4th Receiving Co. Barrack Z Letter No. 4
Camp Upton, NY
Dear Mom, Pa, Barb, Ann, Ele,
I am sorry the other letter was delayed but there was nothing I could do about it. We were inside the prison camp and there was no way of mailing it.
Boy K.P. for 16 hours. What a job. It was like hell working there. There was a buck private there who thought he was General. He thought he could give all the orders he wanted. But take my word for it he didn't have a brain in his head. If he did, he wouldn't have cursed at the fellows like he did. He would have treated them nice so that they wouldn't mind working. We had to wash big kettles & trays, scrub floors, etc. In the afternoon I [got] a little wise and got a soft job taking my time cutting celery & cleaning it. The dishes were washed in a sloppy way, no sterilizers, just hot water, soap & scrubbing brush. The food is O.K. but probably the only reason we like it is because the day is long and you get tired, so naturally anything you eat tastes good. Sometimes at night I can just picture moms food before me. Boy what a treat.
Boy you get a funny feeling working around those prisoners. I don't know what sort of a feeling it is, but I hope I don't see any more.
I hope anything I said didn't dis[gust] you all, because it [isn't] like this in a regular camp. You won't have to wait so long to eat & the food will be much better, & they don't waste [any] time.
Here everybody wastes time unless you get a special assignment. Wed. we got a detail to go to the rubbish dumps & report to a corporal. He told us to pick up papers for 5 minutes then come back to the fire & warm up. We got warmed up & then went back to the barracks. In the afternoon we just went there & sat around the fire. Pretty easy huh. Everybody here wants to get out & start to drill etc.
There was a shipment yesterday. Joe & Bill went out with that shipment. I really don't know when we'll be shipped. I hope you got my letter & wrote back in a hurry.
I dropped a card to Dot & Dave thanking her for the writing kit. Yesterday I got a letter from her. I didn't think she would write so I didn't think I would put it on the cardI sent her. So she wrote me & I got it without any trouble. Boy I hope I hear from you all quickly that's the main thing.
Ann I was issued a pair of gloves, but they are working gloves so that your gloves will come in very handy.
The things I will need when I get to my permanent camp will be shoe polishing kit, sewing kit, & some instructions how to wash my clothes. Joke.
How is Frank working out?
I hope Grandma feels better.
And I know you are OK ma, right? & everybody else. I wrote Grandma & Elfrida also. So until my next letter I hope you remain all OK & if I should be shipped I will do my best to drop you a line.
Your Loving Soldier Boy,
Tony
Tony
No comments:
Post a Comment