Dear Helen

Co. "A" A.S.T.U. 3920
U. of O.
EUGENE
9/9/43

Dear Helen,

Well I finally was shipped and now I am still further away from home, but aside from that I can't complain just a wee bit. I told you how nice the U. of Idaho was, well this is far superior. The campus is larger & more beautiful. We live in dormitories two in a room. I have a suite, two closets, 5 drawers, 3 mirrors & a bed that actually has springs in it. In fact I think it's too soft. The mess hall is immaculate and we eat out of plates. Can you imagine a soldier eating out of plates. It's all like a dream. Everything here so far has been run with perfect organization, something that makes my heart happy. You very seldom hear of that in the army. But I guess you really can't call this the army. I think I'll write & tell my mother to take down the service flag...her son is in the A.S.T.P.
We start classes on Monday & it will be plenty tough and we will be studying from morning till night. I hope I can get thru, and if I don't I'll say well I tried my best. But I hope and say I made it.
I will write whenever I can. I'm afraid it won't be as much as I would like to but I want you to know the reason why, rather than let you think I am neglecting my friends. And you would be the last one I would neglect. I mean that with all sincerity because I know the kind of person you are and I just love to read your letters. I hope you will answer soon, like you always do & I hope you are in the best of health & please send my regards to your family. So until then I remain

Sincerely as ever
Tony

P.S. Today I am 8 months in the army. It just came to me.
P.S. #2 After reading over the letter I forgot to tell you I left Moscow (?) Tues. nite about 5:30 and arrived here yesterday at about 1:30 P.M. First we traveled to Spokane & then headed south to Walla Walla, along the Columbia River to Portland and then to Eugene. I though you would like to know. T

Dear Ma, Pa, Barb, Ann, Ele, Letter No. 37

Pvt. Anthony J. Curcio
1875 EN. AVN. BN. Co. H & S
McChord Field, Wash.

Date 4-3-43
Letter No. 37

Dear Ma, Pa, Barb, Ann & Ele,

Well how is everybody? I didn't hear from home in so long I just pray everything is O.K. I'm pretty sure it is but I still would like to know how everything is taking place. I dropped a line last night of my address just so you would know my address & I would get mail that much sooner.
I shall start from the beginning when I left Hammer Field. We left there at 4 P.M. (Monday 29) in Pullman cars. Boy they were nice. The porter came around and fixed the bunks and we had a good sleep. In the morning he would come around & make the bunks again. That's O.K. huh!
Right after we started to travel the sergeant came around and asked who would like to have K.P. at $ .40 an hour. He wanted 4 fellows. So I volunteered. It really wasn't K.P. but a waiters job. They have a dinner car which feeds 36 at one time & the table has to be cleaned off & reset for each setting. After all were fed we could go back to our cars & wait until next meal. So it was pretty easy. And we could eat all we wanted too. And one of the porters made a collection & when the trip was over they split the money. I got a dollar & seventy-five in tips & $4.00 for the hrs. So I made a total of $5.75. Not bad huh. The reason they paid us instead of taking regular K.P.s was the army hires the train with cooks & waiters to serve us our meals but they were short of help. That's where we came in.
Now a word about the trip. We traveled up thru California, thru Oregon, thru Washington to McChord Field, which is about 14 miles away from Tacoma & about 5 miles away from Seattle. The scenery was much the same as the St. of Colorado. Very mountainous. This time we passed thru the Cascade Mts. The St. of Oregon had a lot of lumber camps. We also passed Mt. Shasta (14,181 ft. high). It was once an active volcano. We saw the lava beds a little ways passed the Mt. We arrived at McChord Field about 6:30 Wed. morning. This place is also an air port, but we are not connected with it. We were given barracks, bedding, got examined and slept. Then I shot down to the P.K. and practically [?] the place out. I got your present & sent it out already. I hope you like it. I got Grandma a pillow case & a little air corp pin which I also pinned on the pillow case. I also got you one ma, which I put in the present. I also got Barb, Ann & Ele one so you all can pin them on your dresses. I also got a banner for Eleanor & a "New Testament" which I got at J.B. I got Dad an ash tray. I got Aunt Anna a couple of handkerchiefs. And I also got a pack of Easter Cards. I sent your present & Grandma's. The rest I'll send out later. How did the pictures turn out that I sent home? If they turn out O.K. You can use the picture for the present I got you ma. I'm not going to tell you what it is either. Or maybe you got it already. They you can show it to Aunt Teeny & say "this is what my son sent me." See what she says. (I forgot to tell you, they have a very large & complete P.K. here).
Thursday I had K.P. What a racket. We got up at 5:30 & started work at 7 o'clock, & got thru at 6 P.M. At J.B. we had to get up at 3 and work 'til 8:30. Some difference. They didn't push you around here either. You took your time & everything got done & no squaking either. We talked to the cooks & they even let us taste the food to see whether it had the right taste. That's O.K. huh! But that was at the big general mess hall. Now we have our own little mess hall & have to walk a mile to get there. I don't know how it will be here.
This morning we had a little drill & then some very good Calisthenics. This afternoon we had details to do. Tonight we were all separated into companies. Some were put in Co. A, some Co. B, & the rest in Headquarters & Service. That's what H & S stands for in my address. I think it's the best part of the engineering aviation battalion, I don't know.
I think we will have to bypass school. I think we will get more extensive training here. Those tests we took had nothing to do with why we were shipped here for more training. There are many college graduates here right with us. It's just by the no's. They needed some men, so we were sent here. That's how the army works. It will be pretty good though, as long as we get training. I don't mind as much not going to school as I don't think I would learn too much in those schools. Our classification came with us so it may help us get a rating. But I'm not jumping to any conclusions. I tell you how things progress as we go along.
I started this letter last night & will finish it today (Sat.) unless we have to do something.
Sat. morning ( this morning) we had drill by 2nd leutenants & calisthenics. Then we had a detail. In the afternoon we had to G.I. the barracks.
Ever since we arrived here it's been raining. Very little Sun. But today it was pretty good. The sun shined a bit. You see this is the rainy season for this section.
Today the clouds lifted, and we see one of the tallest mountains; Mt. Rainier. We are about 40 miles from it. It extends way up into the clouds and most of the time you can't see it for that reason. It's 14,140 ft. high. The mountain is always covered with snow. It's really a wonderful sight. I'll try to get some pictures up the P.K. & send them to you.
Well I think that's about all for tonight & I will write you soon. I hope you are all in the best of health (I am) and I hope to hear from you real soon. So until then I remain,

