MY DAZE . . .

1/14/42 - 3/11/43. Wait – wait - & wait some more –

3/12/43. Received orders to proceed to Raleigh and then to Magruder, Va.

3/22, Mon. Reported in Greensboro and received transportation to Raleigh. Had lunch with Ed Allen in Greensboro and had picture taken at Mannings. Met John Fulbright and rode to Raleigh with him. Left Greensboro at 7 pm. Train loaded with prospective sailors. Met Sidney Risdon in Raleigh Station. Were supposed to stop at Homotel for the night. Didn’t like its looks so went to a hotel.

3/23, Tues. Reported at Raleigh P.O. for transportation to Camp Peary. Food in Raleigh was terrible. Twenty-six of us caught train 2 ½ hours late. Boys were fairly hilarious on train but behaved quite well. Old man on train tried to cause trouble but he was soon squelched. Seaboard train was too late in Richmond to make connections to Magruder. Took a walk after arrival in Richmond with Raper from Winston and Parker from Asheville. Stayed at Hotel Ruegar rather than sleep in day coach all night.#

3/24, Wed. Up at 7. Ate breakfast in the station. Caught C&O 8:30. Two boys almost missed the train. They caught it as it rolled by. Arrived Williamsburg 9:30. Camp "bus" (10-wheel truck) met the train. Were assigned to barrack #128. Received bedding. Started for chow at 11:30, reached mess hall ½ hour later and didn’t walk slow either. Food was fine. Received shoes, duffel bag, and coveralls after lunch. Took quite a kidding over my shoes. Everyone else’s came in a box. Guess there were no packing crates large enough for mine. Wrote letters till evening chow. All day long we have been listening to "you’ll be sorry."* We delegated a fellow as M.A.* for our platoon.

3/25, Thurs. Stood the graveyard fire watch last night 24:00-04:00. Managed to get 1 ¼ hour’s sleep. Wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Waited around all morning for our physical exam. Finally got around to it after noon chow. First man we reached was a psychologist. Then we stripped to our shorts and packed our clothes to ship home. We went through that place like a hurricane. A doctor or a corpsman at every turn. The x-ray man had the most monotonous job. "Take a deep breath – hold it – Next man." After the physical, we got the rest of our gear. We walked down a long hall and gear flew from everywhere into a bag we were carrying. Met a boy from PPG* Co. in Lynchburg. Took a beating with my maroon shorts. From there we went to get our gear stenciled. Then the hair cut and the photograph. I look like hell. After evening mess, we tried to roll our clothes and get them packed into our sea bags. I think we all failed miserably.

3/26, Fri. We spent this morning getting our insurance and family allotments straight plus an interview. After that, everything not stenciled was fixed and we started packing to move from the detention area to boot camp. After lunch, we moved. We are now in an entirely new camp. This area has only been open a few days. The Post Office will open tomorrow for the first time and the ship’s store this afternoon. Other platoons are in details cleaning up all the grounds. We have mopped our barrack thoroughly and washed all the windows. Two platoons making 60 men are in each building. In detention, we had about 90-95 men and were very crowded. There has been a lot of sweating so far carrying gear around. But it has been fun. We look like the devil but have a great time kidding one another. Chow this evening was not as good as it was at detention. There was not enough. Wrote letters this evening.

3/27, Sat. Rain, rain, and more rain. We were supposed to go out on a work detail this morning but the rain has prevented us from that. We got soaked going to chow this morning. During the day, we had to clean our shoes an innumerable number of times. The mud here is terrible. The morning was spent by most writing letters. Ten of us went out and hauled walks to our barrack to keep us out of the mud as much as possible. A little of the goo around here goes a long way. After noon chow, we hauled coal and built walks all over the place. Bogged down in the mud a number of times. After a long struggle we got cleaned up for evening chow. Went to a movie after chow, but stayed for only a few minutes. It was too noisy. Came back to the barrack and wrote letters.

3/28, Sun. Sunday makes no matter with sleeping here. Got up as usual at 5. After colors at 8 we were free till noon chow. Everyone busied themselves writing, reading, and rolling clothes. If we ever get that rolling down and how to get all that mess in the bags it will be a miracle. After chow we mustered and went out for our first drill. We had a funny-looking little instructor. He reminds me of a jumping jack. He is good, but also tough. At 15:30 we had an address by the commanding officer of the base. He gave a brief history of the Seabees and welcomed us to the camp. After that a lecture from a medical officer. We managed to get an instructor to our barrack to show us how to roll our gear and stow it away. After evening chow we were free again. I should have done some washing but the laundry was full of clothes. Fellows were hanging gear in the rafters. Started re-rolling my gear correctly.

3/29, Mon. We started the morning off with a run around the block and some exercise. Drilled again this morning. Used some sort of a rifle to learn the manual of arms. Just before lunch we got typhoid and tetanus shots plus our vaccinations. Somehow or other I got head detail this morning. After lunch we and our sore arms went out and drilled again. After drill we had 3 lectures, two in the field and one in the hall. The senior Chaplain spoke to us in the hall and has so far been the only one who has pulled no punches. Everyone seemed to get a good sun and wind burn today. One of the boys had to go to the dispensary. Managed to get some washing done this noon. There were a lot of sore arms here in D5-107 to night. Also a tired bunch of boys. Many of them were in bed by 8:30.#

3/30, Tues. The M.A. woke me up at 10:45 last night and delegated me to take a detail of men to the D.O.* for sentry duty. It was a shame to get those boys out of bed when they were expecting to get a good night’s sleep. I almost ended up on the detail myself. Three men from another barrack failed to show up on time. They did arrive 15 minutes late. A bunch of bad-feeling boys in the platoon this morning. Some felt sick in the stomach, some headaches, some sunburn and some blisters on the feet. All had sore arms. I felt rather faint in chow line this morning. Came back to the barrack and broke out in a cold sweat. As soon as I got over it, I went back in the line. Went out landscaping all morning. Moved dirt and dug ditches. After chow, I was delegated to go to small stores and make clothes exchanges for the boys. It ended up being a nice truck ride. After evening chow, there was a smoker. There was a very good program. Things around here have been very topsy-turvy. They’re gradually getting straightened out, however. Hope I don’t have to get up in the middle of the night tonight.

3/31, Wed. It was cold this morning. After chow we had to pass in review before the commanding officer. We looked quite good. A band played for us. Then we changed clothes and went out to drill. Mr.* Potts really worked us out. Some of the boys have been slow to catch on. After chow we went out and practiced squad formations. Had two lectures, one on military courtesy and one on the government of the Navy. There are plenty of red noses burned by the sun and wind. I seem to have fallen heir to a cold and the CB-TB, a cough that is common around here because of the dust in the air. Must do a lot of work tonight. Big inspection in the morning.

4/1, Thurs. No frost this morning. Was a trifle chilly but not cold. Had a barrack inspection this morning by our new ensign. Everything went quite well. Had a lecture right off the bat and drilled in the manual of arms the rest of the morning. We must be a tough crowd. We have a new ensign and are on our third instructor. The fellow we have now is the best one that we have had. After noon chow we had a lecture and drilled some more. I think they ran out of things for us to do for they had us doing a formation we will never do again. Ended the afternoon with another lecture. We were given copies of the 11 general orders to memorize. That is the only thing that I am afraid of. After evening chow I took time off to write Lib.#

4/2, Fri. I got the fire watch from eight to noon today. Managed to get all my clothes rolled and packed properly. Cleaned out the store. I am glad that clothes job is complete. The rest of the platoon had quite a time out running through the woods. Raper almost caught a rabbit. After noon chow had our first "field day." That meant turning the barrack upside down and cleaning it out thoroughly also getting all our clothes clean. We are supposed to have only one change dirty at a time. I had quite a wash to do. It was a good feeling to have everything up to date. We have to be ship shape tomorrow because of a captain’s inspection. It is too bad there is not a movie tonight because everyone seems to have a little time on their hands.#

4/3, Sat. No one got much sleep last night. Those who didn’t have to get up and go out on some sort of duty were kept awake by those who did. No drill today. Just work for everyone. We did a little landscaping around the mess hall in the morning and laid boardwalks in the afternoon. After chow tonight, we had to sign our identification cards and have our fingerprints made on them. These pictures are terrible. They are really worse than they appear for we have grown somewhat used to our haircuts now.#

4/4, Sun. Just before the lights went out last night we had a blackout. I don’t know what they would do if there were a real raid. The signal is sent out by a messenger. A very slow process. We got to sleep an extra hour this morning. After muster, we were free till 13:00. Went to church with Fulbright and Hamm. Had a wonderful dinner today. Would have cost a couple dollars in Richmond. This afternoon, we turned into groundhogs. We were out from 13:00 to 17:30 practicing platoon formation and taking objectives. It was fun excepting for scraping across the ground. Wrote letters after evening chow.

4/5, Mon. This morning we drilled again. This time on a rather light breakfast. We specialized on the manual of arms. We also managed to get one other shot. One of the boys got messed up some how or another and got two shots. He is really in bad shape. After noon chow, 20 of us from the two platoons went out on a "Wainright Party" that is a special work detail. We really worked too. Went out to the Guest House and cleaned up around it and planted some shrubs. There are a bunch of tired and sick fellows here tonight. Between the work party and the shot.#

4/6, Tues. What a day this has been. I have never seen so much dust in all my life. A cold wind has blown all day long. There were times when the tail end of a column couldn’t see the front end. We generated about as much dust as the wind. Wore our pea coats and I don’t think we will be able to get them clean very soon. One of the boys had to be carried to the infirmary this morning because of his shot yesterday. This afternoon, we went out and practiced a few platoon formations. One whole squad got lost in the woods for about 20 minutes. For the remainder of the afternoon, we had more lectures. A number of the fellows went to sleep. After evening chow we had pay day. Everyone was allowed $25 regardless of how much they were supposed to draw. Had to stand in line for over an hour.

4/7, Wed. Went out on KP duty for Charlie Murray as he was laid up a bit. Had to be up and at the mess hall by 5. Washed pots and pans as hard as I could until 10:15. Had to be back at work at 10:45. Served lettuce at noon and scrubbed and mopped floors till 4. Back to work at 4:45. Finished mopping at 8. I was really tired when I finished up. There was a lecture at 8 by one of the boys who had returned from the front. He was quite humorous. There was considerable discussion over whether he should have told some of the bad aspects which he covered. I think we should have as bad a picture as possible of what we will be getting into. Then if it is not bad, we will feel better about it. The ones who did not like the lecture were the ones who are always fussing anyway. Received 3 letters and a box of candy from Marion today.

