Dear Ma, Pa, Barb, Ann, Ele, Letter No. 26

Pvt. Anthony J. Curcio
U.S. Army
23 TNG. GRD.
SQD. "A"
Jefferson Barracks, MO.

Date 3-5-43
Letter No. 26
Rec'd 34 & 35

Dear Ma, Pa, Barb, Ann, Ele,

Well today we had some snow again. It was pretty cold, but we had colder days than this already & it wasn't so bad.
Today was our 25th day of drill (our last) and tomorrow we are supposed to march before the colonel. If we pass we will get 24 hrs. guard duty, 2 hours on & 4 hrs. off. They used to give a long pass but now they have a new system. Ain't that nice of them. If we don't pass we will get our drill days extended to 36 days. But we seem pretty good, unless some guys aren't on the beam. (I can see now where Henry Massy get's that expression "on the beam." Everything here is "get on the beam.") Although tomorrow we may not go before the colonel because of the snow. Or maybe there will be too many & we will have to wait our turn.
Yesterday we went to rifle range. It was very interesting but very noisy. We got 30 shots with the machine gun & 25 shots with the rifle. Believe it or not I got a couple of bulls eyes with the rifle. They have instructors there to tell you what's what. They say that in the Air Corps you may never have to use any piece of armaments but they give it to you just in case you do have to protect yourself. I think this is the safest branch of the service because the Air Corps is so important that they have the best equipment. The only ones that really see battle are the airplane crew. If I get a drafting job maybe I'll never see battle but I sure would like to get my piece of this war like all the rest of the fellows. But we shall soon see & there is nothing to worry about now or then. Right?
Last night I took a shower. We also had personal inspection last night & I had to get another hair cut. If you really want to laugh, I was out of that chair in about 3 minutes. But just the same it cost 35 cents.
They say your supposed to get a hair cut every 2 weeks & shave every day. But I usually shave every 2 or 3 days & get a hair cut when they tell me. Some joke huh. But really I like it with my hair short & it really is neat & keeps clean. Maybe I'll always keep it like this, who knows.
Last night when I was in the latrine I found a beautiful ring from the University of Notre Dame. So this morning I turned it in to Sqd. headquarters. Later on in the morning before we went out to drill the fellow who owned it came in and thanked me & gave me a dollar. I didn't want to take it & walked quite a ways down the road trying to make him take it back but I couldn't give it to him, so I have a greenback which I can use. I have two dollars now which will last me until I get paid, I hope. Little things that turn up now & then add up. Like that hair cut & 25 cents to put a band (orange & blue) on my flight cap. But once things start to roll the money will flow in the opposite direction.
Joe Cohn is in the same basic training as I am & will be sent to school the same as I am.
Boy Ma I'm positive you are feeling O.K. now, for the simple reason that you are starting to clean & wash again. But don't do it all Ma. Take it easy & let the girls do their own clothes. One thing I found out being here & that is you can find plenty of time if you want to, regardless of what you have to do. With a little pressure, one can do anything. Right Ma. Give me an answer on that.
Good for Eleanor on the swimming problem, but she can learn to swim no matter what conditions are. Now I want to hear in a couple more weeks that she can swim. Now Ele get out there and learn I know you can do it.
Well we are on field ration now. But there is still plenty to eat. The only thing is we don't get so much ice cream & pie etc. But you can always go for double if you like. I've enclosed a clipping from a St. Louis paper about it.
Well the W.A.A.C.s have landed. 62 of them came into our camp yesterday. They will take over jobs in the offices. I didn't see any yet I guess there in a different part of camp.
That was my mistake about your misunderstanding. It was a mistake in writing. The word letter was supposed to be paper, after all I wanted to see when the paper was postmarked. I am sorry I made that mistake. I'll try to be more careful. If anything comes up again don't hesitate to ask me like you did this time.
Boy it must have been thrilling to see Frank in those pictures. Boy I bet you got a thrill right down your spine. Right?
My feet are holding out O.K. and I think I march pretty good now. (I hope) Joke.
Well I think that's all for now hoping you are all O.K. & in the best of health. Let me know how you are & how your conditions are changing. Have you done to the doctor yet? & Please let me know from time to time how Grandma is. Nobody tells me. (You know what I mean). Only you can tell me Ma. Then I will know Grandma is O.K. Has Grandma had anymore trouble with the house?
So until I write again, I remain,

