Name/Title
Spalsbury: #7 Letters Home May 12, 1943Entry/Object ID
2021.2.237A-GScope and Content
Letter Home from US Army Pvt. Robert C. Spalsbury, Battery C-57th A.A. Trng. Bn., 3rd Platoon, Camp Callan, California to his parents, Mr. & Mrs. George C. Spalsbury, 806 South Eleventh Street, St. Joseph, Missouri - Postmarked May 12, 1943, 11 AM San Diego, CA Air Mail, 6 cent Air Mail stampContext
May 11,1943
Dear Bud and Marie,
I'm sitting on a stool in my barracks' latrine writing you this letter. Lights just went out fifteen minutes ago - it's 9:15 p.m. now. I can't go to the Rec Hall to write tonight because I'm in my fatigues, since I'm on a "stand by gun crew," and OD's (the Olive Drab woolen dress uniform) are only allowed in the Rec Hall. There's a specified uniform for almost everything we do around here, and we're not allowed to "break" uniforms, i.e., say, wear a dress hat and fatigue trousers, unless we're told to do so. Each camp, I hear, has its own individual regulations along that line, and they must be abided by. We're put on stand-by-gun-crew (8 men on a crew) from 6 p.m. one evening to 6 p.m. the following evening - We're apt to be called to fall out in front of the Battery Office any time to do a little detail work, such as cleaning one of the guns. But that is very seldom. The first time I was on stand-by-the-gun-crew (this is my second) - a week ago last Sunday - all we 8 men did was fall out at 6 p.m. Sunday evening in front of the office for roll call, which just took a minute. Then back to our barracks. Of course we're confined to the Battery Area - but we can go to any of the four platoons in our Battery. It's all really just a form of the old army discipline.
The corporal in charge of my gun crew called me down to the Battery Office this evening in order to water the lawn around the Battery Office with the hose. He said he picked me because I was a bit tardy in falling out at 6 o'clock. But everybody is always getting some form of extra detail around here, so it's nothing unusual. It took me about half an hour, and I rather enjoyed it. Marie, I got your informative letter at mail call this morning, and thanks for it. Tsk! Tsk! You spelled sergeant with an "a" in the first syllable, which is wrong. Also, don't ever let me catch you spelling Miss Reichent's name "Richard," or I'll "gig" you. "Gig" is the Army slang word for "punish" or "to give extra detail to." The Army is so very rich in its vocabulary - it has a language all its own!
At mail call this afternoon I had an interesting letter from Lilbern Roberts, who, you know, is at Sheppard Field, Texas. He told me all about the Field, the weather there, and what they did. It seems they drill and exercise most of the time. He said they had 8-mile road runs every other day and that they'd been on a 15-mile hike with packs out to bivouac, stayed three days and hiked back. They've made commando raids on the other camp at night, and have slept on the ground in tents. He stated that the day after he was writing the letter they were going on a 30-mile hike. Apparently they're getting a more rugged basic training than we. Lilbern said they'd been given a batter of test which took a day and a half altogether, and that he was reclassified for on the the following: air plane mechanic, photography, or radio. He doesn't know yet which he'll get. Lilbern said it was extremely dry and dusty there, but that the nights were cool. Personally, as concerns climate and weather, I imagine we Junior College E.R.C's who were sent to California really got the best deal. -I must answer Libern's letter in a day or so -he's a nice boy.
Did I tell you kids I was issued my G.I. glasses the other day? They are in very sturdy steel frames, and rather heavy, so that they sorta hurt my ears and nose. But I don't wear them too long at a times. if we break them, we can have them repaired free, but if we break our own, it's our own tough luck. So it's a good idea to wear the G.I.'s most of the time, although we're not at all required to. I was in the first group in our Battery to receive my pair. My old lenses were just right, and my eyes were no worse, so my pupils weren't dilated, so my specs were done sooner.
Pop, did you take Marie to Church last Sunday so she could show off the corsage I sent? It might possibly have come a few days to early for Mother's Day, since Robert Peterson sent home some roses for May 9th, and his Mother sent him one she'd dried in a letter, he got last Saturday, I believe. The delivery was kinda premature, don't you think?
Tell me when you receive the "Ozzlefinch"- Camp pictoral annual magazine - I mailed it Sunday evening. I believer I'll buy two more (they're 35 cents apiece) and send one to the entire staff at the library, and one to Grandma Whinery and Aunt Esther. Grandma's still in Houston, isn't she?
Today we had one hour of infantry drill, and 7 hours of Automatic Gunner's Drill, which bones me. I hate machines. We also had 3 British Training Films on guns.
-Bob
Additional note on the back, top of page 1: We had liver and onions for lunch.
Additional note on the back, top of page 2: I must send "Polkie" a card or write her a short note.
Additional note on the back, top of page 3: It's 10:25 p.m. I must mail this-also drop another fellow's letter in the Battery Box; then a warm shower & shave before 11:00.Collection
Marshall WhiteLexicon
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Category 08: Communication ObjectsArchive Items Details
Title
Letter Home from US Army Pvt. Robert C. Spalsbury, Battery C-57th A.A. Trng. Bn., 3rd Platoon, Camp Callan, California to his parents, Mr. & Mrs. George C. Spalsbury, 806 South Eleventh Street, St. Joseph, Missouri - Postmarked May 12, 1943, 11 AM San Diego, CA Air Mail, 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 three pages, front & back, written in pen on plain off-white stationery. The envelope is wider than the stationery.Condition
Overall Condition
Very GoodRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Robert C. Spalsbury
