Name/Title
Spalsbury: #15 Letters Home June 11, 1943Entry/Object ID
2021.2.259A-DScope and Content
Letter Home from US Army Pvt. Robert C. Spalsbury, 3rd Platoon-Battery C, 57th A.A. Trng. Bn., Camp Callan, California to his parents, Mr. & Mrs. George C. Spalsbury, 806 South Eleventh Street, St. Joseph, Missouri - Postmarked June 11, 1943, 10:30 AM San Diego, CALIF, 6 cent Air Mail stampContext
June 10, 1943
Dear Folks,
Here I sit at a table in the Recreation Hall writing you a letter. I just finished one to Warren a while ago. We're planning on seeing each other again this coming Sunday, unless something unusual turns up. He says he is on sort of "indefinite" shipping orders, but isn't sure where it'll be.
The first A.S.T.P. man from our Battery was called today. He leaves tomorrow morning for the S.T.A.R. unit at Pasadena. I believe some of the rest of us will be called within the next few days, and certainly hope I am.
Did I tell you Hubert Speer flunked out of Radio School here? He was rather disappointed, and now doesn't know exactly what he'll go into. He'd like to go into the A.S.T.P., but scored only 111 on his Army General Classification Test, and the minimum score for A.S.T.P. is 115. Maybe he can get permission to take the test over, and can possible qualify for it then. But I doubt it. Hubert received last Sunday's paper from his Mother today, so he and I and Frank Buzard, whom we met at the P.X. tonight, looked it over.
Didn't I tell you about my visit with Warren? I was sure I did. We dined at a Chinese Restaurant, saw "Now Voyager" in the evening, and in the afternoon we walked around the streets and through parts of Balboa Park, where we saw the famous San Diego Zoo, and the largest outdoor organ in the world. Balboa Park is huge, like Swope Park in K.C., and it's very beautiful. My feet, and in fact my whole body, were certainly tired from walking about the streets that day.
The roses will certainly need thorough dusting, with all this damp, rainy weather.
No, I haven't received any appreciation card from Altha Polk.
I did O.K. in my inspection Saturday. I wasn't "gigged," anyway. However, the General himself didn't inspect us, but just some of the O.C.S. candidates in our Battery. What a letdown!
We've had cantaloupe for breakfast several times lately. It tastes so good. Last night we had an overnight bivouac on the eastern outskirts of Camp, across Highway 101. For supper we had watermelon for dessert. We also ate breakfast there this morning. I enjoyed this bivouac so much more than the last one, because we didn't hike half as far as before, and it didn't rain like it did on the previous bivouac. We also had much more ideal surroundings this time. We put up our shelter halves and laid down our blankets in a soft, shady grove of tall eucalyptus trees. Of course it wasn't so pleasant arising at 4 a.m. and rolling our packs and blanket, etc., in the dark, but it was better than arising at 3 a.m. and rolling 'em in the dark and rain, as we did last time.
I enjoyed reading the clipping from Scholastic Magazine which you sent in a previous letter. Whenever did you get it? That picture of Roberta wasn't very good, though, was it?
No, Warren and I know we weren't on the same troop train, I've known it for a long time.
Will Duane probably be sent to Santa Ava soon, or is it a military secret?
Well, it's 10:15 p.m. now, and since I'm pretty tired after last night's bivouac, I'm gong to cut this letter short.
Love, BobLexicon
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Category 08: Communication ObjectsArchive Items Details
Title
Letter Home from US Army Pvt. Robert C. Spalsbury, 3rd Platoon-Battery C, 57th A.A. Trng. Bn., Camp Callan, California to his parents, Mr. & Mrs. George C. Spalsbury, 806 South Eleventh Street, St. Joseph, Missouri - Postmarked June 11, 1943, 10:30 AM San Diego, CALIF, 6 cent Air Mail stampDescription
Handwritten letter home to parents back in St. Joseph after being called up to serve in the US Army during WWII. Pvt. Spalsbury, at the time of this letter, is at Camp Callen, California for Basic Training. The letter is one page, front & back plus one side of a second page, written in blue ink pen on plain Air Mail stationery. The envelope specifies Via Air Mail. The envelope is smaller than the stationary so it is folded in quarters to fit.Condition
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Robert C. Spalsbury