Your Loving Soldier Boy,
Tony

Dear Ma, Pa, Barb, Ann, Ele, Letter No. 12

Pvt. Anthony J. Curcio Date 2-4-43
Flight "F" 360th Tech. Sch. Sqd. Letter No. 12
Jefferson Barracks, MO. Rec'd card 4 & 5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12

Dear Ma, Pa, Barb, Ann, Ele,

Well this [is] the first real chance I got to write since I last wrote you. Please check the no. of this letter. I'm not sure whether it's 11 or 12. But make this no. 12 anyway. Everybody was free tonight after working the past three days (nights) to fix & clean up the huts. Tonight anybody can get a pass into St. Louis & must be back by 1 o'clock. But I'm staying right here in my hut & catch[ing] up with my mail. I didn't receive any mail since I was here, but boy did it come in last night. I got 13. And tonight I got 1 from you ma. You really can't express the thrills I get when I get regular mail from you ma. I really got a kick out of the way you kept writing even though you couldn't send them. And then when I did get them all it was easy to keep track of & made it so much more interesting.
Before I answer your letters ma I don't want to keep you in suspense any longer. On one of my cards I sent you I told you I took those mechanical apptitude test. Well we all was interviewed and believe you mas I got a swell corporal as an interviewer. We talk together and discussed the drafting branches of the Engineers of the Air Corps and he said that I did exceptionally wel in my tests and with my background I should make out very good in my army career. They let you take [two] choices of schools & then try to send you to one of them. Most fellows will just go to school to learn how to run mechanical equipment. The first school I was recommended for was TOPOGRAPHIC DRAFTING, which requires 3 months schooling & then if you pass that you can fill out an application for officers training school. If I do make that school which is one of the top schools I will get a technician 5th grade which is corporal with a T under it. It looks like this [symbol]. Now after all that if I don't make the grade for drafting I could have taken basic drafting which (as the corp. said) is very elementary. So I took my second pick as surveying. But the grade will not be as high. The corporal said I got a pretty good chance. So I just got to sit back & pray.
What do you say about taking a trip out here. It would be very simple traveling & I'll pay all your expenses to come out here (when I do get paid). They have placese where you can stay here for a couple days. I'm quite sure I will stay a couple more weeks. It will take 24 hrs. by Grand Central R.R. You could leave [at] 9 (for instance on morning) and get here [at] 9 the next morning. No matter what time you get here they will call me no matter where I am. As I said it will take you 24 hrs. from N.Y. so St. Louis by train. Then you just have to step into a taxi cab and say take me to Jefferson Barracks and they will take you to the gate. Then a guard will take you to visitors information. Tell them who you want to see & they will call me. Pretty easy huh. Let me know. Well all week we went to shows getting lectures & pictures on first aid, reasons why war came, what to do in case of accidents, etc. We have to walk about [two] miles there after chow in morning & then back to chow at lunch time & then back again after chow & then back again for chow at supper then mail call & then clean up our huts and pass inspection. That's what we were doing since we go[t] into these huts on Sunday.
I'll start to answer your letters now. Ma your letters are most interesting & the longer the better.
The first is the card. It was really swell & don't worry ma I will keep my chin up. The next one is #5 the one forwarded from [Camp Upton] Boy it sure sounds swell to hear the way you fixed up my roon. I just can picture you all sitting there. It sort of puts a lump in my throat.
Talking about Frank, I asked for his address but I gues syou forgot it. That reminds me. When we were down in the theatre, we were singing all the songs (The air corps song is mine now ma). but anyway the leader said what about the marine's hymn, so we all gave a roar and they put the words on the screen. Well ma I got so much feeling inside of me I just couldn't finish the song. Tears actually started to roll down my cheeks.
How are those pills affecting you? To tell you the truth ma, you really don't need pills in my estimation.
I don't think anybody can get a furlough until about 6 months of service. Whether you are not doing anything or visa versa. The most you can get is a pass over the weekend. I think it's the same in all camps.
I must agree with you Pops letters didn't sound so bad.
The pictures are really swell, that's a couple more for my collection.
This letter #9 it came with the three in one. So Teenie is still crabbing. Well that's one thing I won't hear anymore.
I hope you keep me posted the way you've been doing in your letters. They're swell, especially when they come so regular.
Please acknowledge to Mr. Massa that the kit he gave me is coming in very handy & as soon as I get a chance I will drop him a line.
Thanks for sending the box ma. I certainly will be happy when I get it.
I am really sketching this I would like to say much more but this is really getting short I almost spent 2 hrs. on this now. The fellows are arguing (friendly) and I had to put my two cents in to[o]. I would write all night but we have to put lights out at 9 o'clock & I started at 7 right after chow. I wanted to write Ele tonight but I guess I'll put it off 'til tomorrow. I just dropped her cards as I did to you ma.
The last letter I received was from you tonight about the hair I sent you ma. That was certainly cute.
I guess you're wondering who I got the 13 letters from. Well I got 5 from you ma, 2 from Elfrieda, 1 from Grandma & Aunt Anna, 3 from Eleanor, 1 card from Pat & Dave, 1 from Joe's mother. Joe is in Miami Beach, Florida. He is in tech. training school the same as me.
Please tell Eleanor & Grandma I will answer as soon as I get a chance. I'll tell you more about the camp when I get plenty of time. Probably on Sunday.

