November 5, 1941

Wed. 9:30 11-5-41

Dear Mom & Pop:

Hello! How’s everything at home since I’ve been gone. And while I think of it how come I haven’t heard from you since I got back to Bragg. I’ve written two letters & a card so far & I’m not getting any returns. I did get a letter from Marian the second day I was here tho, so that helped a lot. It certainly was tough to come back to it all after all the fun I had on my furlough. Certainly hope I can do it again like that next Xmas.

Well in the last week quite a bit has happened here. For one thing all of my buddies moved out on me. They’re all out on maneuvers now & from there, in about a month, they are going to Fort Dix, in New Jersey. They’ll have it mighty handy to the big towns up there – about 40 miles to New York, 15 miles to Trenton, & a short jaunt to Philadelphia. I’d like to be in a location like that myself, but then, on second thought, I guess it would be a little too expensive to be so close to the big lights. Anyway I certainly can’t kick on my present setup.

I now have a private room. That is, three of us have. You see each barracks has 4 cadre rooms – 2 upstairs & 2 down. The cadre (instructors) are thus separated from the recruits who are in the squadroom. Pretty nice – we have wall lockers to hang our uniforms, suits & coats in & footlockers in which to keep the rest of our trash. I’m sharing the room with a couple of fine boys too – one works on a special duty at the officer’s quarters & the other is a corporal who will be in charge of some of the new recruits when they come. We have a radio in the room too over which I heard the Northwestern-Minn. game last Saturday. I’ve even got her picture up on the wall already – plus a lot of other ones. We are allowed to keep our lights on ‘till 11 bells now in the rooms although the lights in the squadroom have to be out at 9 o’clock. From now on I won’t have to stand reveille or retreat. I’ll have no more k.p., guard duty, special detail or fatigue. And I won’t have to wait in line for chow but can walk right in & sit down – I’ll appreciate that. Oh yes, one thing more – I will be issued a permanent pass which will allow me to go & come when I want. I can stay out all night if I wish – but I probably won’t. How does that all sound to you. Now if I could only make some more money I’d be all set.

Next Nov. 15 I will have served my 120 days (4 months) & consequently will be in line for some kind of rating. Hope I can connect. I know one thing for sure, I will get 30 dollars a month automatically & that will help a lot.

I don’t know when the new boys are coming in to fill up the battery but rumors have been heard to the effect that they won’t come in for a couple of weeks yet. It certainly is bare & quiet around here now. Well you can imagine how it looks with only 25 men to fill up the space normally occupied by 260 men. I certainly am getting acquainted with all of the N.C.O.s now that there are so few of us left. They’re a pretty good bunch of guys when you get to know them. They are all regular army men & plenty tough on the drill field. But now that I’m one of them, they’re quite friendly.

I’m still keeping very busy at the office. I’m right in the middle of organizing my new filing system so I find plenty of work to do. It’s an interesting job & so the days are really flying by – or at least they seem to be. Doesn’t seem possible that I’ve been in for 4 months already.

I haven’t been paid yet since I’ve been back. The first of Nov. was the official payday but because everything was so disrupted in our battery last week those of us that are left won’t get our money ‘till next Mon. – the 10th. The fellows that moved out last week were paid for a part of the month & will get the rest from their new outfit. I don’t remember whether I told you or not but we were all paid our rations money a couple of days after we got back from furlough. We each were paid $3.08 for the meals we missed while away. That little extra came in mighty handy too because I was running low by the time I got back.

I think I might take a trip to Raleigh this weekend & spend the five dollars I have left over. It will be the first time I’ve been anywhere outside of camp beside Fayetteville – not counting our convoy to Myrtle beach. I’ll let you know all about when I get back.

In the meantime then I wish you’d drop me a line – I’m hurtin’ for a little news. Goodby.

Your best son,

Dorance