I Am On The Switchboard Again Tonight

(Post Marked February 25, 1944. Written Wednesday night 7 P.M. February 23, 1944)

Hello Sis.

How are you today? I am fine as usual. Well the last time I wrote you, last Sunday I said it was raining and bad. Well, its still raining and we sure are disgusted. Everywhere we go its mud up to our ankles. We were on the alert last night for flood at a small town outside of Riverside. But we never had to go out.

Yesterday 60 of us had to go to the stockade and guard prisoners. And guess what I had to guard? I had to walk around the WAC barracks. But it wasn’t any fun in the rain. I stayed in an empty barracks most of the time.

Well as I told you before we have to go to the desert or Camp Irwin to make it sound better. We are to stay out for 10 days and we leave Monday. So, about the time you get this, we may be out there. And I’ll bet they have us out on some of those God Damn problems again.

I am on the switchboard again tonight. But guess I am better off here as it is to bad to go anywhere. I’ll get to bed about 1:00 A.M. But have to stay here at the stick board.

I received those papers and was sure glad to get them but haven’t had time to look at them yet. And I also received the money from Mom, and you know I was glad to get that! see Bob about every day now but I don’t know when he will get his furlough. Boy, he sure is hoping to get it soon. That picture you sent of me and you was pretty good but I looked like a telephone pole in it. But you looked pretty good, at least the boys thought so. They all want to meet my sister now. HA, HA. I am going to send you a Camp Haan paper this week. It has something about the 144th and my Sargent wrote it for our Battery. The 143^rd Battalion we have been with on our problems and all through our training has been ascended to the 4^th air Corps and are going to be stationed at an air base out here. And some of the fellows think we will be too. I hope we are and I can get stationed closer to home where I can come home on a weekend pass or even close enough for you and Mom and Dad can come and see me. But I don’t think I could be that lucky.

I haven’t heard from anyone but you and Mom since I came back but if I did I couldn’t answer because I hardly have time to write you and Mom. Well, I had better sign off for this time and write Mom before I go to bed. Oh yes, I would like to have your telephone number in case I might want to call you up sometime. Well, be good.

Love from your little brother.

Private Bert