1943.2.25

Feb 25, 1943
Thursday 8:45 P.M.

Dear Folks:

Well I didn’t have time to write yesterday. Last night I was supposed to go on guard duty. There happened to be some extra men and I was one of them so I was excused at 8:45 P.M. Another fellow and myself were the only ones in the barracks who were not walking guard.

I got the letter yesterday that you wrote Thurs, Feb 18. The one that Jim added a letter with.

Boy I’m tired. We keep on the run all day. This afternoon at P.T. we had exercises for 25 or 30 min. We then went and did some chin ups. I did 9 of them. The best was 13 and some only did 1 or 2.

I had a shot in each arm yesterday so that bothered some. Most of the others did too. The one that did 13 didn’t have shots. After this we ran cross-country. This cross-country is tough. It is 2 3/4 miles long. It goes through a woods, through gullies, and up and down hills. Some of the hills are as steep as the steepest hill on Baumhoff’s farm*. It was really something. I ran it in 16 min 20 sec. Everybody must be able to run it in 18 min before they leave pre-flight school. So I am well under the limit already. Some of the guys took 20 min.

I have two Swedes in my bay. One’s name is Andersen and the other is Anderson. The one is small but the other is 6 ft 3 1/2 inches tall and normally weighs 215 lbs. He comes from upper Michigan.

This last letter from you had an air-mail stamp on it. It didn’t go air-mail. You have to keep them thin and I always write air-mail on them.

I have a lot of trouble keeping awake in classes and during lectures.

My watch went on the bum for awhile but it is working again now. It takes a lot of knocks so it probably won’t last so long.

Well folks I should be studying right now so I better sign off and get busy. How is the gas situation and other things?

I’ll bet if I went into the regular army now I would be a Sarg. soon. Last night I was talking to a man from the regular army. He said he has learned more these few weeks then he learned in a whole year in the regular army. We work a lot harder too.

Well goodbye everybody,

Alva 

*Baumhoff” is the name of the street where his parents’ farm is located.