Post card from Jefferson Bararacks, Mo. June 30, 1942

Dear Glenn,

How is everything in Mich? It is plenty hot here. No rain since I have been here. But plenty before I got here. The picture is our canvas ovens we stay in. 7 men in each one. Then there are plenty of barracks. Camp is 14 miles long and 7 or 8 miles wide. Plenty of men here to, about 40,000 I think. We have plenty of walking to do. Tell Neil where I am. Ask him is he's been here. Scott field is across the River about 30 miles. Well tell everybody hello. Tell Mother to write.

Bill

Background Information:

• Ralph's full name was Ralph William Brown. To his brothers, sisters, and friends he was Bill. To his mother, he was Ralph.

The next posting will be July 1st.

Jefferson Barracks June 30, 1942

Dear Mother,

Well how is the Mich. weather now. The Missouri weather is plenty hot here now. Men are come in and leaving everyday. The are giving us 18 days of drill. It normally took 14 weeks to get the training we are getting now in 18 days.

Some of them are placed on the Yoohootie squad. They are issued gas masks, packs, winter clothing is taken away from them, and issued a trench hat, and tommy gun. All of their orders are sealed and even the captains at this post don't know where they are going to.

They really rush them through there training here. We've walked about 20 mile today. I am losing my big stomach but I have gained some weight.

Well the month of June will soon be gone. I wish I could be home for the fourth.

I suppose the corn is knee high and everything is growing fine. Why don't you send snap shots Freeman has been taking? How are King's? Are there anymore of the boys around Berkey leaving for the army? I suppose everybody Sundays ask you if you if you here from me, and where I am. Tell anyone my address and I will be glad to receive letters.

I don't know how long I will be in the U.S. They may ship me to some Air Base that is under construction. I will be classified as a tractor operator. I may be shipped out. No telling. I hope I won't be before I have a chance to get home.

Well I must close for now. I can't think of anymore to say. Tell everybody I am fine, and tell them to write. I'll write when I find time.

Love
Ralph


Background Information:

• Freeman Brown was Ralph's youngest brother. He was born on June10, 1925, so he would have celebrated his 17th birthday on the day Ralph sent home his first letter from Camp Custer.
• Berkey Ohio is about 2 miles south of the farm where Ralph's parents lived. Berkey was probably best known when I was a child for its one and only stop light. It was hung with the green light on the top and the red light on the bottom.
• This is the first, but not last, envelope and stationery that Ralph began using for his letters. Notice that no stamp was necessary.

The next posting will be on July 1st. It will be a letter to his sister and brother-in-law.

Jefferson Barracks June 28, 1942

Dear Mother & all,

Well how is everything back in Michigan? It is darn hot here and plenty wet. I suppose you have read and heard about the floods they are having out here. The Mississippi river I can see it from my tent. They say it is about 10 ft. above flood stage and still rising. It sure is a big dirty river.

We got in camp at 6:00 A.M. Sat. morning. Left Camp Custer at 7 P.M. Rode all night on a train. Never got off until we got here. They were day coachs and old ones. We didn't get hardly any sleep. I noticed on the way here all of the fields seem flooded. It has rained here most everyday according to some of the men.

I am staying in a tent in the tented area. We are camp in a rolling part. Tents everywhere you look. Seven men in a tent and somewhere in the vinicity of 40,000 men in the whole camp. Including the barracks.

We have to line up in plantoons of 48 men. 4 wide and 12 long and march a little over a mile to chow. Then after chow we line up again and march back. This week I'll be processed again. Have an I.Q. again and some more classification to my skill of what I can do. We have more shots and classification. Then lectures and movies on army life. We practiced some drilling already.

We are here for processing about a week it takes to get it all done. Then 18 days of drilling and then we are placed on shipping list and moved to some other camp.

I think maybe I will try to get in the construction end of things, and the careing for landing fields. There is a lot of tractor work to that. There is a new field going up in Oregon so I may be sent there. I will be here for awhile though.

I am sending Cliff's and Myrl's a card. Also Ruth and the place I stayed in Sandusky. Mrs. Meyer and Setzler's.

Boy it is sure hot here.I am sitting on the edge on my bunk writing. The sweat is running down my back. If it was just the sweating that annoyed us,it wouldn't be so bad. But we have flies, mosquitoes, jiggers, and the oat bugs by the millions.

There is a good breeze blowing from the southeast today, right off of the river. Across the river is Ill.

What have you been doing all day today? I suppose you went to church this morning. Sunday here is just another day here. They are pretty easy this afternoon tho. Did Cliff's and Myrl's come over today, or did you go over there? I wish I could be back home. I will have to make the best of it where I am I guess. I don't know if I will have much time to write next week or not. They will probably keep us a stepping.

They feed us better than in Camp Custer tho. We have a mile to walk one way to chow my legs ache when I get there we are so hot we can't eat it very well.

Well I guess I must close for now. Tell everybody hello for me and give them my address if they ask. Tell King's hello for me. I must say goodbye for now. Write soon for I may not be here to long.

Tell everybody to write. Tell Glenn to tell Neil where I am. Have a good Fourth of July. Goodbye for now.