4/8, Thurs. Warmer today. Had the manual of arms part of the morning and practiced squad formations till 11:30. Our platoon went out in the woods and attacked the other platoon in our barrack. We had a great deal of fun in it, because there were other platoons in the same woods and we frequently found ourselves sneaking up on the wrong crowd. Our squad captured one of the enemy’s squads without a bit of trouble. It was all by luck however. After chow we had some more on the manual, then three lectures. One was a movie on first aid and one on sex hygiene. The chaplain followed the last movie. Should have washed some clothes today, but too many others had the same idea.

4/9, Fri. This has been a very pretty day. There have not been the usual dust storms. Spent 45 minutes yesterday morning standing at attention. That was the whole platoon. Some few fellows have insisted upon talking in the ranks and that 45 minutes was to straighten that out. Before the morning was over we were crawling around in the dirt. We practiced crossing fields. Crossed one in 35 minutes when it should have taken about an hour and a half. Had "Rope Yarn Sunday"* in the afternoon. Managed to get a little washing done.#

4/10, Sat. What a night. I doubt if there was an open window in the place. I woke up this morning feeling terrible. It rained last night. This is the craziest place for mixing mud and dust. The rain made quite a few muddy places but in a very short time there was plenty of dust. We crawled through the woods in combat formations again this morning. The ground was very damp and no doubt did our colds no good. But it was fun anyway. After chow we had lectures on combat formations and a review on military courtesy. Seems there was a little trouble last night in this area on the subject of courtesy. Started learning the semaphore* this afternoon. Lounged around after evening chow; the first time I have done that since I have been here.

4/11, Sun. Caught the 00:00 to 04:00 fire watch again last night. We were supposed to get up at 05:30 this morning, but because of my watch last night I slept till 07:00. Seems like years since I have slept till after the sun came up. Each day seems to go by very fast but when I think back on when I left home it seems ages ago. We never started out on our work detail till 09:45 this morning. Then we went out and built boardwalks till 11:30. Had a pretty good meal this noon. Not quite as good as the one we had a week ago but still good. Built walks again this afternoon. After evening chow we had to clean up the mess in the barrack made by the table and shelf makers. Christened the table by eating up two cakes which had been sent to Ed West. My knee has been hurting today. Must have hit the deck too hard yesterday.

4/12, Mon. Cold is not much better this morning. Cough and knee are worse. Must have hit the deck too hard day before yesterday. It was about the rawest weather today that we have had. Hands almost become numb. After a little manual of arms we got two more shots. Before the morning was over, Blanton had to be carried to the sick bay. The shots really affect him. For some reason or another we had about an hour free before chow. Rained before it was time to start drilling so we had lectures all afternoon. I don’t know how many lectures we have had on sentry duty. Had a short drill on the use of the machete. Our class in semaphore was rained out so I had a chance to wash some clothes. Cut the cake tonight that Lib sent. It was good. The boys are busy playing card tricks on each other tonight.

4/13, Tues. Cold this morning but warmed up as the day progressed. More belly crawling this morning with a little semaphore this afternoon. Had the best lectures this afternoon that we have had so far. One was on picking a base location and the other was on incendiary bombs. We were supposed to get all our misfit clothing straightened out tonight. Some of the fellows got fixed up, but I didn’t. Had quite a rain tonight. The wind really blew it through the cracks around the windows and any others that could be found. They were numerous. Beds were everywhere except in the correct places against the walls.#

4/14, Wed. The little Warrant Officer who has been giving us our exercise in the morning has become quite a joke. He starts us off every morning with the jumping jack. That is what we call him now - and he looks like one too. Practiced with the machete again this morning. The ones we use are plywood and about all we can ever expect to learn from what we are getting are a few fundamental strokes. After the rain last night it would be only natural to assume that we would get a little extended order drill this morning. We did. But when we hit the deck we made sure it was a pile of straw. More lectures this afternoon. One was a movie on the cootie. The other two were on base location and camouflage.

4/15, Thurs. This has been the best day yet. Went to bed last night at 21:30 and got up at 23:00. One whole hour and a half’s sleep. Went on sentry duty at 23:45 and came off at 04:15. It was a very cold night. There were icicles on the mops this morning. It was very clear - and a good night for dreaming. I had a little business at my post. Mine was the only challenge post in the area. There was only about a half hour between the time I got off duty and would have to get up, so I washed clothes instead. Had to eat chow early so I could relieve the guard who had relieved me for breakfast. After I was again relieved, I went up to the sick bay to see if I could not get some help with this cough and cold I have. Then I helped to build some more boardwalks. Ate noon chow early and went out to stand sentry from 12-16:00. Had lots of business this afternoon. People were going everywhere. After a full day’s work of sentry duty alone I had to do almost a full day of work detail. Some fun. If it were not for writing Lib I would knock off early tonight.#

4/16, Fri. Really slept last night. Had quite a time today. Went out to practice extended order and wound up coon hunting. We went out in the woods to practice and I guess because we got so tuckered out yesterday, we did not feel like doing much. Someone started talking about coons and a few minutes later we saw one up a tree. After noon chow we went out on extended order again, this time with pockets full of stones. All of our stones were to no avail on getting the coon out of the tree. Junior* was a pretty good shot. Came the closest by far to hitting the coon. Finished the afternoon with lectures. Don’t know how many we have had on sentry duty and military courtesy. Mr. Coney, who has been our instructor for the past two weeks, came into the barrack to tell us he was leaving. He is headed for Chiefs’ school. All of the boys have liked him and hate to see him leave. Tailors came in tonight and are very busy altering the boys' clothes. Luckily mine fit quite alright.

4/17, Sat. Another "Wainright Party" today. Found out where the name came from. Mr. Wainright is head of the Public Works Dept. These parties work for his department. Our platoon went out on mosquito control. Either it was plenty warm today or we worked hard. Anyway it was hot. We were over in a swamp clearing out ditches. The work was hard. We wore hip boots - mine leaked of course - and were sometimes working down in the bottom of the ditch where we sank to our knees in mud. Took me about fifteen minutes to get out of the mud to go to noon chow. On our way back to work after chow, we caught sight of a possum. I shook him from the top of a tree to a lower limb. Then Junior went up after her. We knew it was a "her" because there were quite a number of babies in her pouch. Everyone was pretty whipped down by evening. Managed to get a few clothes washed. My fruit cake arrived today.

4/18, Sun. We were able to sleep till 6:30 this morning. Quite a treat. They have changed Rope Yarn Sunday on us from Friday to Sunday. Just another one of the many changes which have come up. Cleaned up the barrack and all our gear. Spent the afternoon acting as messenger. Lots of good exercise. Wrote letters during the evening.#

4/19, Mon. Caught the 4-8 fire watch* this morning for a change. The boys complained on my other watches of my keeping the place cool. Made it hot for them this time. We were supposed to have gone out on work parties today but only those who had mess and sentry duties went out in the rain that has poured down all day. Those of us who had no such duties kept fairly dry if we did not sit under any of the leaks in the barrack. We spent the day with a chief reviewing what work we have done to date. Tonight everyone is talking "liberty." We are scheduled to go ashore on May 1 and 2 for 48 hours. It may be a bit longer than that and again it may be canceled. Tailors are busy here every night getting clothes ready for the fellows. Mine all fit ok.

4/20, Tues. Took today off to get our clothes straightened out. Finished out our issue this morning and exchanged the other things that did not fit this afternoon. That induction area is certainly a mudhole. This evening the tailors were on deck to see to it that our uniforms fit. Aside from that, little was done outside of standing in the respective lines. We were told tonight that our liberty would start April 30 at 5 pm Everyone is very joyous and busy writing letters home.#

4/21, Wed. Still overcast today. Spent most of the morning messing around the place. Some of the boys still had some clothes to get straight on. The rest of us were secure in our barrack and were supposed to get the place cleaned up. After chow we went out and did a little extended order in a big way. This evening was payday but I was among the many who received nothing.

4/22. Thurs. After a long dry lecture on defensive tactics through which most everyone slept this morning, we went out for a long walk through the woods. After it was all over with, we found we were practicing security on the march. In the afternoon we went out on extended order and ended up with another lecture on government of the Navy. During the day the subject of our M.A. came up again. The boys got up a petition suggesting a change. Tonight the subject came to a head. We ended up with one of our platoon officers on the dock. It was finally decided to leave things as they are. Got one of those good ten cent haircuts. It was the second shortest and quickest cut I have ever had.#

4/23. Fri. Had to go out on messenger duty today. That was not such a bad job. Had it from 8-12. Had to go out on a work detail during the afternoon. A sudden streak of fixing up the ground around the barracks has broken out. We went out into the woods and got a lot of shrubs and planted them all around the place. The boys did a pretty good job. Had to go back on duty at 8 again. Up until 9:30 the messengers were quite busy. After that we just sat and shot the bull with the officers and chiefs. Had a swell box from Lib today. A huge angel food with bananas and Easter eggs. The boys really went for it.

4/24. Sat. We started out with our sixth instructor today. No wonder our barrack can’t get drill straight. We have had too many personalities mixed up with it. Each fellow seems to have his own ideas about the subject. Tomorrow we have some sort of a performance by company formations which we practiced this morning. Went out in the woods for a while and worked on some more of our miniature big scale operations. Everyone received his identification card this morning which means we have broken detention. This afternoon we went into the woods again for a while after which we had a pretty good lecture on combat. Ended the day with a lecture on gases and gas masks. We all donned masks and went into a room full of tear gas. Just before leaving the room we had to take our masks off to get a little of the effects of the gas. We cried for a half hour afterward. The mail has really been heavy into this area the past few days. The clerks are about to work themselves to death. We are loaded down with food in our barrack. Everyone was dressing as far as he could tonight in his blues. Some of the fellows have all of their clothes squared off while others have not received theirs back from the tailors. We are really going to be a terrible looking crowd tomorrow.

4/25. Easter Sunday - Easter Sunday and a beautiful day. We were to wear our dress blues but a lot of the boys were in the same boat I was in and had some of their clothes still at the tailors. I had to wear undress blues. After assembly, Frank Raper and I went up the road to call our wives - our first chance at free range - we waited two hours and then gave up trying. This afternoon we were in dungarees again. Went out on the drill field for a community sing and a field day with D-6. Haven’t been able to find out who won but it was quite a heated affair. I left before it was over to go do some washing. "Lt." Williams looked me up on the drill field today to see if I would care to be an instructor on the rifle range. The job of instructor is one thing I would just as leave stay away from.

4/26. Mon. More extended order this morning with drill and lectures this afternoon. Scuttlebutt started around shortly after noon that our liberty would start Wednesday instead of Friday. That of course produced quite a bit of excitement. Still more was produced when it was officially announced as being true. Western Union facilities were completely turned over to our Area after evening chow. I am glad that Lib and I had planned our meeting place in advance.

