Dear Folks

Well, here's the first instalment of my life with Uncle. I arrived at the rendezvous point at 5:30 PM. I met a fellow from Galena, his name is Bob, and we waited out on the side walk until 6:00 PM. We went inside and then waited up on the seventh floor until 8:00 P.M. During this wait we had roll coll. There are about 500 of us. After roll call we went upstairs and had supper, meat, mashed potatoes and green beans, also milk or coffee. There were all kinds of 5 cent machines to play plus a jute box. After I ate I called Robin and then waited around some more. There are five of us that stick together. Two boys Bob knows and one I met when I was inducted. After supper I bought some pinochle cards and we went back to the seventh floor and played until about 11:00 P.M. We then marched over to the union station and waited until 12:00 A.M. when we boarded our train. There are 39 to a car, two in the lower berth and one in the upper. That makes it nice when we ride because it isn't so crowded. (The train couldn't make this hill so we're backing up to try it again, here we go again, couldn't even get started so we're going back again. Well, enough of this, we'll make it eventually so I'll continue the letter.)

I bunked with Bob in a lower berth. The moon was bright last night so we looked out until we got away from Chi. About the only thing I could recognize was the Argo Starch Co. and O'Henrys ball room. I guess it was about 1:00 A.M. before I went to sleep. They woke us up about 7:00 A.M. this morning. For breakfast we had scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, bacon, rolls, grapefruit juice, and milk. They woke us up in shifts so we could eat, some got up at 5:30 A.M.

We must have gone straight south because we didn't cross the Mississippi until 9:00 A.M. this morning. The ice sure is jamed up, it's in piles all the way across. I don't know how far south we are but we passed into Lousidra, MO. (The train couldn't make the hill so it split the train and now our half is going up.) We passed through hilly country in Ill. It was pretty even though the sun isn't out. This hill we're trying to make must be in the Ozarks. The towns we've passed through this morning were shanty towns. Every house had its back house and none of the houses were painted. Everybody waves to us as we go by. Boy this is some hill, we're still going up. Well, we're up now, it took us about a hour to make it. They had to divide the train and take it up in sections. I played cards all afternoon. We got into Kansas City, MO. about 7:00 P.M. and stood there over an hour. They let us get out on the platform and stretch. There was a troop train standing in the station with guards on the platform. The men couldn't get off the train but they were hanging out the windows and doors yelling and joking with us. Just as we were pulling out another troop train came in.

We didn't get to eat until 9:00 P.M. We had a new dinner attached at Kansas City, and it was classy. After supper we sat on our bunk and talked for an hour then went to bed. I slept next to the window and was the moon nice. I woke up about 5:00 A.M. and it was light as day, from the moon. We had breakfast at 7:30 A.M. We had scrambled eggs mixed with ham, potatoes, oatmeal, and an orange. After breakfast I played cards until we got there. When we arrived we lined up on the platform and they counted us, 495 of us. We then got in busses and were driven to the field. We got out, lined up again and had roll call. We were divided into two groups, 300 in one and 150 in the other, the rest were in a group of their own. I got in the 150 group. The fellows I was with on the train were in the 300 group. We were then marched to the mess halls and we ate. We were served cafeteria style. The trays had dents in them and the food was put in them. When we finished out meal we put the silverware in a box, the soup bowl and coffee cup on a shelf, and then rinsed the tray in a barell of water.

We then were lined up and our names and serial numbers were taken. We were assigned barracks. 15 of us were put in one barracks with a group of men already here, draftees mostly. There are about 100 in a barracks, 50 upstairs and 50 down. We got in our barracks about 3:30 then waited around until supper. I'm still waiting, it's 4:30. We won't get our uniforms today or shots or anything. Well, I think I'll finish this letter so I can sent it off. That's all for now.

Love, Rae