Sunday Evening
Dear Mom + Dad,
I’m back in again to tell you a little about my new domicile. I really think it is pretty swell as a whole from what I’ve seen.
I was lucky enough to get a more or less private room. There are four rooms in the barracks besides the main parts. There are about 35 men sleeping in the main part. In my room I have four fellows and it is really is heaven compared to the main part. We are all by ourselves, don’t have to have lights out as the rest do and can have some privacy.
I have a class A pass which entitles me to leave anytime after 5 P.M. On weekdays we have to be in by 11 P.M and Saturdays 2 A.M. We have no bed checks or anything to check up on us. We have to be off the streets of town by the hours listed above. So if we wanted to we could stay in a hotel as long as we were off the streets and come in in the morning. Which is very good treatment for an army camp.
I do nothing around here except go to classes. I have classes from 8 to 12 and from 1 to 4. No hikes or drilling or the baloney I had in Barkeley. They are very tough on the work in classes and we have weekly tests. It is a very concentrated course. They try to cover a three year nursing course in two months. Thus you can see we have to work while we’re here. I don’t mind doing that at all. I think that on graduation from here I may get some sort of rating. They jump a lot of men to sergeant rank if you show any stuff. I intend to work at it and see if I can’t get myself in a higher pay bracket than at present. I probably won’t get anything out of it but I’m going to give it a fling. The best part of the whole setup is the way they treat you. I feel more like a man again and not just somebody’s puppet to do all the dirty work.
I will graduate from here on July 29 and then will we be up for shipment again. I’m still hoping its get east then. I ought to be due for a furlough about then and I don’t want to spend a miniature fortune to get home. Here’s hoping!
There are a lot of fellows from Peekskill stationed at Fort Bliss which is part of our hospital. I ran into a few of them last night down in El Paso. It sure was funny to walk the streets of a strange town and then meet someone you know. My original bunch at Barkeley is split. Ray Puff remained at Barkeley because he missed so much time in the hospital. Ray Dring was sent to San Antionia. Vin Calabrese came here with me but lives in a different barrack. Ivine Contrell and I are together in the same room.
The place around here is beautiful. The hospital is situated among beautiful surroundings and is really nice. There are some of the survivors of Pearl Harbor in the hospital here. There are tennis courts and a swimming pool for us to use. It costs only 6c to go to El Paso by bus. I was in last night to visit it. It is a fairly lousy town as most of the population is Mexican (60%). There are plenty of beer joints around and I managed to grab a few beers last night. The places are really what you would call honky tonk.
Juarez, Mexico is just across the Rio Grande River and it costs 6c from El Paso to go in there, I’m going to get in there soon and look around at Mexico. I’m going down to take a bull fight in a few weeks. They have them every Sunday in Juarez and I want to see one for the experience if nothing else. I want to take advantage of my chances to see what I can.
Carlsbad Caverns are around here and I’m going up to see them some weekend. I borrowed five bucks from one of the fellows and I have a little money left. I have just two bucks to my name (borrowed). No pay until the end of the month when I get back plus my present. I will then have plenty. I’ll just have to take it easy until then. I hope you have received my request for the dough. I really appreciate your sentiment in saying that you would go without for me. It sure is swell to have a family like that. I’m going to close now as I’m fairly tired. Drop me a line soon and I’ll write you again in the middle of the week.
Love to all
Bob
Bob
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