4/27. Tues. Frank and I went on Dispensary duty today. It was a gold brick job of the first order. I don’t want it anymore for there is not enough to do. We spent part of the morning mopping the floors. In the afternoon there was nothing to do. I had one of the corpsmen press my dress blues. Everyone was too excited to do much work anyway. During the evening the fellows were busy getting their clothes washed, pressed, and getting ready.

4/28. Wed. Had drill and classes as usual today till 4:15 when we were freed to get ready to leave. Did not have much time to get ready in. Had to march to the station to catch the Liberty train at 6:15. Excitement was very predominate all day. Arrived in Richmond at 8. The train made very good time to the outskirts of town where it was held up quite a while because of other trains ahead of it. Boy, was it good to see Lib. She looked prettier than ever. Didn’t recognize me when she saw me. I imagine it is hard to pick one person out of 1200 when they are all dressed alike. We had a bite to eat in the station then went to the Jefferson to clean up. Checked in at the USO and had a sundae at Whites.

4/29. Thurs. Really slept late this morning or should I say stayed in the bed late this morning. Had lunch at Miller and Rhodes tea room and shopped till 3 when we went to a show. After a good dinner at Daley’s we went to the USO to write some postcards and then back to the hotel again. Mary Douglas called to invite us out for dinner tomorrow night.

4/30. Fri. Came close to not getting up today. Left my watch with a jeweler yesterday to have my serial number engraved on it, so had no idea of the time. It was 1:30 when we went out to lunch at Whites. Had a very good seafood plate followed by a delicious sundae of course. Did some more shopping this afternoon. Went out to the Hatchers’ for dinner tonight. Lib took pictures of me in my various "boot uniforms." We had a very good meal and spent the evening visiting. Got to bed by 11:30.

5/1. Sat. Up early this morning – 3:30. Had to catch the Liberty Train at 4:30. Lib went to the station with me. There was really a mob there. Shore Patrol at the gates checked us as we went through. Some boys got by with their bottles and some did not. The train coming in had a lot of empty seats on it. We had muster at 07:00. There were about 450 men out of our area A.O.L. One of the Pennsylvania trains had trouble. Out of the entire camp, 700 were A.O.L. We moved at 09:00. It was a mess. All our gear had to be packed as we had never packed it before. Bedding had to be packed this time. We were transferred from D-5 to B-1. It has been a very dusty and windy day. Our new barrack is in a very pretty place. There are quite a few trees around and we look out over the York River. The grass around the buildings is doing very well. We are the 94^th Replacement Battalion. As near as we can find out, we are held here to do work details until replacements are needed. Then we get our advanced training and head for Island X. Our original group is very badly broken up. Raper is now in another group and Fulbright is in Ship’s Company. The rest are here, there, and everywhere and our future is very foggy.

5/2. Sun. Caught the head detail this morning and after that the day was mine. Thirty-five out of our barrack went out on KP. Spent the morning sitting against a stump writing letters and taking a sunbath. In the evening Raper and I went over to B-3 to see some of the boys who are pulling out on Tuesday.

5/3. Mon. Caught the first fire watch last night. Poured down rain at chow time this morning so I did not go. Stopped shortly after. Those of us who were not on KP went out on work details. I pulled one that was mighty easy. Nine of us went to the B-4 drill hall to clean up. It was a huge building but the work was mighty light. Half of our barrack went out on liberty tonight – 37 ½ hours. Our half goes out on Wednesday night.

5/4. Tues. Caught KP today. It was considerably better than the last time I was on. I dispensed coffee for morning and noon chow. At evening chow I spent most of the time worrying the M.A. and making him think I was not doing any work when I was. He thought he was getting me into something when he put me in the galley to help swab the deck. I ended up getting through work a half hour before the fellows I had been working with.#

5/5. Wed. Spent today drilling. It was not as hard as the drill the fellows got yesterday. We got plenty dusty, however. Started our 37 ½ hour liberty tonight. Was afraid to try to make High Point. Four of us – Raper, Owenby, Keith and I decided to go to Norfolk.

5/6. Thurs. We made Norfolk ok, but what a time we had trying to find a place to stay last night. We walked for three hours around the town trying to find a room. Ended up sleeping on a string of chairs in the Portsmouth "Y" at one o’clock this morning. Had a fine trip on the ferry from Newport News to Norfolk last night. Took almost an hour. Everything except the shipyards was pretty much blacked out. It was interesting to watch the search lights pick up the planes as they flew overhead. Keith and Owenby left the "Y" before Raper and I this morning and we did not see them all day. Frank and I had a good breakfast at Child’s and a good shower at the Navy "Y" before starting our tour of the town. Spent the morning shopping for something for our wives. Ended up by buying them pajamas and hose, and sending Mother’s Day greetings. After a fish dinner we went to see The Lady of Burlesque. The ferry was supposed to leave Norfolk at 7:00 to catch our train in Newport News at 8. At 6 we decided to go to Newport News by a different route which Frank said would take about 45 minutes. We boarded a streetcar and went to Ocean View where we spent a few minutes between cars looking the place over. Then on to Willoughby Beach where we caught the ferry to Old Point and Fortress Monroe. From there into Phoebus by bus and through Hampton to Newport News by trolley. Instead of arriving there at 6:45 we made it at 10:20, some 2 hours and 20 minutes after our train had left. Found the next train would leave at 1:15, so ambled down to the C.G.O. station where we found a little mail train ready to pull out. It was not scheduled to stop at Williamsburg but the conductor told us he would let us off. A lucky break. Ended our jaunt back in camp at 1:00.

5/7. Fri. Caught regimental guard today. Was on the 08:00 to 12:00 and the 20:00 to 24:00 shifts. Had to haul our bedding to the guardhouse which was right alongside a drillfield and caught all the dust. It was filthy. I was on the fire watch and had a very hard time keeping awake. Went to sleep in the afternoon during my rest period. Saw a notice on the bulletin board that I was moving on Monday to Area 3. What that means I do not know. We may take our advanced training there.

5/8. Sat. We guards were off duty till 1:00 today, but to keep from having to go out on a detail we had to scatter into the woods. I started to wash some clothes but found out I could not after getting them into a bucket. Had to hide them in a hurry because of inspection but I did not do a good enough job for they were found and my name was turned in. Got by with a light bawling out from the chief M.A. Spent the afternoon on a work detail. The major part of the time was spent shooting the bull with the chief. After evening chow I managed to get my clothes washed. Went over to ship’s company area with Frank where he met a friend of his and went to the new camp beer garden. The place was really filled with fellows.#

5/9. Sun. Had a free day today. Don’t know how it happened. Spent the morning out on the riverbank writing letters. In the afternoon I started work on getting my sea bag in shape for moving tomorrow. I think somehow or another I will get everything in this time. Went over to the drill hall to see Stand by for Action. It was a pretty good show. Cooper* drew a "Seabee" on the back of my coveralls. He did a swell job.

5/10. Mon. Everything was hustle and bustle this morning. Boys for the 41st and 42nd special drafts and the 93rd Battalion are moving out. Those of us in the 93rd did not leave till right after noon chow. The others left in the morning. We are split up more than ever now. Moved into Area A-3. Called my name out for KP tomorrow. Had to go through "short arm" inspection* because of it. It has been very hot today. We were told tonight that by the first of next week we will be in Davisville, Rhode Island. Am glad it is not California.

5/11. Tues. Went on KP today. Caught the coffee urn again. I like that job about as good as anything in the mess hall. Managed to get some laundry washed during my rest period.

5/12. Wed. We had our first bag inspection this morning. Had to dump everything from our bags onto our bunks and line it up according to Hoyle. After that we drilled until we were chased in by the rain. This afternoon we went out on a work party digging stumps and raking up a field behind our barrack. It was little more than a gold brick job. Had a 12 hour liberty this evening. Went into Williamsburg with "Dynamite." He had a dollar and I had fifty cents. We both came back flat broke. Between showers we roamed the town. Went to the show and spent the remainder of the evening at the USO singing. There were some very good piano players there among both the civilians and the Seabees.

5/13. Thurs. Made out requisitions for our helmets today. So I guess we will be leaving in a few days. Spent the morning on the stump digging project again. The sun has been very hot today and I managed to get my arms burned a little. Went out on a 2 1/2 hour hike this afternoon after which we had a short arm inspection - another sign of pulling out soon. Managed to get all of my clothes cleaned up today, and ready for morning.

5/14. Fri. Had a pretty easy day today. Started drilling this morning but we were rained out and had to retire to our barrack. Spent the remainder of the day just reading and loafing around. Went over to B-1 to see if any of the old crowd which I left behind was around. They were mighty scarce.

5/15. Sat. Went on KP again today. Had it fairly easy. Put cream in the coffee cups. It has been very dreary today. The sky has been very overcast. We were issued our tin hats. By virtue of KP I did not have to go through bag inspection this afternoon. We had to pack all our gear this evening in preparation to leave tomorrow. We have been told that we are going to Camp Endicott and are living with that idea in mind. We may end up there and we may not.

5/16. Sun. Another dreary day. The sun is trying to peek through but with little success. Finished packing our gear this morning. Somehow or another I was able to get all that mess into the bags. Had a number of musters and were assigned to cars on the train. Noon chow came at 11. After lounging around the barrack for a while we stood in the inevitable line for a longer while and then boarded trucks for the train. It is the first time and I hope it is the last time that I ever start getting ready at 5 in the morning to catch a train at 3 in the afternoon. There was a band at the station to see us off. The train was really dirty from soot. The windows could hardly be seen through. It seems the windows were all opened as soon as the train was boarded. It was a very orderly crowd, perhaps because we could not leave the car to which we had been assigned. There were about 16 cars including those hauling our gear. Which meant there were about 600 men aboard. After we got under way we really caught every cinder that flew by. In Richmond box lunches and milk were put aboard. All the way up the line the Yankees were busy telling the Rebels of the virtues of the new land before them and how superior it would be to Camp Peary. In Washington we got out for some PT and bought sandwiches and milk, and mailed a few cards. We seemed to travel faster after the Pennsy took us over. It may have been just the effect of the electric train pulling us. In New York, our C.O. had $28 worth of coffee put aboard for us. We took up a collection to reimburse him. They were selling "dopes" for 15 cents in the station.#

5/17. Mon. It was very misty and foggy when we hit New England and there were quite a few swamps in view so the Rebels started working on the Yankees. We arrived in camp at 6:30. After we were assigned to our barrack J-4 we headed for the chow line. The barracks here hold a whole company rather than two platoons. The mess halls are also different from Peary. Food is much better and everything else looks better than Peary. Most of the morning and part of the afternoon we spent in trying to locate our bags. The remainder of the afternoon was spent in getting squared off. We have a small locker now which is a little more convenient than having to use a seabag all the time. After chow I went up to C Area and hunted up some of the old D-5 crowd. There are quite a few of them over there in the 74th. After 5 o’clock we have to wear either our dress or undress blues if we want to leave our area.#

5/18. Tues. We don’t have to get up till 5:45 now. And not then if we don’t want to go to chow. They have an amplifying system here which covers each barrack and every place else. All announcements and bugle calls are made over it. You really hear the bugle too. Had a lecture on first aid and our first one on judo. That is a rough game. Drizzled for most of the morning and poured down at noon. It was a good thing we were issued our foul weather gear yesterday. Our regular uniform of the day now is coveralls and the plastic portion of our helmets. This afternoon we went to a lecture on jungle warfare which I almost slept through. It was very dry and consisted mainly of the bugs we might meet in the jungle. After that we became acquainted with the pack which we will be issued before we leave.#

5/19. Wed. Hit the commando course the first thing this morning. It was not as hard as I had expected it would be. We ran up piles of dirt, jumped off embankments, climbed fences, rolled under barbed wire, crossed suspension bridges and such as that. It was quite a bit of fun. After we had finished that, there was a lecture on hand grenades. Caught the 12-4 fire watch last night and again this afternoon. Spent both times reading. Had to go to a propaganda movie tonight. The whole company had to attend that. We had to wait for almost an hour for another group to come out of the show. Some of the fellows had been drinking beer and had to do a lot of running to the head while we were waiting.

