Name/Title
Spalsbury: #90 Letters Home September 23, 1944Entry/Object ID
2021.2.334A-CScope and Content
Letter Home from Pvt. R. C. Spalsbury, 17135556, Co A - 216th Armd Engr Bn, A.P.O. 412, Camp Chaffee, Arkansas to his father (only while his mother was visiting his grandmother in Oklahoma) Mr. George C. Spalsbury, 806 South 11th, St. Joseph (10), Missouri. Post marked SEP 23, 1944, 11:30 AM, Fort Smith, Ark., free postageContext
Friday Night -
22 September 1944
Dear Pop ---
Thought I'd write you a line before the lights here in the barracks go out. It's now 9:30, and they're turned out at 10:00.
We returned early this afternoon from our bivouac 10 miles southeast of camp since last Sunday afternoon. We've been busy ever since (just about) cleaning up everything...Company equipment such as trucks, trailers, and tools; personal equipment such as our mess gear, blankets, tent, turning in our dirty laundry, etc., and showering and shaving. It was really good to take a good shower and put on clean clothing, after being dirty and so full of dust for so long. I washed and shaved twice out in the field, out of my steel helmet, of course.
We returned today to find we are in the 4th Army instead of the 2nd Army, which we were formerly in. S'pose we'll have some more Proficiency Tests from the 4th Army now, like we've been having from the 2nd. Really a racket!!
Yesterday we fired the Carbine M-1, a light weapon much smaller and lighter than our M-1 Rifle. Today we fired our Rifles on the Transition Course, coming back from the bivouac.
We ate C-Rations for two whole days.
I'm on K.P. tomorrow, first time in a long time. But what can I expect? After all, I'm only a Pvt., and I got out of it long enough, in fact, since last February.
I'll write more in a few days.
Love, Bob
[NOTE: written along the left side of the back of the page: P.S. - Got your letter, the News-Press, and a letter from Mom while on the bivouac.Collection
Marshall WhiteLexicon
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Category 08: Communication ObjectsArchive Items Details
Title
Letter Home from Pvt. R. C. Spalsbury, 17135556, Co A - 216th Armd Engr Bn, A.P.O. 412, Camp Chaffee, Arkansas to his father (only while his mother was visiting his grandmother in Oklahoma) Mr. George C. Spalsbury, 806 South 11th, St. Joseph (10), Missouri. Post marked SEP 23, 1944, 11:30 AM, Fort Smith, Ark., free postageDescription
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, has completed Basic Training at Camp Callan, California, was stationed for a short time with a STAR Unit for ASTP (Army Specialized Training Program) soldiers in Pasadena, CA then moved to engineering training at Loyola University in Los Angeles, CA. After flunking out of the ASTP program, Robert was briefly stationed at Camp Roberts, located in central California assigned to the Infantry Replacement Training Center. Then Robert was stationed at Camp Haan in southern California, a U.S. Army training camp for Coast Artillery Anti Aircraft gunners. During his time at Camp Haan, Robert was transferred from Battery B to Battery A and began working as an office Clerk in Battery A.
At the time this letter was written, Robert is serving at Camp Chaffee at Fort Smith, Arkansas. He had been working as a Clerk-Typist in the HQ Company but has now been transferred to Line Company A, still working as an clerk-typist.
This letter is one page, front and back, written in blue ink on small, plain stationery. The letter was sent in a plain envelope. The page is folded in thirds.Condition
Overall Condition
Very GoodRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Robert C. Spalsbury
