42 Hours on a Train, from Camp Upton to Camp Wheeler

PDF: March 6, 1943, letter from Camp Wheeler, Georgia

Postmarked March 6, 1943, from Camp Wheeler near Macon, Ga.

Pvt. Frank Mauro
Co. D. 15th Tr. Br.
Camp Wheeler, Ga.
3rd Pl. U.S. Army

Dear Ma and Pa,

I have exactly 15 minutes to write this letter and I doubt that’s enough time. We are going to have a blackout in 15 minutes and we’re all so tired we’re going to bed at that time. The bloody thing won’t be over until 11:00 anyway, so I guess we can’t stay up.

I am now at Camp Wheeler in the heart of Georgia! Surprised? Well, we left Camp Upton the same morning I sent you the last letter, but I didn’t know I was going to be shipped out at the time. We left Camp Upton at 11:00 Tuesday morning and got here about 5:00 Thursday morning and we rode in day coaches. Not a soldier took one step off of the train until we hit camp.

We toured the whole eastern seaboard and had to sleep in the coaches. After we got here, we had a full day of marching and other military tactics, so you can imagine how tired we all are. By the way, this is an infantry camp, but I don’t know what’s going on yet. I may go to another camp after thirteen weeks or I may get shipped overseas.

Give Rosemarie a few kisses for me and Grandma and Aunt Mary and Uncle Dave and everybody else.

By the way, you can write to me now, but don’t send me the bag yet.

I must close now so I’ll say so-long.

Babe

PDF: March 6, 1943, letter from Camp Wheeler, Georgia


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