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.
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