Your Loving Soldier Boy,
Tony

P.S. I probably have time to write about the middle of next week. I will also try to send the rest of the packages out. By the way, did you show Aunt Teeny the present yet?

Dear Ma, Pa, Barb, Ann, Ele, Letter No. 32

Anthony J. Curcio
4th A.F.R.D. SQD. "A"
Hammer Field, Fresno, Calf.

Date 3-21-43
Letter No. 32

Dear Ma, Pa, Barb, Ann & Ele,

I'm here in California and it's pretty nice here, but I'm glad I am not going to stay here. Because I wouldn't want to have a permanent camp so far away from home. So I just have to pray that when I go to school it will be much closer to home. The weather here, when the sun is out is just like a summer day. Some of the fellows that were here awhile already lay out on the grass in the sun & get a tan. I heard we just missed a period of rain. I'm glad we did. Fri. & Sat. the sun was really hot. Today it's been a bit cool because the sun hasn't been out all day.
The food here is pretty good. I think so far it's been better than J.B. The system is a heck of a lot better here also. We don't have the cadet style when we go to the mess hall. We get up when we are finished. The bread & butter is on the table, also the coffee, and you can eat as much as you want. At J.B. the most butter you could get was a little slice. We get plenty of fruit here also. (You know Calf.) Sometimes we get lemon & orange-ade instead of coffee. Oranges & bananas with our meals, pineapple & peach pie, apricots. Sometimes we get cocoa also or tea.
They have a good system here I like it very much. We use our own canteen to eat with. It's pretty large enough to hold all the food, we have our own cup, fork, knife & spoon. It eliminates the work for K.P.s After we eat we put the excess food in a barrel & then pass on to 3 more barrels. The first is boiling hot soapy water where we wash our stuff with a brush & then pass on to the other two to rinse them. They have fires under the barrels to keep the water boiling. Then it's up to each individual to keep his own equipment clean. Which is a smart idea. Right?
The streets here are paved & the barracks are set just like houses on a street. Each barrack has a latrine & shower to you don't have to run a mile to go to the bathroom or wash your clothes. We were lucky to get into a barrack, some of the fellows were put in tents. Not many though.
It's very easy here, no discipline here at all. I mean to clothing & marching, etc. You can wear what you want when you want to. At J.B. you always had to conform to standards. Everybody had to wear the same thing at J.B.
We can't get any passes for awhile & if we do it will only be for 6 hours.
Wel on Fri. When we came in we ate & then got our barracks & then got a physical check up. That took all morning. In the afternoon after chow we got our bedding. Then after chow I sent the telegram. Then I took a shower, shaved & washed my hair & then wrote the letter.
Sat. We had to G.I. our hut & be ready for inspection. A lieutenant & captain came around & inspected the barracks, us & our mess kits to see that they were clean.
In the afternoon we went to the classifying office. They told me I would be sent to a drafting school but I can take a test & if I pass the test I can go to one of the colleges and learn drafting. I have to take the test this coming Friday, March 26 - that means I will not get my new address until I get classified. It feels awful funny not hearing from home. I hope everything is all right and everybody is in the best of health.
Today I went to church. It's right around the corner. After church I sewed the insignia on my arm. You know like the one I sent you with the the wings & the star. The sewing kit comes in very handy. Then I went to the P.X. to make out a money order. I'll be sending you $10.00. I'll send whenever I can & you can do whatever you want with it. In fact I will say instead, use it to buy yourself something. All the money I send you buy things for yourself. That's between you & I ma. You know what I mean. This is NOT a birthday present.
I'll tell you more about the camp in my next letter. So goodnight & please read this letter to Grandma.

