April 24, 1944 Monday

Dear Honey,

Even here at Battle Training, which is about 20 miles from Fort nox – near Cedar Creek – they have a very nice officers’ club and that is where I’m writing you from tonite. I really feel rather guilty about being such a damned aristocrat. It wouldn’t be possible in a democratic system. All the soldiers live in old quarters and have only a small P.X. – we get a special mess with waiters and all, and this fine club to relax in – plus the inestimable luxury of not having to stand formations – reveille, chow or retreat! I’m beginning to feel like an individual again, but pretty snobbish, too. The army is very unjust.

Today we observed the 5th training battalion on its first day of its two-week bivouac. I will take that bivouac with some platoon of another battalion before I leave here. Good to learn the ropes first.

They have given us all our orders and military records to keep in our own 201 files. Among them was a new transcript of my college grades. They have now given me 6 credits for English 1; I will get 6 R.O.T.C. credits for getting a commission. That leaves only 7 credits necessary to graduate – they have recorded my A.S.T.P. grades which may count someday and there are also a few courses I took “audit” that I might get changed into credits. Altogether, that leaves me very, very close. Perhaps an army course or two would push me over. Then we could start in on bigger things when the war is over.

I guess I’m talking about myself a lot these last letters, Hon, but things are so different that I still feel as tho I was trying to “catch up” with myself. Tell me if I’m boring you.

The arrowhead I found is still in my locker waiting for me to find something to wrap it in – I will get it to you soon, so be patient.

My address has another addition – getting pretty complicated now. Here’s the latest –
Lt. W. Russell, O547328
Attached Officers’ Group 61
Box 192
Battle Trng. Det.
A.R.T.C.
Fort Knox, Ky.
Gosh.

Just beginning to think about my new financial status. After paying all bills, I have $60 in my billfold. I still have a $15.00 valopak to buy, and am still mulling (is it a word?) over buying a pink shirt or maybe a tropical summer outfit. Now I get a base pay of $150 a month plus $21 for rations. Giving me a check of $171. My war bond allotment has been forced up to one bond a month, which is quite a slice -- $18.75. Now I have a lot more expenses, too. Pay for board, big cleaning and pressing bill, officers’ club dues (that is not optional, but an obligation) and a lot of other things I haven’t found out about yet, they say. Have had to buy my own sheets, for instance.

On the whole, tho, there should be a lot more left than before if we keep reasonable.

We can plan on my furlough starting May 20th, knowing there’s no such thing as certainty. That’s awful for you and your job. I can see that. But there’s nothing I can see that can be done to change the date. And I can’t see letting another chance go by without our getting married, Hon. Things are happening too fast. We’re missing too much. I think we can afford to get married now, and that with any reasonable luck we can get to live together for some time. With the right attitude, we couldn’t go wrong, and things would be sure to be better than they are. I miss you too very much.

Now that’s just my side of it, Honey. You seem very concerned about being able to get off at the time my leave will come. Is it absolutely impossible? And what about Grammie – we could consider having her move where we were, since it is not easy to think of leaving her alone. Of course that would depend on where I’m stationed. Perhaps we should aim solely at getting married now at the first chance. Then we can make some more decisions about living arrangements as the situation changes. Please write just exactly what you think about the opportunities between May 20 and June 1 – how much, if any, time you can get off or any other things you can think of. Tell me just what you think, as you always have. I feel it’s time we took things into our own hands for a while and started making our own luck.

These are big times, Honey, and I want to experience them with you. There’s no limit to the things we can do together. We don’t want to sit out all this just waiting. We have too much to do.

I love you forever,
Wallace