June 30, 1944 – on guard duty

29 Jun June 30, 1944 – on guard duty

V-Mail

30 June 1944

Letter #17

Good afternoon, ma cherie – We’re on the last few hours of a 24 hr guard detail. It’s fine out now – but naturally last night would have been joy to Garbo and other rain-walkers – but a pain in the fanny to us. Trying to get to sleep with the rain splashing in your face (I never could sleep with my head under a blanket – I can’t breathe) is very trying, and to regain consciousness and discover (after sleepy attempts to rectify or avoid) little puddles of water distributed about your person is damned annoying! By now the crick in my neck is practically gone (from lying with my head in my helmet) but it only took a couple of hours to get the blood circulating through my aging limbs after being asleep. Like everything else in the Army, however; it was soon forgotten – this time by trying to remember when I’ve had worse coffee for breakfast. I thought & thought but couldn’t remember. Still can’t. Educational bit of news for the day: subject; weather: in good weather you wear long-john underwear & O.D. 3 (not sure) and are comfortable unless exercising vigorously – in bad weather you’re glad to wear ’em and wish you you still had your mackinaw. End of lesson. Right now the birds are chirping & the flies are buzzing and I’m getting hungry (wonder how the coffee will be?) All my love, Mr B.