Your Loving Soldier Boy,
Tony

P.S. I washed my clothes last night. We have plenty of hot water here. That's one thing we didn't have at J.B.

Dear Ma, Pa, Barb, Ann, Ele, Letter No. 19

Pvt. Anthony J. Curcio Date 2-17-43 2-18-43
Flight "F" 360 T.S.S. U.S. Army Letter No. 19
Jefferson Barracks, MO. Rec'd 22

Dear Mom, Pa, Barb, Ann, Ele,

Well here it is Wed. morning about 7:30 and will be called out for chow in a few minutes so if I have to break off you know the reason why. Then I will finish it sometime today. Today we got up at 5:45 instead of 5 o'clock because our mess hall is on the blink. So we have to march way over to the other side of the camp to the General Mess Hall to eat. It's a tremendous place & can take thousands of fellows at a time. Well I'm being called out now so I close now for awhile.
Well here it is Thursday night. I couldn't finish the letter yesterday. Here is the reason. Since I left for chow yesterday morning I have been on the go as usual. Everything we do has been moved up a couple of hours because of the mess hall goring on the blink. We go on the drill field & drill the same as usual only that we stay there that much longer & get back that much later. So we drilled Wed. morning & in the afternoon we played cowboys & indians. (learning how to take signals in combat zone & then laying in the mud). (We had pieces of wood for guns). It was quite a riot. Everybody got a kick out of it.. Tues. I went on sick call and got a pass to stay in my hut on Tues. because of my ankle I sprained on Mon. It hurt me a little so [I] thought I would get it taped up. Wed. it felt pretty good so as I told you all above, was out on the drill field. We got off the drill field about 6 o'clock & went to chow at seven. (This business of eating late will end as soon as the mess hall is fixed up). Then I was pretty tired & so was everybody else because of walking back & forth to the mess hall besides our regular drill. Soon we thought we had the rest of the night off & I was going to finish the letter & then flop in bed, but ------- we all had to go to a show. We all thought it was a processing show (like first aid) or something. So we had to walk in formation to the other side of the camp & guess what it was? ------------ It was a show by the U.S.O. entitled "Flying Colors." They had 24 Rockettes from Radio City (it was a New York show) comedians, singers from W.O.R. & it was a wonderful show. Everybody was glad they had to go. One of the singers sang "Begin the Beguine" right down the line. Wasn't that swell. The Rockettes were very good. Well we got back at 11 o'clock & I went to bed. We went to drill this morning & this afternoon was called again for special instruction on guard duty. I have guard duty from 10 -12 tonight. After all that I still felt pretty good. In fact I don't seem to get tired anymore but rather enjoy it. The only thing is I would like to have more time to write letters. I wrote one to Eleanor Tuesday & mom you read it too. I think you'll understand.
I received a letter from Eleanor & it was certainly swell to read it and Ele you won't have any trouble in your next term. Just keep up your good work. I got two letters from Ele & she says she had a wonderful time Sunday. I'm sure she did. Al didn't say much in his letter as usual but he is overseas & is sorry he couldn't write sooner. He sends his regards to all.
I got a letter from the bookkeeper from my office & it had a little bad news. Ed, my boss is in the hospital with meningitis. But is recovering. I felt bad when I read it. I'll write him a nice letter Sunday. I hope he gets betters in a hurry. His course is almost up.
And ma of course your letter, I always save yours for last. I remember when I went to night school I always saved my subject I liked last. I always enjoy yours the most. I'll have to close now. I'll answer all questions in my next letter. I'll have to put my leggings on & make my bed & shine my shoes before lights go out & then I have to go on guard duty. There is so much I would like to say but just know I haven't the time. I'll have to answer Elfrieda tomorrow. Goodnight. Love & Kisses from Your Loving Soldier Boy
Tony

P.S. That original design on Eleanor's letter was quite effective. You see ma we have a bright girl in the family. Our little genious.

P.S. I have a swell poem I will write in the next letter. It's really swell. Keep looking for it.