May 16, 1943

Dear Mother,
          Well another week has gone by and
what a week. We have been put on the
alert as you probably already has received
my letter about it.
          We had another overseas physical
and they said I had to go to the hospital.
I went over for an examination yesterday
at Brooke's General at Fort Sam Houston
and they said there was nothing wrong.
They thought here that I had a pilo
nidos cyst on the base of my spine. But
there is none there. I feel a lot better
about it now. It had me worried for
awhile.
          There is a lot of rumors going around
about where we are going and how soon.
But nobody knows. So they are still
all rumors. An outfit left yesterday and
there is 3 more yet to leave and have been
ready longer than we have. But you can

never tell what the orders from Washington will
be. They have been issuing equipment and we
have been marking our equipment and clothing.
We are still working on the line yet
so I don't know much more about it than
the other day when I wrote to you.
          What have you been doing today? I went
to church this morning and have written a few
letters. I think I will take in the ballgame
this afternoon. Its windy here this afternoon
so maybe they won't play on account of the heat.
          Gee I don't know what to write about at
all. I didn't get any letters today at all. Not
even one from Irene. I haven't heard from
Luella or Marie for a couple of weeks now.
I don't think I will write there is nothing
to write about. I probably will be sending
home a lot of junk and my letters. Put
them away for me. Well I guess this is about
all for this letter. Please write. Your letters
are always interesting. It is the only way
I know what is going on at home. Goodbye
for now. Don't worry about my shipping out.
                                   Love.
                                          Ralph


The next letter will be posted on May 22nd.

Background Information (and comments):

• A pilonidal cyst occurs at the bottom of the tailbone (coccyx) and can become infected and filled with pus. ... Pilonidal abscesses look like a large pimple at the bottom of the tailbone, just above the crack of the buttocks. ... A pilonidal cyst is an abscess or boil.