Please let me know in a hurry
whether you would like to come
ma I'm really very anxious.
Your Loving Soldier Boy,
Tony

Dear Ma, Pa, Barb, Ann, Ele, Letter No. 11

Pvt. Anthony J. Curcio Date 1-31-43
Flight "F" 360th Tech. Sch. Sqd. Letter No. 11
Jefferson Barracks, MO.

Dear Ma, Pa, Barb, Ann, Ele,

The weather up here is pretty nice. It isn't so cold & if it is cold you don't feel it because the air is dry. In the afternoon, if the sun is out it's just like a spring day.
No matter what we do here or where we [go] we always have to fall in and we march in formation. It's part of their basic training to keep you in shape.
Friday night we took showers & washed our clothes.
Sat. we were awaken[ed] at 4:30 had to fall out in 15 minutes, we were given ten minutes to go to the latrine, went to chow & direct from chow we had to walk about 2 miles to the theatre to see the picture on the projector of disease again. We saw it at Camp Upton but some saw it here & some didn't so we all had to see it over again. Then we were given a speech by the chaplain. Then we had to walk back. In the afternoon after chow we had to walk there again & was given the articles of war & a picture of march of time. Then we had to walk back again. Boy my feet are starting to hurt. I feel it in the heels.
Boy what a break we got. In the night the U.S.O. sponsored a play in the tent arena. Guess what it was. It was "Arsenic and Old Lace." Boy it was good. But I was kind of tired. I just fell asleep when I hit the bed. (Program enclosed)
I figured we would be off on Sunday but we had to move to new huts. I'm glad we did. It's nearer to the mess hall. We have 8 in a hut instead of 6. We don't have cots anymore, but double decker beds. (I sleep on the bottom). We also got foot lockers to put our stuff in. Boy it feels good to have your stuff in order. It took us all morning to move because it was raining cats & dogs. In the afternoon we had to work. We had to take the foot lockers out of old huts and bring them to ours. More walking. I guess I will break them in after awhile.
So here it is Sunday night the first time I had to write since I last wrote.
I got a little leaflet on the history & map of Jefferson Barracks. It's quite interesting.
I also include an emblem we wear on our arm. It's for ma. It's the air corps insignia.
Say ma, ma[y]be you would like to come out here for a couple of days? We have a place here where visitors stay. It would be about a 24 hours trip by Grand Central R.R. I don't know it may be kind of tiresome for you, but I certainly would like to see you ma. It's been very lonely. Think it over ma.
I think I will turn in early tonight because we will be given [a] test tomorrow so that we can be classified in certain branches of the air corps. So so long for awhile. Hope you all are still in the best of health & ma let me know what's what with examination. I'm positive it's O.K.

