Pvt Wesley R Slaymaker Co A 129th Infantry Camp Forrest Tenn

March 15, 1942

Dear Folks

Decided to write with a pencil for once. It’s Sunday and just got through eating a good chicken dinner. It’s about the first day I really felt like eating. Well its three weeks today since I was swore into the army, seems like three years.

We took some pictures this morning if they are good I’ll send some home. My pants needed pressing but they haven’t issued me any others yet, so I could get these cleaned and pressed.

I have just plain army shoes to wear they issued me one pair and will 2 more pretty soon. My shoes fit pretty good. They are 7Ds a little big but feel good on my feet.

Don’t know if I ever told you about my suit or not. It’s made kinda sporty with pleated and belted back. The pants and blouse are of different shades. We get overcoats but suppose they will take them away from us as it gets a little warmer.

I like army life a little better. I get along with all the officers swell. My Sargent’s name is Voss and the Corporal I train under name is Kurtz. I used to train under Conway but got promoted.

There is a kid here I like awful well. His name is Paul Terry. He lives in Norfolk Nebr. Hope we get to come home I can come that far with him.

I also run around with a kid named Bradly his brother is a first string football player at the University of Nebraska lives at Lincoln.

We are going to take some more pictures one of these days when the weather gets a little nicer. It was kinda raining today.

We don’t get any mail on Sunday so it’s kinda lonesome around here. I’ve got something about every day since I been here. I’ll get the Graphic tomorrow, Monday. I got the Stuart paper last night. I haven’t been off the post since I been here. I’m going to go to town one of these days tho.

I got a nice long letter from Aunt Francis last night and answered it also one from Virginia. I wrote Avis one. She will get it same day you get this.

I’m going to the show this afternoon so thought I had better write and tell you what I know. Thanks mother for fixing my clothes. I’ll be needing them some time. Hope I get transferred some where different and a little closer home as near as I can figure it’s about 1,000 to 1,100 miles home. It’s a long ways but wouldn’t take so long to come, somewhere from 30 to 40 hours. I send my clothes to the laundry once a week. You can send 30 pieces a week for a month for $1.50. They take it out of you pay check. I’ll have 1.50 +.66 out of mine. The .66 for insurance. I’ll send you a laundry slip of my last week’s laundry.

My rifle number is 343886. These are what we call dog tags. We have to wear two of them on a string around our neck all the time even sleep in them. They jingle just like cowbells all the time.

Is dad done down at Uncle Lewis’s yet? How do you like the pickup by now? Have you built a rack for it yet? Did you change the oil? Or have you run it that far?

We may get 42 dollars a month now. Hope we do. I could save some money. I spend more money for stamps than I do for anything else. I write about 4 a day. Last night I wrote 5.

I’m going to go see Woman of the Year with Spenser Tracy and Katherine Hepburn.

We have been getting quite a lot of lecturing lately and defense against gas attacks. Well folks I’ll write some more tomorrow night.

Lots of Love

Pvt Wesley R Slaymaker They call me “Red” most of the time now.