Dated June 26, 1943; no postmarked. Censored.
Dear Ma and Pa,
I received your letters today and I was happy to get them.
Vince seems to think it’s getting hot (CENSORED), but he doesn’t know what real heat is. It was so hot at my first camp that we were in the barracks one day and we saw the thermometer break. The thermometer went up to 100° and it was in the shade when it broke.
Speaking about that cyst that Val had, one of the boys from my platoon at the training camp had one of those and he was in the hospital for six weeks. As a matter of fact, when we all shipped out of that camp, we left him in the hospital. I think he is home on a medical furlough now.
I’ve seen enough of the army now, so I wish I could get into the navy. I like the army, but I want something different now. Probably after 4 months in the navy, I’d want the marines, then the Coast Guard. I don’t think I’d ever like being a civilian again.
I was reading in the “News” about how the Dodgers took the Giants the other day. They sure throw those poor Giants around, don’t they?
I’d like to know how many times I have to tell you that I can’t take any pictures? I can’t even get near to town. The closest I can get to stepping out of this camp is to stand by the M.P. gate and talk to the M.P. and I can’t even do that very long.
You better not send me the “Times” because the mail here is terrible and if I got it at all, it would probably get all ripped up. One of the fellows here wrote about six letters home and his mother and father haven’t gotten a one yet. He just lives in (CENSORED) too. They all wrote to him and they think he is in Panama or some other place like that because none of his letters ever got home.
Nothing more to say.
So-long, L&K,
Babe
Well, Happy and Safe 