our tents this time. (note: I don’t know what he means.) Will write soon.

Love and Lots of it, Ted