5/20. Thurs. Caught the 12-4 fire watch again last night. Don’t think I shall ever get caught up on my sleep. Went out into a swamp this morning for practice with machetes. Cut brush and trees down to make trails and spread what we had cut down across the swamp to form a dry walk. Some of the fellows really got wet in the process. In the afternoon we had a lecture on first aid then started in on Judo. We got some actual practice this time. That is really a dirty way of playing. Charlie Murray caught up with me tonight. After chewing the fat for a while we went to a show.

5/21. Fri. Spent the entire morning drilling for a dress parade tomorrow morning. It was really raw out on the drill field. This afternoon it drizzled - probably will do the same thing tomorrow morning. We had a lecture on sex hygiene and another bag inspection. Wrote letters tonight.#

5/22. Sat. Our big dress parade was quite a mess today. It rained so hard we had to retire to one of the big drill halls which are still in the process of being constructed. We did not look any too hot. After the parade we had the morning off. Most of the fellows headed for Ship’s Store to buy their tickets to Providence. After chow the skies cleared up a little bit and the rain stopped. We went out to a lecture on gas masks and had practice on putting them on plus a trip through the gas chamber. After that we were free again to go out on our 36 hour liberty. There was really a line up at the O.D.’s office waiting for passes. Took about an hour and a half to give out the passes. While the line shortened I went to the mess hall for chow. After we got out of the gate we had another line to stand in waiting for the buses to Providence. Had planned on getting to Utica this weekend but found I could not get a train that would permit me to have any time up there at all. That caused quite a change in my plans so I had to decide where to go. Walked around Providence for quite a while looking the town over. It seemed very queer there as it was pretty thoroughly blacked out. The streets were very dark. There were plenty of sailors in town. Stopped in the USO and wrote a few postcards. While there I decided to spend the night in Providence and try to find Bob Fuller. Bob Minor* from Birmingham, Alabama dropped into the USO while I was there looking for a place to stay. The girls in the USO suggested the Volunteers of America so off the two of us went. We had a very enjoyable stay there. They really tried to make us feel at home. After cleaning up a bit we went down to the dining room for some refreshments they were serving. Met several girls who were acting as hostesses. Played shuffleboard with them after eating. Just before going to bed we spent a few minutes in the lounge where there were innumerable magazines, good chairs, and all such.

5/23. Sun. Got up at 8:30 this morning. Pressed my clothes and got in real ship shape. They served us a pretty good breakfast. Left about 10:30. Bob decided to go to Boston with me. After seeing the business side of Providence in the daylight we caught a 12:00 express to Boston arriving there in less than an hour. It was a very good train. The New Haven seems to have a good road bed. Both Providence and Boston have old buildings in their business sections. Ate dinner at Child’s and then set out to find Bob Fuller. After quite a bit of travel on subways, street cars, and buses and then a walk of several blocks we found the house. Had quite an enjoyable few hours with Bob, Aileen and "Joe." After a light supper we had to leave. They drove us down to the station and we saw quite a bit of the vicinity on the way, Harvard and M.I.T. being on the route. Had another crowded train on the way back. Wandered around Providence again. Bob wanted to stop at the Masonic Temple. After a short visit there we got something to eat again and then found the proper line in which to stand for the Camp Endicott bus. The bus station was really a mad house. Arrived back in camp at 11:30 after what I thought was a very enjoyable weekend.

5/24. Mon. Everyone seemed to have a little trouble getting up this morning. Some more than others. Started in on dry fire today in preparation for rifle practice next week. This afternoon we were supposed to have been issued our carbines but ended up on the commando course instead. I went over everything this time and am real proud of myself. I was really whipped down when I had finished. After that we had some bayonet practice and that whipped me down the rest of the way. Spent the evening writing letters.

5/25. Tues. More dry fire this morning. Spent a portion of the morning out on the drill field practicing some of the firing positions. This afternoon we were issued our carbines. They are quite a nice little rifle. Very deadly yet weigh less than the ‘03 Springfield. This evening five of us started to the show and ended up on a 2 1/2 hour walk which took us to about every section of the camp.#

5/26. Wed. Spent the entire day today on dry fire and the use of the carbine. Most of the time on dry fire was spent in practice of what we would have to do on the range when we get to Sun Valley next week. This evening we had to go to another showing of a training film. Ended up getting to bed at 10:30 instead of 9:30.

5/27. Thurs. Still more dry fire today. This afternoon we went out on the 1000 inch range and shot 10 rounds on the twenty two rifles there. I did considerably better than I had expected. I got all ten shots on the target and they were not too scattered which is to say there were others that were worse. This evening we had a 12 hour liberty which I spent in East Greenwich with "Junior" Morgan. We spent some time at the USO where I checked on room possibilities for Lib. They have one of the nicest USOs that I have seen. We got into a Bingo game. I came out second place and am to have my picture taken the next time I am in town. Missed first place by a hair. Three of us tied and had to cut the cards to see who won first which was a phone call home. One fellow dropped out because he lived fairly close. The other fellow pulled a six and I pulled a five. Got back into camp at 12.

5/28. Fri. Another day on dry fire. It is getting a little monotonous but if it will make a good rifle shot of me I sure will stick with it. The planes from Quonset have been taking off in this direction all day and have had us really stretching our necks. Kate Smith is in camp tonight putting on a show. Didn’t go as I had to write Lib.#

5/29. Sat. Wound up all of the dry fire this morning and then proceeded to get packed up all our gear in preparation for moving to Sun Valley. They brought us over here in buses after noon chow. We really like it fine. We are living in Quonset huts and as usual I am in the first group to move into a place. All previous groups have had to come over here from Endicott each day by bus. It is about 5 miles away. This place makes us feel as if we were camping out. There are only 12 men to each hut sleeping on army cots. The only buildings here are these huts which seem to be very versatile. Food is prepared in one hut,* cooked and served in another, eaten in another, and dishes washed in another. The chow line and dirty tray line sometimes get crossed up. But that merely adds to the humor of the thing. Washed some clothes last night. After lights went out we had quite a time playing tricks on each other.

5/30. Sun. The bugler went out on liberty last night so we were awakened this morning by the guards blowing a whistle into each hut. Had all morning free so we busied ourselves building a table and bench for our hut. Used some insulation for upholstery. Had the table setting outside and sat there with Beck* with a sheet of paper having the boys sign up for Liberty Passes.* We were about mobbed when they found out we were kidding. In the afternoon we went over to the range to clean our rifles and after that on a work detail building stone gutters.#

5/31. Mon. Went over on the range and fired 15 rounds on my carbine this morning. It really worked quite well. Did better than I had thought I would. My sights are a little bit off but am getting them adjusted. Went on KP this afternoon. We get that for the whole week. Got on officers’ mess which means we will get plenty to eat. Should have received 12 hours’ liberty tonight but all leaves have been canceled while we are out here. We were all pretty hot. Roamed around the camp after KP to see how well built the fence is. It has possibilities.

6/1. Tues. We can’t figure out why they get us out so early in the morning when we don’t go anywhere any sooner than before, unless it takes longer to dish out chow. Fired on the 100 yard range again this morning to get our sights lined up. Then we fired for a score. Moved back to 200 yards and fired 10 rounds. I did better at that than I did at 100. Have been surprised at doing it as good as I have. My sights seem to be lined up in good shape. Messed around this afternoon as it was raining and I am on guard duty.

6/2. Wed. Stopped raining by the time I went on guard duty last night. Don’t mind this beat as much as ones I have had in the past. It covers so much territory that it is like a nice walk. Then too, the mess hall is on the route so that food can be had every now and then. Fired all morning on both ranges and all positions. Still doing fairly well. Tried to get out of work this afternoon because of guard again tonight but ended up going out on a detail loading trucks with trash. Had to go on from 5:30 to 8:30 tonight.

6/3. Thurs. My firing seems to be growing worse instead of better each day. Did not do so hot this morning. Spent this afternoon on the range watching another group fire and taking a sun bath. Had to go to a show on camouflage tonight. It was really hot in that place. Our period for guard came today at a time when there are no guards on duty so had a vacation from that job. Called Lib tonight - took two hours to get the call through - but that voice was really worth waiting for. She will meet me in New York Saturday night. Am I happy.

6/4. Fri. Fired this morning for qualification and I messed it up pretty bad. Only made 88 out of 200. As bad as it was, there were worse scores. It has really been hot today. Went back on the range again this afternoon to watch the firing. Had a payday today. Also more guard, as was to be expected. Was on from 8:30 to 12 again. Esposito* and I were in rare form for some reason and spent most of the evening playing tricks on people. Received our usual handout from the bakers.

6/5. Sat. Packed our bags this morning to get ready to move back to Endicott. Most of my company was put on the loading detail which meant loading the gear for the entire battalion on trucks. We got to ride back while the others had to walk. The sun has been very hot but a wind has blown - also it stirred up quite a bit of dust. A lot of us were in quite a hurry this afternoon because we had a 36 hour liberty starting. Missed the 6:00 train to New York and had to wait till 7. The bus driver really tried hard to get us to the train. Had a cop chasing us part of the way. Had to stand most all the way into New York. The train was really jammed. Hardly standing room. Arrived in New York at 11:30. Lib was waiting for me at the Bristol. She sure looked good. After getting cleaned up a little bit we went out to get me some supper and then a trek around Times Square, which sure looks barren without its lights.