Your Loving Soldier Boy,
Tony

P.S. I didn't receive any mail here yet. Some mail was forwarded from Camp Upton but none for me. It will probably come tomorrow.

Dear Mom, Pa, Barb, Ann, Ele, Letter No. 10

Pvt. Anthony J. Curcio 1-29-43
Flight "F" 360th Tech. Sch. Sqd. Letter No. 10
Jefferson Barracks, MO

Dear Mom, Pa, Barb, Ann, Ele,

Well here I am reporting from Jefferson Barracks, I'm in the air corps, that's official now. But I do feel a little lonely way out here, about a 1,000 miles from New York.
As soon as we came in to the camp we had to march and keep in order. Hats on all times, O.D.'s on at all [times] unless specified, buttons buttoned at all times, your flight cap 1" over your right eye, shoes always shined, etc. They have a system here at least. You don't have to wait very long for chow. And here the chow is good. You really can look forward to eating. But of course it still doesn't compare to home. When we got up for breakfast this morning at 5:30 we had oatmeal, potatoes, sausages, 2 bottles of milk, 2 slices of bread & butter, 1 cup of coffee, 1 cupcake, 1 tangerine. For dinner we had 2 pork chops, mashed potatoes, lima beans, bread & butter, coffee, (plenty of sugar on the table, how is the rationing at home?), I piece of cherry pie, ice cream, & tangerine. What ever you can't get [at] home we have here.
Yesterday afternoon after I wrote the letter #9, we had to go to get our teeth examined. Of course we don't know if anything is wrong. What sort of an exam it was we don't know. In the night after chow we went to wash our clothes in the latrine. Boy what a job, especially when you don't have any hot water. But they usually do have hot water, something must have gone wrong. Boy now I know what ma has to go through when ma washes the clothes. It's no joke. It's something more kids home should do. Wash & take care of your own clothes.
Well this morning when I got up I was pretty tired, but once you wake up it's OK. We were taken on to the drill field & taught different things & taking order. How to salute & different things we should take heed to. Boy he was a nice drill sargent, you couldn't help but give him good results. We also had calisthenics. We drilled from 8 to 11:30. Boy I was tired after that. But I'm getting used to it. The sarge told us that we get 7 days of processing today being the 3rd. After that we get 18 days of drill & etc. called basic training. During the 7 day processing we will get tests & interviews, so that we can be classified and placed in the air corps. I hope I can be sent to school.
Ma after chow we were given time out to get hair cuts. Well you know what that means Ma. All off. But ma I don't look so bad. In fact it looks pretty good. It was really a measure anyway. I'll enclose some so you can see how much they cut off. It costs me 35 cents. After I got my haircut I came right down to the day club. Which is a little barrack where you can write letters & play games, etc. There are 6 fellows in my hut, which I told you all in the last letter & they are pretty nice fellows. One is a married man and he is also a very nice man.
Say ma, I just recalled you had to report the 27 for the examination. It was perfect results, wasn't it? Let me know right away. Send me the dope on calling up Barb at the office & if I get a chance during the day I'll call up. If you could send a shoe polishing kit it would be swell. Well I guess that's all for [now]. From your loving soldier boy reporting from the air corps.

Tony

I would send airmail but I can't get stamps as yet.
I will also include the scapular I left out of the other one. Please show it to Grandma. I put the stamp on I got from one of the fellows. I thought it was a bit heavy and I didn't want them to return it.