April 18, 1943
Sun 8:30
Dear Folks:
Well folks this is the last Sun. that I will spend here. I don’t know where I will be next Sun. We start moving Thurs. So I guess you better not write after getting this letter until I give you my new address. Of course you can if you want to. It will take a little longer to get to me is all.
Some boys are sure we will go to St. Louis, Missouri. Some are sure we will go to Corsicana, Tex, and some say Oklahoma. I hope we get to go to St. Louis. I would like to get out of Texas. It is going to be mighty hot here in a few weeks.
Tomorrow we will go on the range and fire rifles. We have had 6 hours of instruction so far. My mistake we go on the range Tues.
Boy I can hardly wait to get my hands on those planes.
We are all cutting loose now and just having a lot of fun. Pillow fights etc. Hiding each other’s covers and mattresses and things like that.
Last night we had a demonstration on incendiary bombs. We went out to the edge of the post. We all sat on a big hillside while they set the bombs off in the hollow below us. It was a very good demonstration of these bombs. Those fires are hard to put out.
My stomach muscles have been pretty sore the past few days. You see we had some tests to see how good we were at different things. One of these tests was sit ups. To do these you lie flat on your back with your hands back of your head. Somebody sits on your feet. You then come to a sitting position and then back again. We did these for a minute to see how many we could do. At the end of the minute I could hardly pull myself up anymore. Since then my stomach muscles have been sore. If you don’t think it is hard, try it some time. We also done pull-ups. I done 9. This is hard too. Instead of doing them like people usually do, we put our hands the opposite way. You know with the back of the hand towards us. We did burpees too. They are too complicated to explain here. In the standing broad jump I jumped 7’8″.
After I move I’m thinking that I may send my wool clothes home for you folks to pack away. I’m just thinking it over now. I’ll see just where I go first.
Well folks, I guess I am all talked out now. I’ll write again before we leave. I’ll try to anyway.
Well so long,
Alva
P.S. I’m feeling pretty peppy lately. Last night one fellow said I was like one of these bombs they put under the seats of abandoned trucks etc. He said I was quiet but I was dynamite when I went off.
We have a great time here some times. We have to cut-up to relieve the strain.
I weigh 167 with my clothes
or about 160 stripped
Ancestors Across the Ages 