6/6. Sun. Did not get up in too big a hurry this morning. It has turned out to be a beautiful day. Had breakfast just before going to Radio City to a broadcast. Then for some dinner which we finished at 2. Walked around some more, checking on transportation to East Orange and rounding up Lib's baggage. Caught train out of Hoboken at 6 for East Orange where we had supper with Ginny Miller and her family. Had quite an enjoyable visit with them. Caught train back to New York at 10:20 leaving Lib to spend a few days with Ginny. After riding on several subs I managed to reach Grand Central an hour and a quarter before train time. They would not let me on the train I had expected to catch, so got on another one which left at the same time but arrived in Providence a half hour later.

6/7. Mon. Fell asleep on the train as soon as I sat down. Train was a half hour late which gave us only a half hour to get to camp. Three of us tried to hire a cab to bring us out but were turned down so we got in a two block long line for the bus. Waited for three quarters of an hour before we could get on a bus. Arrived in camp 50 minutes late. There were about ten of us from the 93rd in the group. We were told at the gate to wait for an escort from the O.D.’s office. From the way the O.D. acted when we arrived, I think we will get out of being late OK. Started the morning off with a lecture on extended order. After that we went out in the field to practice extended order. Started out on the same thing this afternoon but were forced into a drill hall by the rain. Spent this evening washing some clothes. Watson and I are both expecting our wives on Friday, so are still worried about having been late this morning.

6/8. Tues. Spent the whole day on KP. The worst came this afternoon. Had to go before our Commander because of yesterday morning. Intended washing my dress blues but had to wear them. I ended up being spokesman for our group. We were all given 10 days’ restrictions which means we have to check in at the M.A.A.’s office 4 times a day and miss two 12 hour liberties. Watson and I are sick over it. Wrote Lib about the situation. Saw the Chief M.A.A., Bumguard, to see if something could be done. He is going to try to get one of our liberties back for the two of us. Really feel low tonight.#

6/9. Wed. Back on extended order again today. Sure did not feel like doing anything this morning. Went up to see Chief Bumguard at noon with Watson. Watson will get his Friday leave and I will get my Thursday (6/17) one. Chief can really ask me to do anything and it will be done. Felt a lot more like working this afternoon. Had to go to a lecture this evening and then caught up a bit on my correspondence.

6/10. Thurs. Another lecture this morning followed by extended order again. Worked on a field problem this afternoon. Really cleaned up tonight. Pressed all my blues and washed everything that was dirty. Had a blackout at 9:00.

6/11. Fri. More KP today. This is our liberty night so we got off at 1:30. Received a wire from Lib that she was on her way this noon. Spent the afternoon writing letters and getting cleaned up. Met Lib at the gate tonight. We both arrived there at about the same time. The guest house at the gate is really a popular place. Men and their wives were all over the place even sitting on the floor. Lib is staying in a cabin just the other side of East Greenwich. We had to part at 9:45 so she could catch a bus back. It is a nice feeling.

6/12. Sat. More KP again today. Pressed my whites during my two rest periods to get them ready should I want to use them all of a sudden. Managed to get out of the mess hall a little bit early tonight so I could get down to the gate to see Lib. Saturday and Sunday nights wives can come in to go to the show. We had a usual Navy line to stand in to get the proper credentials for admittance. Arrived at the show ten minutes late and had to sit on the very front row. Stopped at the mess hall on the way back to the gate and managed to get a piece of cake.

6/13. Sun. Almost forgot to report at 07:00 this morning. Spent the morning loafing and listening to a rendition of the articles for the Government of the Navy. Was able to get all my shoes cleaned up at that time. Messed around this afternoon. Lib and I went to another show tonight. She is getting a full taste of Navy lines now. Had to stand for an hour and a half to get into the show.#

6/14. Mon. This week we go out on work parties. Got on a detail today that did not have to do too much work. Moved cans of oil in the morning and shoes in the afternoon. A plane carrying depth charges* crashed on an ammunition dump at Quonset this afternoon. The explosion really shook the place. Spent this evening with Lib again.

6/15. Tues. Managed to get a fairly easy detail this morning. Had to clean up A-B recreation hall which was done fairly quick and permitted time to play a few games of checkers and dominoes. In the afternoon 4 of us were sent out to repair some roads in one of the other areas. Met Lib at the gate again tonight. The Guest House was really bulging with people tonight.

6/16. Wed. Had to get up at 4 this morning to go on a two hour fire watch. Got on the same cleaning detail this morning that I had yesterday. But caught the works this afternoon when I had to go out and help unload about 1500 bags of cement. Managed to get very dirty at it and ended up doing a little washing tonight as a result.

6/17. Thurs. Caught the A-B clean up detail for the third time this morning. This afternoon I went down on a drag line in a swamp as a helper. Enjoyed that job even though it was rather bumpy. Had liberty tonight. Caught a ride into East Greenwich and met Lib at the USO. Went out to her cabin which is fairly nice even though noisy because of the railroad. Took a walk down to Aponaugh.

6/18. Fri. Up at 5 this morning to catch a ride back to camp. Had no trouble getting a ride. Worked on the ball diamond in the morning and in the rock pit this afternoon. Had to load a truck with rocks by hand - some fun. Managed to get a sun bath out of it. Met Lib at the gate tonight. Have decided to go to Lake George on the 9 days. Played Gin Rummy most of the evening.

6/19. Sat. KP all day today. Met Lib at the gate tonight as usual and brought her in to a show. Got off KP a little bit early thanks to Hoenstine who took my place.

6/20. Sun. My first Sunday KP today. Was able to get my share plus a bit more of ice cream. Lib came out at 2 this afternoon and I spent my rest period this afternoon with her. This evening we went to the show again. Met C.W. Ramsey again with his wife who it turned out also went to Duke and sat next to Lib in Chapel for four years. Rode to the gate with them after the show. Saw Howard Diffenbacher this morning.

6/21. Mon. We spent today on extended order and had two pretty good sessions of it. Did better this afternoon than we did in the morning. Huckleberries will soon be ripe but probably too late for me to enjoy them. Had payday tonight. A mighty thin one to get just before a 9 day furlough. Had a blackout tonight which was received quite favorably at the Guest House. Saw Chuck Murray as Lib was leaving. Talked quite a while with him. Raper and Fulbright are reported to be up here now.

6/22. Tues. What a day this has been. Went out this morning on field fortifications. In two hours we built a slit trench and then a fox hole. Under fire we will probably take less time. The place where we dug soon will be nothing but a solid hole for others had been before us. The short shovels and picks are not the easiest tools to use but it is surprising the amount of work that can be done with them. After that we had another lesson in Judo. I sometimes wonder if we are getting sufficient training and then again wonder if we will remember all that we have received. This afternoon we hit the commando course and then bayonet practice. A most tiring day. No water this afternoon and we really wanted some too. Had 12 hours tonight which I spent with Lib in East Greenwich. Danced at the USO during the evening. It was terribly hot.

6/23. Wed. Up early this morning to bum back to camp. The first car picked me up so I got back in time to wash some clothes before chow. We were scheduled to go out on the bay in landing barges this morning to "take" an island but ended up hiking to Sun Valley. It was about 15 miles round trip. There were some sore feet before we got back. Had chow served in the field which tasted mighty good. Was put on guard duty at the bivouac and came back in the rear guard. No water on the way back except what we procured and the rear guard alone was able to get by with that. Made one stop at a beer joint where we filled our helmets with water and ice which we carried till it had been consumed. Had short arm as soon as we got back. Should have gone to a training movie tonight but there was vodvil in "EE". Not many of the men who started for the movie got there. It was funny watching the fellows fall out en route.

6/24. Thurs. Today was a repetition of Tuesday much to our sorrow. First Aid took the place of field fortifications. Had bag inspection tonight then met Lib at the gate where the only seats available were on the floor.

6/25. Fri. No one has felt much like doing anything today as the thoughts of getting ready for the 9 day leave have been too strong. I went to the first aid class this morning but skipped Judo. Ran into Norman Warner who came into the 99th this morning. He brought a little more news of the old "boot" crowd. Raper, Owenby, and Cooper are in the Marines at New River and Red Giles was surveyed out because of stomach ulcers. This afternoon we were supposed to get some more bayonet practice but most of us failed to arrive at the field. We were given from 3:00 on to get ready for tomorrow. Met Lib at the gate tonight for the last time. It was so hot and crowded in the Guest House that they opened up the little unfinished outdoor park for us. It was quite nice there except for the mosquitoes.

6/26. Sat. We were awakened at the ungodly hour of 3:00 this morning. Had chow at 4 and then messed around till 6:45 when we had a muster. Most of us who were not traveling by special train were not supposed to get through the gate till 8 but we were through by 7. Met Lib in East Greenwich and we caught the bus on into Providence where she ate her breakfast in the station. The train to New York was very crowded and hot. Ate dinner en route as the diner was a fairly cool spot. Mother, Marion and Sadie were waiting for us in Grand Central but we failed to find them for several hours. We got messed up on our messages. Spent most of the afternoon in the Vanderbuilt lobby talking. After supper we all got our bags located. Sadie and Marion would not be able to see Rosalinda with us on Monday night so we changed their tickets to tonight. Mother went to Tenafly and Lib and I left for the theatre where we were to meet Helen and Larry Godbee to see Arsenic and Old Lace. It was a very good play. I was much surprised to find so much humor in it. Spent the night at Bayside with Helen and Larry.

6/27. Sun. I got up this morning just in time to eat breakfast and catch a train to New York and there by bus to Tenafly where I arrived rather late for dinner. The bus trip provided a wonderful view of New York from the Palisades. Spent the afternoon trying to keep cool and chatting. Marion and Norman left for New York about 4:30 where Marion caught a train back to Michigan. Uncle Arnold and Mother and I drove Sadie to Route 4 where Sadie caught the bus to Butler and where Lib arrived from Hawthorne. After a late supper we went to bed rather early for a change.

6/28. Mon. Went shopping with Uncle Arnold this morning and after lunch got off to a late start to New York. Went to Radio City Music Hall for quite a good show. The Rockettes far exceeded my expectations and I believe have ruined any future and similar performances by anyone else. I don’t see how any humans could have such precision. Between that show and Rosalinda, Lib and Mother had supper while I went to Grand Central and bought tickets to Albany and transferred Lib’s bag to the Day Line dock. I met them at the show where they had a sandwich for me. I enjoyed Rosalinda in spite of the building being un-airconditioned and Sadie and Mother being disappointed with it. Arrived back at Uncle Arnold’s quite late.

