CAMP CROWDER MISSOURI

Jan 20, 1942.

Dearest Ruth:

I suppose you think I have forgotten about home cause I haven’t wrote for so long, but I have been so busy for the last 2 weeks that there has been no evenings at all, ever since I started working on the line from Tulsa to here. We don’t get back till the lights are out. The only time I had off was the night I called from Neosho and that was just a couple of hours.

You can’t imagine how good it was to hear a voice from home again although I was about half asleep yet, and with officers sitting around in the Orderly rooms, there wasn’t much chance to say anything. Being the call was transferred to camp from town it had to be reverse charges. But I sent the money to the folks the next day and told them to pay you whenever you get over there.

We are really having some cold weather here now. Monday night it was 12 below and I was on guard duty that night for 2 shifts, and then back to work yesterday morning again at 7. We stop a couple of times going back and forth to let the boys out and march a mile or so to warm up cause the back of them trucks are really cold riding these days. Have the rest of this week and next left. Then comes switchboard and that’s all inside work.

It was really disgusting to leave A. C. W. but the Army will do some funny things at  times. If I could have stayed with that I would have gone to Drew Field Fla. in another week, but now it may take a couple of months. But rating comes faster at this work and that is something looking forward to mostly for getting out of all the extra detail, as it’s called here.

Tonight we got back to camp at 5 but then a bunch were shipping to Vermont and they had to be taken to Joplin by 7, so that spoiled another evening. Stopped a short time at the bowling alley, they have some very good teams here, both ladies’ and men’s. At Tulsa, Okla. there are 2 bowling alleys, one with 20 and the other with 36 alleys. But they run 3 shifts each night so there is no time for open bowling except Sunday, and it’s too far from here to go then.

Have only seen one movie this year. That was Whistling in Dixie. If you kids get a chance to see it you should go, its very good. It was held over for a week here at camp. Mostly shows are changed every other night.

Haven’t heard from Toots lately < sister-in-law, mother of our cousin Harry > but it’s my turn to write. I am so far behind now that it will take a month to catch up again unless I start some Sunday morning and write all day. If K. P. don’t come again next weekend that’s a 15 hour job each day so they can have that for all of me.

You should see the caps we were issued when the cold weather came along. All that shows is the eyes. We all think they look worse than the gas masks but they are really warm. The fellow that sleeps next to me is on K. P. tomorrow. He said he was going to put his on tonight when he goes to bed so the C. Q. won’t know him in the morning when he’s to wake him up. Hope it works. There are lots of tricks to this game but the next thing is to get by with it.

Well I think I shall quit for now. 5 comes early in the morning. Will try try to write sooner next time.

Love T. K.