With love
Ralph


Background Information:

• Myrl (Spalding) was Ralph's brother-in-law. He married Luella on May 25, 1935. They had 2 children when this was written - a son, Richard born June 9, 1936 and a daughter, Myrlene born May 10, 1941. Luella was pregnant with a third child (due in Sept. 1942).
• I think Mrs. Meyer was the pastor's wife at the church his family attended.
• I do not know who Ruth or the Setzler's are.
• I believe that Ralph had a job in Sandusky before enlisting.
• I am not sure who Neil is except a friend of Glenn's (Ralph's brother).

The next posting will be June 30th.  There will be 2 separate posts. One will be a postcard sent to his brother, Glenn, and the other will be a letter written to his mother.

Postcard from Jefferson Barracks, Missouri June 27, 1942

Pvt. Ralph W. Brown
U.S. Army Air Corp.
565th Flight A
Tech. Sch. Sqd. (Sp)
Jefferson Barracks
Missouri

Well here I am in Missouri. I can see the Miss. River from where my tent is. We are in the tented area.

It is hotter than blue blazes here. Well I'll write a letter later. It is too hot to write now. Maybe Sun. If not to busy.

Ralph


Background Information:

• This message was written on the back of this postcard which he obtained prior to leaving Fort Custer. Ralph is not pictured.

The next posting will be on June 28th.

Camp Custer June, 25th 1942

Dear Mother,

I just received your letter today. I am sorry I didn't make it plain to you. If you don't hear from me by Sun. morning I will still be here. If I leave I'll write telephone you. So if you don't hear I'll be here.

If you want to call up Irene her phone no is Jordan 3113. I don't know if she can get off or not, but if she can bring her along. I am going to try and get a weekend pass if I can. I hope I can, I would like to see things around home for a change. I would like to see people that aren't dressed the same as I am. Our corporal has charge of quarters tomorrow night and he wants me to answer telephone for him. If I work he may be able to get me a weekend pass. I hope so.

Tell King's the reason I haven't written is because I don't know how long I'll be here and it is a mixup when they have to mail your letters to another camp. I tell everybody not to write that I write to except you and Irene. I don't know when I do leave here. Well it is almost chow time now. I got a letter from Irene today. She said she was mixed up Sun. too. So I guess I didn't make things clear. If I leave here I'll let you know by telephone if you don't hear from me I'll be here. I might be home I hope so. Don't look to strongly tho. So long till I see or hear from you.

With love
Ralph


Background Information:

• The King's were neighbors of his parents. If my memory is correct, they lived right across the road and were also farmers.

The next posting will be on Saturday, June 27th.

Camp Custer June 21, 1942

Dear Mother,

Well here it is another Sunday has rolled around. I am still in Camp Custer. I looked for you up  all day. But I have given up hope now. It is 6:30 so I don't expect you anymore.

We had a big shipment of men all week. I haven't many of my friends I have made left here. They sent 28 men this morning. We have 21 left in our barracks out of 65. Since the new draft law went in the 15th the rookies haven't been comming in very fast.

What have you been doing since I heard from you last? I have been on guide duty the last 4 days. Today I was a man of leisure. I have been waiting and watching most of the day for you folks. I probably won't be here next Sunday. I wish I could see you soon tho. Have you heard from or wrote to Irene? I got a couple of letters from her. I from Mrs. Meyer, and 1 from Marie and Lenore and your letter.

Last night we had an awful rain up here. It just poured. One barracks that sits in a hollow, the water ran right in over the 1st floor.

I was sick most of the night. I have had a hard cold every since I have been here. I had a real hard head ache and my vaccination was really working hard. About 2:30 this morning I heaved up twice. After that my headache started to leave and the fever and swelling in my arm went down. I have felt ok since then. I am going to bed early tonight. Because no on can tell what the next day will bring forth. We might leave or might stay. We don't know what we will do.

Well right and tell me the reason you didn't come up today.

Well I must close. I can't think of anymore to say. I am going to write to Irene yet to-night. If I am still here next Sunday. If I go out I'll let you know. I'll write again in the middle of the week. If I leave before Sun I'll write to you. If I am leaving next Sat. or Sun. I'll telephone you. Well Goodnight and I hope I can see you before I ship out.

With love
Ralph


Background Information:

• Ralph's brother Cliff was married to Marie on July 15, 1939. When this letter was written, she was pregnant with their first child.
• I am copying these letters as written; I am not changing spelling, punctuation, etc. 
• I will not be able to identify all of the people mentioned in the letters, but if you, the reader, have knowledge, please let me know and I will share that information.
• I have tried to find the new draft law he refers to, but only found the draft law from 1940 and one that went into effect on Nov. 11, 1942. Here are two websites that may interest you:
• http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/united-states-imposes-the-draft
• http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/

The next posting will be Thursday, June 25th.

June 17, 1942 Camp Custer, Mich.

