Dear Helen

Wed. 3-3-43

Dear Helen,

Before I start my long, long letter I must ask you how you felt Monday morning, besides being a little tired. I was just praying that you were O.K.
Going home, after I left you, was a pretty good trip for part of the way. I just got up to the trolley station & a trolley came. I was at Broadway waiting for a trolley at 1:30. In 2 minutes the other trolley came along & I was waiting for a bus to take me into camp at 2 o'clock. There & then my luck stopped. The north gate bus didn't run at that time, only west gate buses. Little did I know. I waited until 2:30 before I found out. So I finally took a west gate bus & walked across the camp. I got in at 3 o'clock. Not bad time. I could have been sleeping by 2:30 if I only know about the bus schedule. But what's the difference. Now I know.
Well I had to get up at 5 o'clock as usual. As I told you, when I have only a couple of hours sleep I usually feel very good. Well since I'm in the army you never saw such a move on me. I got up as bright as ever. I helped clean the hut with more vigor that I ever exerted. After drill, I ran the obstacle course faster than I ever did. You may think I'm fibbing, but it's the honest truth, so help me God. Even in the night I wasn't tired. I wrote a 3 hr. letter to my mother. I told her what a swell time I had & that I felt so at home when I was at your house. I also asked her to send me the maps & pictures etc.
I'll admit I felt a bit tired on Tuesday.
Boy when I said goodnight to you I felt a bit, shall I say, awkward. It may seem funny to you or it may not. It may seem strange to you or it may not. But traveling from one part of the country to another, customs may change a bit, or maybe not. I don't know. It may seem a bit silly to say this but I like to be as frank as I can without feeling out of place. I think that's the best way to get along.
I guess it's proper to say goodnight holding hands. It may also be proper to say goodnight by a light kiss on the cheek. But I always say to myself, if you don't know, play safe.
Truthfully, tell me whether it's silly to say something like that to a girl. Sometimes I really can't judge what's proper. I guess it's a fact that if you write a passage of that style to 10 girls, everyone would get a different version of it. Isn't that right? So I always hesitate in writing & try to justify every statement. I also try to make it simple & clear.
Take for instance the letter I wrote to my mother. She wrote back and said that she felt sad because I didn't save the letters she wrote me. Yet I am saving the letters & don't recall writing anything that would give her the impression that I don't save her letters. But I did say something & she misunderstood it. I guess that's about a good of an example as any I could give.
If you don't quite understand it, don't worry about it. It was just an impulse I guess.
To go on with the letter, yesterday we had instructions on the rifle. How to take it apart etc. It was quite interesting. Today we had toe sub machine gun. And tomorrow we will go on the range & have some fun.
Boy it's cold out here. And with the snow it makes it doubly worse on these old hills at J.B.
When the D.I. says halt, half of the platoon's feel slips from under them & the other half slide a ways down the road (slightly exaggerated).
I got another box of those cookies from my sister. Boy they're delicious. It may be kind of selfish of me, but I only pass the box around once & eat the rest myself. They can have anything else, but then it comes to those crunchy, luscious cookies, it's a different story.
I hope this letter is long enough. Is it? It better be. But I'm only kidding. If you want a longer letter next time I'll write you a longer letter. O.K.?
I'll certainly be at the dance Sat. night, providing they call it in our flight. You know this is a large place. It's the same place isn't it? I'll say a prayer they call it again in our flight.
I guess I will have to be frank with you once more. I certainly would like to come & see you soon if I don't see you Sat. night. If it's O.K. with you I'll be more than willing. Maybe we can go some place in town if you desire.
I'll be waiting impatiently for a reply. I hope it's as soon as the other one came.

Sincerely
As ever,
Tony

P.S. Note the new address