Dated April 28, 1943, and postmarked the same day from Camp Wheeler.
Dear Everybody,
I have about 20 minutes I don’t know what to do with, so I decided to write to you.
We are going on another hike this afternoon, so I am resting on my bed right now. Yesterday we went out on a hike and it was pretty hot out. Just as we got back from the hike, one of the fellows fainted from sweating so much, so this afternoon, we all took salt tablets while we were eating. It will take us about an hour and ten minutes to walk the six miles out there and that is plenty fast marching.
My platoon beat the other three platoons in shooting on the range, so they are treating us to a banquet tomorrow night. My squad of my platoon also beat all the other squads of all four platoons, so we get $36 to split between us. However, there are about 14 men in the squad, so we will only get about $2.10 apiece out of it. Also, at the banquet, we are having a chicken dinner. The captain of the company will present the medals at the banquet and he will also give a carton of cigarettes to every expert, a half-carton to each sharpshooter and a pack to every marksman.
Besides, he said, he would give a prize to the man who showed the most improvement from practice firing to record firing and I jumped 57 points from practice to record, so I think I have a pretty good chance for it if the captain didn’t forget about it.
I know I got a letter today so I’ll close now because we are having mail call and I want to get the letter now.
So-long,
Babe
