March 10, 1944

Camp Claiborne, Louisiana

March 10, 1944

Dear Mother and all,

            How is everything at home? Everything is the same around here – just lovely. It looks like rain today. Just 19 years ago today, Mama, was when the unlucky day came and also the black sheep of the family. Ha. You said I was irrigating last year on my birthday, well this year I am walking guard. Ha. I’m guarding a big water supply pump, so it is still having something to do with water. When I got up this morning, all my buddies started the morning off by singing happy birthday dear Maxie and would have beat hell out of me if I hadn’t been the biggest.

            I don’t go on guard again until eleven this morning so maybe I can answer some of my letters. I owe Rosalie a letter and several others. I have heard from Jolinda a couple of times. She has a heap of a time with all her boyfriends.

            I went on guard last night at five and get off at one today. This afternoon, we are all going through a gas chamber with our gas masks on to see what poison gas is like.

            I’ve got to go to the dentist tomorrow to get a couple of teeth fixed – filled I think. I lost six pounds out on those maneuvers but the way they are feeding us now, it won’t take long to gain it back. I weighed 222 when I first went out in the field. Now I’m down to 216 – just a mere skeleton.

            I have picked up a couple of new nick names here lately. One is Jr. The boys in communication call me Jr. Because I am the biggest one and the youngest. The other nick name is “Big un.” A kid from Kentucky started calling me that one night in a crap game and it has followed me since. Everybody gets nick names in the army. Now our mess sergeant calls me high pockets.

            I better quit at this and write a couple of others.

Love to all

Your son,

Max