6/29. Tues. Up early again this morning to get to New York in time to catch the boat to Albany. We really had a wonderful trip up the Hudson. It was the most restful thing I have done in quite some time. The scenery was quite beautiful and the weather nice at the beginning and end of the trip. Ran into quite a squall at Storm King Mountain. Saw the upturned and burned "Normandie" at its dock and the "Gripsholn" anchored up the river. The latter is the ship that has been carrying diplomats between the warring nations. There were a bunch of kids on the ship from a camp in the Catskills who were getting the autographs of all servicemen on board. I was among the honored ones. Arrived in Albany just a few minutes late. After a meal in the station Mother’s train arrived. Ours was just a few minutes later. Had a wonderful air conditioned coach with reclining seats to Lake George where we were met by Mr. Kneeshaw. Arrived at Rondack Lodge at Bolton Landing where we are to spend the next few days and where we went to bed immediately. It is delightfully cool here.

6/30. Wed. Slept till 11:30 this morning and it sure felt good. Out for a walk this afternoon just rambling all over the place. It has been a very pretty and cool day – a decided change from the weekend. Changed clothes after supper and walked into town and back to the Algonquin trying to find a place to dance. Found the other people there quite free with their nickels in the juke box.

7/1. Thurs. Up in time for breakfast this morning. Had the Kneeshaws pack a lunch for us so that we could go row boating all day. Left about 10:30 and returned about 5:00. Had a very enjoyable trip even though the wind battered us around quite a bit and made it hard rowing. It was necessary at times for both of us to row to keep the boat on a straight course. Rowed about 12 miles round trip into Northwest Bay. Sky was quite variable. I did end up with quite a sunburn on my legs. Ate dinner with Jean and took her down with us for a short boat ride after. Returned the boat and wandered around the town for a while before returning to the Lodge.

7/2. Fri. Thought I would be sore from pumping the boat yesterday but find the only soreness on my legs from the sunburn. Had another lunch packed for us today so that we could climb a small mountain behind Lake George. It was a considerably shorter trip than we had thought it would be. It was quite steep in places. From the top we had a wonderful view of the lower portion of the lake. Returned to the Lodge in mid-afternoon so that we could take a sunbath on the dock. After supper we walked into the village with Jean, Arthur and Eileen Shelan from New York and Tom and Henrietta Oldham from Schnectedy. Started to the Sogamore for some refreshments. The entire hotel had been taken over by a realtors’ meeting so we stopped at the Bolton Lights. Did not stay long. Three of the realtors, Joe, Paul and Barney spent last night at the lodge and provided us with a lot of joking today.

7/3. Sat. Just messed around again today walking into town, sunbathing on the dock and playing shuffleboard with the others at the lodge. Shuffleboard has really been fun. Jean left today. This evening Lib and I went to the Algonquin to dance again. Shad flies came in from the lake tonight and really had the light poles covered. The six of us walked into town this evening and bribed a ride on the bus back to the lodge with a bottle of beer.

7/4. Sun. Today has seemed no more like the 4^th of July than any other day. Loafed again doing little more than we did yesterday. Rained this afternoon so that we were confined to the lodge. Played parlor games most of the afternoon. Walked into town again this evening for some exercise. Have been kidding Norma, our waitress all during our stay, about wanting some more of the delicious apple pie which we had several times. This evening she bought me a piece while we were in town. I am saving it for breakfast tomorrow. Had a very rough hour in a canoe this morning. Water was rougher than when we were in the rowboat the other day. Am hating to leave this place to-morrow. Have had such great food and such a good time in spite of thin walls and squeaky bed springs. Arthur has been an exceptional lot of fun.

7/6. Tues. Had a swell coach to Providence. Slept most of the way. Train was ten minutes early in arriving instead of late as it was the last time I rode it. Was back in camp by 6. We mustered after chow and I found myself on KP for the remainder of the day. Had no objections as I had quite a bit of laundry to do and KP is a good time to catch up on such things. Scuttlebutt has us leaving for Livermore, Calif. on Friday.#

7/7. Wed. Went back on KP again this morning but were relieved at noon by another group. Managed to get a fair quota of ice cream before being relieved. Were supposed to have returned our foul weather gear this afternoon but rain prevented that. The battalion had a dress parade this morning – the first outgoing one to have such a display. The boys looked pretty good. Co. C received a blue ribbon on its guidon for having the cleanest barrack. I would hate to see the others. Continued cleaning up this afternoon. Norman Warner dropped around for a while this evening. Also had pay day.

7/8. Thurs. Today was spent in doing little more than getting ready for a bag inspection this afternoon. Everyone seems to be in mighty fine spirits for leaving to-morrow. Were assigned to our trains and cars today for the trip. Went to a show tonight after getting my bags fairly well packed. Took a long time for this barrack to quiet down tonight. Even had to call in the D.O. to help straighten the place out.#

7/10. Sat. Woke up this morning on the Erie Railroad at Port Jarvis. Avoided New York City by going from New Haven to Newburgh. It was a beautiful ride through the Poconos. Reached Binghamton at 8. Ate breakfast while passing through Elmira. Saw the Gennese River Gorge from the rear of the train. The country flattened out as we neared the lakes. Reached Buffalo at 1:45 and crossed the Whirlwind Rapids and the Canadian border at 3. The Canadian National took over from that point. Gave us swell food and service in the diner. The homes along the railroads in Canada look so very much nicer than the ones in the same location in the States. Reached Sarnia at 7:30 and crossed back to the States by going under the St. Clair River to Port Huron, Mich. Grand Trunk picked us up at this point. Did not see much of Michigan as it was growing dark when we arrived there. Went to bed near Durant. #

7/11. Sun. Woke up this morning riding the Wabash about 35 miles south of Chicago. I did not wake up while we were there at all. Thought we were headed for St. Louis but cut off somewhere in Illinois toward Kansas City. The towns have grown smaller and the country flat. Arrived in Decatur, Ill. at 9:30 and there had some PT Passed through Springfield at 11:30. Crossed the Illinois River, which had recently gone over its banks, at 1:30. Crossed the Mississippi River at Hannibal, Mo. at 4. Spent about an hour in Moberly where we again had some PT Reached Kansas City at 10:10 where we spent an hour and a half. While there we fed the Army. One of their troop trains arrived in the station the same time we did from New York. They had been traveling in day coaches and were a tired, dirty-looking crowd. We gave them ice water, candy and cigarettes. After we left Kansas City I took a spit bath and washed my clothes.#

7/12. Mon. Woke up this morning in the middle of a Kansas prairie. Reached Hoising at 10:30 and there paraded around the town. Stopped again at Horace at 3. Got off the train to stretch and found it to be hot and windy. Very desolate looking country till we reached Ordway, Colorado at 6:15 where there were trees and vegetable gardens. Shortly after this town we began to sight the mountains. Reached Pueblo at 7:45 where we saw Pikes Peak about 50 miles away against a beautiful sunset. USO put books and magazines on board for us here. After leaving Pueblo we began to climb following the Arkansas River into the Royal Gorge. The trip was beautiful in moonlight. Stayed up until midnight watching the scenery from the rear platform.

7/13. Tues. This morning we woke up along the Colorado River. Passed through Glendale at 6:45 and Grand Junction at 9. The Rio Grande which we have been riding since Kansas City put on a diner which was a converted observation car. Passed through Green River, Utah at 12 where we learned we were about 10 hours late. Reached Helper at 1:45 and Soldier’s Summit at 3:30 where the elevation was about 7,000. Went from there down a series of horseshoe curves. Covered about 9 miles to get about one. Arrived in Salt Lake City at 5:00 and after walking around the station for an hour left on the Western Pacific. Followed the Great Salt Lake for an hour or more before heading off into nowhere.

7/14. Wed. Woke up this morning to find ourselves in a very desolate part of Nevada. Very flat country surrounded by mountains which we never seemed to reach. Passed through Battle Mountain at 6:30 and Winemucca at 8:00. Saw a number of wild geese and ducks. Rode in the cupola of the caboose for about three hours before noon chow. Crossed into California about 2:30. Vegetation changed at 3:30 when pine trees showed up. Saw a number of dead deer which had become hung on fences in trying to cross them. At Partola we stopped for a while at 5 and marched around the town for exercise. From there till dark we went down through the canyon formed by the Feather River. At one point the railroad made a complete 360 degree turn to cross under itself. Passed through about 35 tunnels. In one spot the right-of-way was being repaired from a freight train wreck.* One car was still down in the bottom of the gorge. Passed through Orville at dusk which was at the bottom of the mountains. Never got chow till 9:30. Had a good turkey dinner.#

7/15. Thurs. Passed through Sacramento and Stockholm during the night and arrived at Camp Parks on the Southern Pacific at 5. Got set up in our barrack soon after arriving. Very cool. Sun put in its appearance at 9:30. Spent the day cleaning clothes and looking the camp over. Don’t expect we will be here so very long. Camp is new and fairly nice looking.#

7/16. Fri. Loafed this morning while the third section which arrived yesterday afternoon got its gear cleaned up. Clothes really dry in a hurry here. Wind is blowing constantly. Spent the afternoon on the drill field in close order formations. Went to the theatre this evening. A very attractive place. California doesn’t seem to agree with me. Caught a good cold since I have been here.

7/17. Sat. Over the commando course this morning. Quite a few of the fellows got good soakings. Had demonstrations on pack rolling later in the morning. This afternoon we were issued our packs and after spending some time getting them packed and adjusted, we went out on the drill field to get used to wearing them. Spent this evening writing a few letters.

7/18. Sun. Managed to get on a KP detail today. Have enjoyed working under the M.A. He has been on Guadalcanal for 8 months and won’t take any horseplay from anyone. I have eaten so much that I feel I could go for several hours without wanting very much.

7/19. Mon. Started this morning out with a trip over the commando course followed by another one of those lectures on hand grenades. After that there was a demonstration on judo in which the instructors really threw each other around. They fell and dived on and off the stage. In the afternoon there was a short hike to the rifle range and back. Had liberty tonight. Had to go through an inspection before we could leave camp. Pop Bradshaw* and I bummed a ride into Hayward and spent the evening there. Most of the fellows went into Frisco but I have not been feeling too good and wanted to get to bed fairly early. We wandered around the town for a while before eating. After chow we stopped at the Hospitality House where we played rummy till 11:30. Were back in camp at 12.

7/20. Tues. Our company went on public works today. I caught a cleaning detail in the Officers’ Quarters on the hill which turned out to be a cinch. Managed to get the work done in a hurry and took it easy the rest of the day. A blimp caused quite a bit of excitement this afternoon by trying to make two apparent landings on the drill field. Went to a show this evening.

7/21. Wed. Public Works again today. Caught the best detail I have had yet. Several of us went by truck with our lunches to Mission San Jose which was several miles beyond Hayward. We were out to dig some shrubbery to be brought back to camp. Dug all the available plants in record time. Ordered a case of beer to drink with lunch. I stuck to my water as usual. There were several fig trees and apricot trees in the vicinity. We ate all the ripe apricots and a few figs apiece and brought about a bushel of figs back with us. Loafed the afternoon away in a beer parlor with me eating ice cream while the others drank the beer.

