February 14, 1943 — Air Mail From Dip

Feb. 14, 1943

Dear Mom & Dad:

This is sure a poor excuse for a valentine but seeing as I’m imprisoned here in camp – I had to make on. Those hearts & arrows you see up in the corners of the page is how you can tell this is a valentine.

This is the end of the 3rd weed here & I’m still goin’ strong. Just finished up with Material yesterday with a final exam. Tomorrow starts Gunnery – the real meat of the course. From now on I really have to hit the ball like I’ve never hit it before.

Don’t remember if I told you or not but I got all 5’s thru Motors incl. the final so I know I got thru that course. I’ll know about Material by Tues. or Wed.

Did I tell you about the fun we had out on the range last Wed.? We fires 30 Cal. Anti-aircraft machine guns (not the guns – bullets) at balloons. It’s harder than you think to hit that little dancing rubber ball. We shot tracer bullets at them, & the trick is to follow the balloon & try to get the tracer stream – The rig starts jumping all over the sky as soon as you pull the trigger. Some of the boys broke balloons – I put a hole right thru the center of one but she wouldn’t bust. (It says here.)

Lentoni came over to see me the other night & I took him over to see Wheeler & Cook. It was a fine reunion & naturally we had a first class bull-session. Both Wheeler & Cook are getting along fine with the studies & are also enjoying it all.

Got paid yesterday so I now have a pretty full pocket-book. As soon as I can get to a post office I’ll mail some home.

The food is still swell here – we get all the meat we want – milk for breakfast – coffee every meal – soup for two meals a day as a 1st course – pie almost every day (or cake) – plenty of butter every meal – jelly on every table. I’ll but we’re better off than the poor “civies” these days.

I’m just getting over a bad cold that I’ve been fighting for a week – one of those chesty ones. It’s on the way out now so I think I’ll be ship shape to start Gunnery Monday. I’ll cut this short here & write Dot & Arlo a letter. I’ll slip you a note in a couple days.

Love, Dorance