CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
31 DECEMBER 1943
DEAR PARENTS, LITTLE SISTER, ETC.,
WELL, THE OLD JINX HAS BEEN UPON ME TWICE WHEN I'VE ATTEMPTED TO TYPEWRITE A LETTER HOME, SO THIS TIME I HOPE THAT I HAVE A LITTLE MORE SUCCESS AND DO A GOOD ENOUGH JOB TO BE ABLE TO MAIL IT.
TO GET STARTED, NOW, I'VE BEEN A VERY BUSY MAN THESE PAST FEW DAYS. AS I MIGHT HAVE MENTIONED A COUPLE OF TIMES BEFORE, THE DANCE BAND HERE HAS BEEN DOING ~~QUITE~~ A LOT OF WORK PLAYING FOR DIFFERENT OCCASIONS FOR THE MEN ON THE STATION. CHRISTMAS EVE WE PLAYED TWO SEPERATE PLACES, WEDNESDAY WE PUT ON A SHOW AT THE SERVICE SCHOOL AUDITORIUM AND LAST NIGHT WE ENTERTAINED AT THE BASKETBALL GAME BEFORE IT STARTED. THEREFORE, YOU CAN SEE THAT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO MEET MR. ASHMAN AT THE PALMER HOUSE. I HAD NO IDEA THAT THE BAND HAD TO APPEAR UNTILL I WAS ALREADY DRESSED TO GO AND MEET MR. ASHMAN. BY THE TIME WE HAD FINISHED PLAYING IT WAS HALF PAST EIGHT SO I GAVE UP ALL HOPES OF EATING OUT. INSTEAD, I WENT BACK TO SCHOOL AND WENT TO BED. I KNEW SOMETHING LIKE THIS WOULD HAPPEN, AS IT HAS NEVER FAILED TO DO SO YET. HERE'S HOPING THAT MR. ASHMAN UNDERSTANDS AND ISN'T ANGRY WITH ME FOR NOT SHOWING UP.
DID I TELL YOU THAT MRS. MORITZ SENT ME A SWELL BOX OF CANDY FOR XMAS? IT WAS REALLY SUPER SO THANK HER FOR ME IF YOU SEE HER.
SO FAR SCHOOL IS GOING ALONG FINE ALTHOUGH I THINK I MAY START TO SLIP A BIT WHEN I BEGIN TO TAKE CODE AND TYPE AT THE SAME TIME. IT'S A NATURAL OCCURENCE WITH THE MAJORITY OF MEN SO I GUESS I WON'T BE IN SUCH A BAD FIX.
NOW THAT I HAVE OVERNIGHT LIBERTY EACH WEEKEND I MIGHT GET AN OUT OF BOUNDS PASS SOMETIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE AND COME HOME FOR ABOUT EIGHT HOURS. I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN I GET THE COURAGEOUS URGE TO FACE THE C.O.
GOSH TIME FLIES IT'S TIME TO COVER UP NOW SO IF I WANT TO TYPE THE ADDRESS ON THE ENVELOPE I'VE GOT TO HURRY.
LOVE,
Buddy
P.S. See what I mean?