7/22. Thurs. Started the morning off fairly early with another trip to the rifle range. This time to get some practice shooting. I did fairly well but not as good as I would like to. This afternoon we took what we were told was an 8 mile hike. Did not seem that long but from the way some of the fellows talked it sounded like a hundred and eight miles. Went to see another movie this evening.

7/23. Fri. Hit the commando course again this morning with a practice session on throwing hand grenades. Lost my bracelet somewhere in the rush. After that we put some of our Judo training into practice. Company C went out on a hill and fought it out. They took us to an embankment that was close to 200 feet high. In some places it was so steep that it was necessary to use a rope to climb it. Platoons 1,2, and 3 were designated to go to the top and defend a flag. 4, 5, and 6 were to attack and try to capture the flag which they did in a little over ten minutes - the second best time to date. There was a lot of tumbling and throwing around in the process. Two broken fingers were the only casualties. Took a short hike this afternoon and prepared for liberty tonight. Pop and I went off together again. This time we caught the Liberty Bus to Oakland and the street car across the Bay Bridge to Frisco. Could see the Golden Gate Bridge from there. It is a beautiful structure. Found Frisco to be as cold as it was 15 years ago. It looked very much the same. Ate at the Golden Pheasant on Powell Street and had a swell meal. Walked around the main portion of town before dropping in at the Stage Door Canteen. They had a free snack bar there and a good army band playing for a dance. After that we wandered around the town some more before heading back to camp at 12:30 where we arrived at 2:30.

7/24. Sat. Up early this morning to go out on the 300 yard firing range. Was afraid I would not do so well after a night out and a very strong wind blowing across the range. But I did better than on the 100 or 200. Seems I do better the farther I get from the target. Did nothing more than clean my carbine this afternoon. Have very poor facilities here for that. Had a dance here tonight. It was very nice. Four bus loads of girls were brought in and there was a good band. Stayed there for two and a half hours and never danced. Came back and went to bed at 11:30.

7/25. Sun. Back on Station force KP again today. As last Sunday, I ate too much.

7/26. Mon. Spent today on extended order. Managed to get my arms pretty scratched up crawling on the straw stubble. Received my first mail from Lib in a week today. The mail system here is terrible.

7/27. Tues. More extended order again today. Crawled all over the fields this morning. This afternoon security of a bivouac was stressed. Had liberty tonight. Stopped in Oakland this trip but could find very little to do. Frisco seems to be the best place to me. Looked Oakland over for a while on foot and ended up going to a show.

7/28. Wed. Went off on a problem this morning. Our company split up to take offensive and defensive positions. I don’t know who won but we had a swell walk up through a ravine. Had a short lecture after chow and then started crawling some more. Went to a show this evening.

7/29. Thurs. Went on regimental guard this morning. Had a fairly easy post. Not much excitement. Washed clothes for part of the afternoon. More guard duty tonight from 8-12. I am glad my shifts do not come any farther into the night. I would really have to haul my pea coat out if it did. Beautiful sunset.

7/30. Fri. This day has been passed the same as yesterday. This evening Johnny, the chef at McNeills Cafeteria, donated a cup of coffee and two pieces of raisin pie to help me last my shift out. Have felt very miserable today. A number of the fellows here have had sick stomachs and loose bowels. Ate nothing till evening chow.

7/31. Sat. Got stuck on the cleaning detail this morning. Did not mind so much as it gave me a little spare time and there were a few things around here that I wanted to do. Had a lecture on map reading this afternoon. A 36 hour liberty started at 5:30. Bob Minor and I bummed into Oakland. Rode most of the way with our Commander Lynn.* Landed in Frisco at seven and found the hotel situation very unfavorable. Dropped into the USO where we were referred to the Harbor Club at 32 Clay Street which is sponsored by a writers and artists association in Frisco. It was a very nice place. Made our reservations for the night and started out with two soldiers to see the town. One was Jimmy Session - a former roommate of Bob’s whom he had not seen in seven years. The other boy was from Texas. Rode the cable car up California Avenue to the Mark Hopkins on Nob Hill. Rang the car bell all the way up the hill. Went to the top of the Mark where we had a good view of the town at night. From there we took a cab to the International Settlement where we visited a picture gallery and a clip joint by the name of Monaco’s Theatre Restaurant. The stage show consisting of a community sing and a hobby horse race by three of the customers with a bottle of wine for a prize. We sold out of there as fast as we could and went to a midnight show. Got to bed at two.

8/1. Sun. Were served waffles and coffee for breakfast. An elderly woman who had studied piano extensively waited on us. With a little persuasion we got her to play for us. She was really good. Left the Harbor Club and boarded the California Cable car again. This time we rode it up and down the hills to the end of the line. Tex left us there to go to Berkeley to keep a date. We boarded another car and went out to the beach and Seal Rocks where we found it was very cold and windy. By the time we had looked the beach over thoroughly, Jimmy had to leave. Bob and I rented bicycles and took a two hour spin through Golden Gate Park where we visited the Aquarium, De Young Museum, and the Tea Garden. We had a few sore muscles below the waist when we arrived back on the beach. From there we went by street car to the Presidio and the base of the Golden Gate bridge. Another street car ride put us close to Chinatown which we walked through and on to the Golden Pheasant for another good meal. After cleaning up a bit at the USO we went to the Stage Door Canteen where we remained till ten. The employees of the Pacific Telephone Co. had a very good orchestra and stage show. Caught the "A" train at 10:45 and landed back in camp at 12:30 rather weary.

8/2. Mon. Managed to stagger over the commando course and sit through a few lectures this morning. This afternoon everyone went out on a hike except Company C. We were selected by "the instructors because of our outstanding effort in training" to perform on the commando course for a general, admiral, senator, and a Life photographer who were to arrive by blimp. The blimp flew over but did not stop. We were told it had been temporarily canceled and were dismissed. Spent the evening writing letters.#

8/3. Tues. Went off on an all-day hike today. Were told we were going 23 miles but I don’t think it was that far. Started out toward Mt. Diablo. There were plenty of sore feet before the day was over. We took only a canteen of water and Ration K. We found some trees at noon and stopped for an hour. I had a breakfast ration. It included a tin of chopped pork and eggs and was fairly tasty. Also a fruit bar, two packages of dry cookies, enough coffee for two cups, and four cigarettes. There were variations of this in other packages.

8/4. Wed. Something new has been added. Had payday on the Navy’s time this morning rather than in the evening on our own. After pay we had a field day which gave me plenty of free time till 3 this afternoon as I had gotten every thing washed up last night. At 3 we mustered and had close order drill for the remainder of the afternoon. Gave up my liberty tonight so that I could try to get off to buy Lib a birthday and anniversary present. Had expected to get a lot of letters written this evening but spent most of the time chewing the fat with Hale.*

8/5. Thurs. Took a little time this morning to make another trip over the commando course. Had a few lectures and then some judo. Very few casualties this time. This afternoon we practiced tent pitching. I always get a place where the ground is hard and breaks all my stakes.

8/6. Fri. More lectures this morning - mostly review of what we already had. Word came out this noon that all liberties will stop at 5:00 on Sunday which sort of cuts Company C short. Looks as though we will be shoving off for Hueneme on Monday. Went out on a detail this afternoon to build some boxes.

8/7. Sat. Ended up on a KP detail again today. Our Company’s four best gold bricks ended upon the pots and pans detail which kept them quite busy. They were constantly on each other’s throats all afternoon for fear one would not be doing as much work as another. After we had finished up for the day I spent the evening with Siggelkow* playing ping pong.

8/8. Sun. Up early this morning so we could get as early a start on our 9 hour (cut from 22) liberty. Siggy and I went out together. Caught an Oakland liberty bus as we were going through the gate. An "A" train was waiting in Oakland so we made good time into Frisco. Went immediately to the Greyhound bus station where we boarded a bus to Mills Valley which carried us across the Golden Gate Bridge. The tops of the bridge piers were shrouded in fog. From Mills Valley we started walking through a beautiful grove of redwoods toward Muir Woods, when we were picked up by a couple in a car. Instead of going on to the woods as we had planned we went on for a ride with them up to Stimson Beach. Our route carried us over some very rugged terrain and part way up Mt. Tomalpias which is now closed and being used as a military reservation. The crooked railroad has passed on. From Stimson Beach we returned to Frisco by way of a shore route. Our adopted friends dropped us off about three blocks from the bus station. Our bus back to camp was scheduled to leave at 3, but when it did not arrive we began to get a bit worried. After seeing the dispatcher and making him realize how important it was for us to be in camp by 5 he dug up an extra bus and agreed to shoot us straight back to camp. We lacked 20 seats of filling the bus up but by the time we left Oakland we were plenty full. Made a few stops en route to pick up a few worried stragglers. Our bus put us at the gate at 4:45. The barrack was really a noisy place tonight. Had not realized a crowd could get so noisy on only a 9 hour liberty. Siggy and I went to a show to get away from it all. Partially packed my bags after the show.

8/9. Mon. Up before breakfast this morning because I had to have all my gear packed before going on KP. We were relieved from KP for the day at 1:30 after the mess hall had been thoroughly cleaned. Wrote letters and took a shower and then early chow. Left Camp Parks at 5:05 on the Southern Pacific. Had been on board only a short time when we were issued, through the courtesy of the Red Cross, a ditty bag containing a book, deck of cards, cigarettes, matches, stationary, chewing gum, soap and soap box, shoe polish, sewing kit, razor blades, and a few other items. Later in the trip they passed out candy bars. Had reclining seat cars of a non-too-recent vintage - marked primarily by their gas lights which were so feeble they barely helped show you the way through the car. After quite a session of singing we sort of began going to sleep.

CAMP ROUSSEAU, HUENEME, CA

8/10. Tues. Woke up this morning riding along the coast. Arrived in Camp Rousseau, Hueneme, CA at 8 this morning. I think we have struck another dust bowl. Have Quonset huts to live in. There are 9 men in each hut which I like a heck of a lot better than the company barracks. While I was out the boys played a trick on me this morning and delegated me as the hut captain. Have spent most of the day loafing around on our cots. #

8/11. Wed. Most of the morning was spent in "A" Theatre listening to the "word" of welcome from the commander of the base. This afternoon had some close order drill and a first aid lecture. Went to a show tonight.

8/12. Thurs. Spent the entire day today out on the rifle range practicing dry fire. Our lunch was brought out by truck. No sun all day today. Went to a show again today.