Dear Mother,

Well here it is Wednesday. So I think I'll write a few lines. I received your letter and was glad to hear from you. I am still here. They are sending them out fast tho. I don't know how soon I'll be going. Monday night I was placed on convoy duty. We had to meet the trains and buses and all new men we had to march to the mess hall and then find them barracks to stay in. I got off of that at 2:30 A.M. Yesterday I had off that is I did not have any detail work to do. To-day I am on guide duty. On from 8 A.M. till 7 P.M. We are on one hour and off one.

Have you written or heard from Irene this week? I received two letters she wrote last week. I haven't received any this week yet from her. I expect one to-day. If I am here yet Sunday, I'll let you know and why don't you come up. I don't think I'll be able to get a pass to come home. I would like to tho.

I got a letter from Harold & Lenore. Tell them if you see them thanks. I haven't sent hardly any out yet because I don't know how long I'll be here. I am the last one left in our barracks that came in last Tuesday night. We receive new ones everynight. So it is pretty hard to make many friends. One fellow named Padding has been here about a month. We get to gether quite often. He is a swell fellow to.

How are the strawberries lasting? I wish you could get sugar like we do, you would enjoy them more then. What did Glenn think of an army camp, or didn't he say?

It isn't so bad. After I get stationed I'll write to everybody, because I'll have a permanent post address then. This way they will have to transfer all of the mail if I go out.

Well I must close for I go on in about 5 min. again. Tell everybody hello for me, and that I'll write as soon as I am shipped out.

Ralph


Background Information:

• Ralph was the son of William Stephen Brown & Bessie Louise Chulip Brown.
• Ralph had 5 brothers and one sister. In birth order the children were Harold, Clifford, Luella, Glenn, Ralph, Harley, and Freeman.
• Harold (born July 13, 1910) was married to Lenore in 1930. They had 2 children, Harold James (born March 14, 1931) and Marilyn Louise (born Aug. 3, 1937).
• Glenn (born Dec. 19, 1916) lived with his parents and helped with running the family farm.
• Ralph passed away on June 17, 1967 (exactly 25 years after this letter was written).

The next posting will be on Sunday, June 21.

Camp Custer, Mich. June 13, 1942

Dear Mother

I am sorry I did not send you a birthday card. I forgot all about it. I was on detail in the warehouse yesterday, and the day before I was policing up the grounds. We have to go around picking up all cigarette butts, matches and what have you.

They are sending the men out pretty fast. I haven't been notified yet but hope to soon. We don't receive any pay until we are stationed but it started the day we were swore in.

I saw Luella Ford to-day she said her mother saw you at Pattens last night. Did you receive my cards and letter? I haven't received any mail yet.

I am on convoy duty tomorrow that is taking bags to the train and loading them. They are for the men going to other camps. I haven't received all of my clothing yet. My O.D. coat wasn't big enough. If you have any way of getting my camera up here please get it here. Luella says it is only 97 mile up here from Blissfield. If I am here next Sat. and Sun yet, why don't you get Irene and drive up here. Come on Route #12 to Camp Custer. Come in from the East and ask the guard for the Information room. They will tell you where to park and where to go. Go there and ask for me. They will find me. Then I can get a pass to go out of camp. If you come bring along a picnic lunch and we can go out to a park and eat. Try to bring Irene if you come. I'll let you know if I am still here yet by that time. Well I must close for now. It has rained everyday we have been here. We get real good meals here. Hope you can come Sun. If I am here. Goodnight and tell folks I am well and happy as army life can make a person. Someday we will be in a free country again and everybody happy.

About 2/3 of the men coming in are married and the others are from 21 to 45. Goodnight and write often.

Ralph


Here's some background information to explain some of the contents:

• Irene was Ralph's fiancee.
• Ralph was born on May 30, 1919 which made him 23 years old when he entered the service.
• Ralph's mother was Bessie Brown (Mrs. William S. Brown). His parents lived on Silberhorn Hwy. near Blissfield MI.

Camp Custer June 10, 1942

Dear Mother,

We arrived at camp at 11:30 last night. Had a meal and then we went and reported. Received papers and was showed our barracks. We didn't get over 3 hours of sleep last night so I am going to turn in early tonight.

This morning we were out of bed at 5:45. We have to make our beds, sweep and mop the floor around them. We had breakfast about 7:30. We had bacon, french fried toast, coffee, grapefruit, and oatmeal. This noon we had roast pork, mash potatoes, gravy, bread, butter, ice tea, cabbage slaw. They sure pile the food on. This morning we had an I.Q. test. This afternoon they issued us our clothing. We got our summer and winter outfit. I don't know if we will be here very long or not.

It is sure hot here today. It is so muggy you can hardly breath. It rained a little but not much. Tomorrow we have our shots and vaccinations.

I have sent my suit case home and my clothes. You can pick them up at the Railway express.

I saw Burdette Carroll this morning. He didn't have much to say. He wanted to know what time we got in.

We sure have got a nice gang in our barracks. Some of them have been here only since Sat. and they call them old men. So we probably won't be here to long. Well I can't think of much more to say. So I guess I'll have to say so long for now. Have been busy all day so this is the first time I have had a chance to write. It is really getting black out. I hope it does cool off. Well I like it here so far as much as I have had. But I still rather be at home.

Goodbye for now and I will write later on. If you write and I am not here they will forward it to me. So long.

Ralph