New York
Dear Helen,
This is your correspondence reporting from N.Y. I finally got a furlough after 14 mo. But it's still not the kind of furlough I wanted. My mom was sick and was given a furlough right away. But mom is O.K. now and is getting along fine. It seems like the news in our letters aren't too cheerful but I guess we have to take the good with the bad. Isn't that right?
I send a little souvenir of N.Y. It's not much but my heart is not in sending souvenirs but to show you the city. Then you can take back a living souvenir. That which remains in your heart.
I guess you've read in the paper about the reducing of the A.S.T.P. Well we finished our second term and then were shipped to the 11 Armored Division (which is composed of about every branch of the service and acts as one unit--cavalry, infantry, artillery, tanks, engineers, etc.). We weren't given any classification because there were so many of us and were just put in any branch and I landed up n the 22 Tank Bn. and am in a medium tank co. We are at Camp Cooke about a 5 hr. ride from Los Angeles. I've been there about two weeks when I got the emergency furlough. I cam there by the way of Chicago because it was the quickest route. If I get another furlough (the kind I want) I'll come there by way of St. Louis. I'm awful anxious to see you again.
You've been swell writing to me and I'm sorry I couldn't write more but we were so busy up at the university but I believe I'll have more time to write now, with my new outfit. There isn't too much to say about my new outfit as I don't know much about it myself but as things progress we will both find out, right.
I sure hated to leave the University. I guess it's the closest anyone in the army could be to home comforts and still not be home. But all good things have to come to an end some time.
I'm leaving tonight for Calf. I am due Rev. Mon. morn (4/10/44).
You know I've been writing to you over a year now and all I got was one small picture of you, and in that picture you were standing about 50 ft. from the camera (slightly exaggerated). All kidding aside if you have a picture or are planning to take some for Easter I sure would like one (or two). We took pictures and as soon as I get them I'll be happy to send them to you. You see I'm cooperating and I know you will. Right?
I hope you are in the best of health and your family also. Let me know what's new and what's cooking. And I hope you write soon. I'll be anxious to hear from you real soon.
Sincerely,
Tony
Tony