8/13. Fri. Back to the rifle range again today for actual firing. Did the best shooting today that I have done so far. Were in a big hurry to get back into camp because we had liberty tonight. I went into Oxnard and saw most of it in a very short time. From there I bummed over to Ventura where the mountains almost come out of the ocean. After wandering around for a while I met up with a sailor from the regular Navy. The two of us went to a dance at the USO where he danced and I watched. Bummed back to Oxnard in very short order where I caught a Navy bus into camp. Managed to be in bed by 12:45.

8/14. Sat. Had an inspection in our dress blues this morning. Spent the remainder of the morning cleaning up in and around the hut. Had this afternoon off. Spent most of the afternoon washing clothes which had gotten a little bit ahead of me. After chow I went to the show.

8/15. Sun. Today was our own as well as yesterday afternoon. Messed around doing a few odd jobs this morning till church time. Four of us went to the Chapel which is a converted Quonset type warehouse with some modifications. The assisting Chaplain was Jack Courage from the 92nd who was in U.F.A. at the same time I was. We talked for a few minutes after the services. Spent this afternoon writing letters and went to the show this evening.

8/16. Mon. We went to a movie this morning on the manual of arms which I think we should have had back in boot. After that we had some close order drill. This afternoon we went out in a dusty field to practice pitching our tents. More letter writing this evening.

8/17. Tues. Caught guard duty as my two day detail. Have had to move my bedding to the guard house which we are not supposed to leave. On top of that I would get the 12-4 shift. Everything went without incident today. My post was the longest one of the bunch. We even have to sleep with all our clothes on.

8/18. Wed. Don’t get very much sleep on this guard detail. Today ran about the same as yesterday.

8/19. Thurs. Our battalion and two or three others were called at 11:30 last night to repel a mock invasion. I was on duty at the time so did not get in on it. They never got back till 3:30 this morning. Because Company C did so well last night we had this morning off. I spent part of the morning getting a liberty lined up for this afternoon to add onto my 12 for tonight. Went into Oxnard where I grabbed a bite to eat and had power of attorney for Lib notarized. From there I hitchhiked over to Ventura where I failed at trying to find something for Lib. Ended up sending her an album of records. Then wandered around the town till six when I met Siggy, Nestlerode,* and Watson. We ate chow and then dropped into the USO to see what was doing for the evening. While there we were caught on a minor work detail - carrying several buckets of dirt to the second floor. Ended up at a dance at the Civic Auditorium where Norman and I watched while the others danced. Before the dance was over the two of us left for a while to go up to town. Met the Ventura District Attorney who would have bought drinks till we were drunk had we been willing to do so. After the dance we found some food and then headed toward camp. Managed to squeeze into the last bus back to camp - and I do mean squeeze.

8/20. Fri. Had a little extended order this morning on the dustiest field I have seen so far. This afternoon we went out on a hike that covered about ten miles. Got in from the hike at 4:30 and at 4:45 had to eat early chow so we could go to the L.S.T. dock to help unload a boat of food. Finished up our end of the job at 10:30. Very tired.

8/21. Sat. Had our usual Saturday morning inspection the first thing. Messed around for the remainder of the morning except for bucking the pay line. This afternoon Fay* and I went down to the docks to look around for ourselves. Saw very little. Went to a show tonight.

8/22. Sun. On KP today. It will be the last, for a permanent KP detail has been formed and they will take over tomorrow.

8/23. Mon. Had to go to another training film this morning and then a little close order drill for the remainder of the morning. Hiked out to the rifle range this afternoon and went over the commando course. Had a 12 hour liberty tonight. Siggy and I went into Oxnard where we did little more than walk around.* Were back in camp by 10.#

8/24. Tues. What a place to be spending a third wedding anniversary. Had a beautiful letter from Lib this noon. Were issued our gas masks this morning. Went out this afternoon to practice with them and to learn how to pack a heavy pack. Went to a show this evening.

8/25. Wed. Was all set to go out on the hike this morning when I was called out to go to work in the Battalion Construction office. Spent the entire day checking interviews and classifying the personnel. I am at least fairly close to a drafting board now.

8/26. I guess I am on the office job for a while now. It seems to be a semi-permanent detail. There is a lot to be done in classifying

8/27. Fri. On top of what we have been doing we spent part of today interviewing about thirty men who are replacements in the Battalion fresh from Peary. Another show tonight.

8/28. Sat. We only worked for a couple of hours this morning. Knocked off at 10:30 to get ready to go on liberty. Siggy and I went in together to Hollywood. Caught the first bus out of camp and arrived in town at 1:15. Went to the USO as soon as we arrived to see about a room and found one right across the street from the bus station and only a block from the USO. After getting tickets for the Orson Welles Mercury Wonder Show* we went to Radio City and got tickets for the Hit Parade broadcast. For the afternoon we took a bus ride to Beverly Hills which we found to be a most beautiful place. We dropped in at the USO in the swanky Beverly Hills Hotel where we consumed their refreshments and watched the swimmers in the pool. Returned to Hollywood in time for the broadcast which we discovered to feature Frank Sinatra who seems to have taken the hearts of all the women out here. There were only a handful of men in the audience. He was good but not particularly outstanding in my mind. After getting some chow we headed for Orson Welles’ tent show. A bus driver headed in that direction stopped to pick up on the way what amounted to almost a bus load and would accept no fares.

Welles’ show was rigged up like a regular circus with all the trimmings. Charlie Chaplain was in the audience. All service men were admitted free while civilians paid from $1.65 to 5.50 for what few seats were available to them. Welles has proved to me to be a most versatile character. Tonight he was a magician and performed all the tricks in the books. Assisting him were Joe Cotton and Marlene Dietrich. A few cracks came from the audience every now and then and for each one Welles had an answer. After the show we went to the Stage Door Canteen where Kay Kaiser was putting on one of his usual programs. After the canteen closed we went to the USO to write our wives letters.

8/29. Sun. Woke moderately early this morning so that we could go to church. Went to the Hollywood Lutheran. After the services we were asked to go to the L.A. Lutheran Services Servicemen’s Center for dinner which we did and found it to be fine. Had roast lamb and all the dessert we could put away. It was one of the best meals that I have had in quite some time. While there I met one of the soldiers that we had watered and fed in Kansas City on our way from Endicott to Parks, also a friend of Annie’s* Jim who was drafted at the same time. From there we took a bus to Griffith Park where we wandered around for quite some time and took in the zoo. Bummed a ride up to the observatory and planetarium. We went back into Hollywood from the mountain top and to the Hollywood canteen. Had to stand in line for a while before we could get in. There was a dance orchestra composed of workers from aircraft plants which played a while for dancing. Kay Kaiser was back again, this time as master of ceremonies. Hoagy Carmichael played the piano and sang a few of his songs including Stardust. Jimmy Durante was there too, with some of his stooges, and did a good job of entertaining. From the Canteen we went to the Playtime Theatre on tickets given us by the USO for a series of short plays. Joan Leslie and Deanna Durbin were at the Canteen and there were several stars at the theatre whose faces were familiar but not their names. After the plays we found something to eat and then went to the bus station to find out about getting back to camp. The tickets we had were good only on the special bus leaving at 4 am. We wanted to be in bed by that time so bought a ticket on the regular bus where there was standing room only. I pulled a suitcase from the rack to sit on and Siggy crawled into the rack and went to sleep. We took a taxi from Oxnard into camp and got to bed about 3:30.#

8/30. Mon. Felt rather sleepy this morning - for obvious reasons. Spent the day in the office again working on the classification files. Wrote several letters tonight and got to bed a little early.

8/31. Tues. Was pulled from the office this morning along with three others* to work at the docks figuring the cubic feet and weights of our provisions. Made pretty good time at it. Went to a show tonight.

9/1. Wed. Back to the docks again this morning. Guess we have this job until it is done. It is not a bad one either. Could be a lot better if the officers would leave us alone. Some of the fellows are getting into cans of our provisions and eating them. Had liberty tonight. Went into Oxnard with Siggy. Stopped at the USO long enough to write our wives a letter and get tickets to a dance. Siggy danced and I watched. Were back in camp before midnight.

9/2. Thurs. It was a state of utter confusion on the docks this morning and we got very little done. Began to get straightened out this afternoon.

9/3. Fri. Had a whole warehouse to ourselves today and were able to get a lot of work done for a change. Did more today than the other days put together. Received a birthday package from Lib today.

9/4. Sat. Managed to get quite a bit of work done this morning before it was time to come back in for pay. Went back out again this afternoon. Show tonight. Package from Mother today.

9/5. Sun. Somehow or another I was permitted to sleep until 8:45 this morning. Has been a very dismal day. Washed some clothes this morning. This afternoon Siggy and I went over to the Maritime area to see the ocean and a movie. The waves were not running as high as the last time we were over there. Managed to get back to our area in time for chow. Started to go to another show tonight but got so disgusted with the line that we left. Wrote a few letters instead.

9/6. Mon. Back to the job of cubing crates at the dock again today. Don’t have Benedict* with us as he has gone to Hollywood on a detail to work on the Canteen down there. Almost finished up with the warehouse we have been working on. Went to a show tonight. The 71st across the street is making a noise tonight. They are leaving tomorrow.

9/7. Tues. Finished the warehouse and started on another today. Went over to the Maritime Building this noon with Fay to buy a few things. Got sort of wet from the waves splashing on the rocks unexpectedly. Went into Oxnard on liberty tonight. Did little more than get a good steak to eat. Two from our hut had a pretty wild night. Had my picture taken while in town.

9/8. Wed. Woke up this morning feeling no different from yesterday and I am a year older. Had to put on our dress blues and parade to the Maritime building where the 93rd was formally commissioned Acorn 15. The announcement that Italy had surrendered was made at the same time. Went back to work again this afternoon but there was very little to do. Tonight at supper the cake was cut which was "built" in honor of the commissioning of Acorn 15. It weighed 593 pounds and was 14 layers high in the center. It was really decorated. I got my piece when it was 8 layers high. Went to a show tonight. It was really funny.

9/9. Thurs. Back on the same job today. We were really rushed all day long. Chow has improved considerably in the past few days. There was plenty of room for improvement.

9/10. Fri. Spent today very much as the past few days. Liberty tonight. Went into Oxnard where I ran into Fay. We decided to go to Ventura and in short order were there. Spent most of the evening writing letters. Managed to be in bed by 12.

8/11. Sat. Our detail lasts all day on Saturdays the same as any other day. Went to a show tonight.

9/12. Sun. Got all my laundry up to date this morning and then read for the remainder of the morning. This afternoon Fay and I went to "Splinter City" to look the place over, then to the Maritime building to a show. This evening was spent packing my bags for the big move tomorrow morning.

9/13. Mon. Up early this morning so I could get my bedding rolled and packed. While we were at work all our stuff was moved. Our new quarters in "Splinter City"