Letters To Home - September 29, 1951

Munnerstadt, Germany
September 29, 1951

This is the third day of border patrol. So far, the weather has been fair, with cold nights. We don't mind that anymore, because we have been issued 10-man tents, heated by an oil stove in the center, and the stove seems quite efficient. Winter shouldn't be bad at all.

I won't get a chance to go on Eucom maneuvers after all. Five from each battery has to go back to Schweinfurt to pull guard duty, and I'm one of the unlucky ones. I sure would like to be going with the rest, because they'll be covering 1700 miles in just a week. That would be quite interesting, I think. They will probably be travelling at night and sleeping during the day. Maybe next time, if there is one.

Do you have any ideas on what everyone wants for Christmas? Please let me know, and I will start shopping.

We've been getting quite a few replacements in the battery. Four new ones last week. Maybe some of us will be leaving for other places soon.

Jerry, our gun-truck driver, really enjoys the papers. He fools around with hot rods back in California, likes to read the used-car ads and compare prices. Every time I finish a paper, he takes it with him. As I mentioned, he's our gun-truck driver, and the best one in the battalion, to my way of thinking. He's trying to teach me how to drive out truck, a big Reo 6 x 6 with automatic 6-wheel drive. I don't think I'm cut out to be a truck driver.

Time to eat. We'll be leaving here in the morning, and I have to get packed. Please write soon.