Dec 1, 1943

Dear Miss Kain & Faculty,

This is certainly not so prompt as it might have been and I have not a good excuse to offer, but you can believe me that when I say that I have very often thought of all of you and have been meaning to write for quite some time. I have also often wondered how the other fellows were making out who came in with me from school and was much pleased and delighted this morning when the Service Mens News arrived in the mail. It has cleared up many of the questions that were in my mind. It is splendid of you to keep the men in the service informed by such means.

At present I am stationed in a harbor defense unit of the coast artillry. The Golden Gate Bridge is a little way into San Francisco Harbor from here. Pete DeFinis and I went to Camp McQuaide for our basic together, but were seperated into different batteries. We received combat training and instructions in hand to hand fighting and in the use of the rifle, hand grenade, bayonet, and 155m.m. gun. Naturally our thirteen weeks of training was centered around the big guns and we had numerous hours of drill on them. The big fellows were given the tough jobs and I had the position as a loader.

There were two of us to carry the ninety five pound projectile to the gun. As soon as I came here they spotted me right away as a loader, and I found myself throwing, this time alone, a one hundred and eight pound projectile into the breech of a six inch cannon. I was then switched to the position of gun pointer and later given a job in the battery command post where I am working at the present time. The work consists of answering phones, receiving, sending, coding and decoding messages, and repeating the orders of the battery commander over the phones when we fire. I like the work but would much rather be over there helping where I think there is more need for men.

We had a grand Thanksgiving Dinner out here. It was an effort to move after both dinner and supper.

I have visited San Francisco a few times. There is a nice Stage Door Canteen in the city and there are lots of things to do and see.

The Army is decidedly different and I like it but Ill be most happy when the war is ended and we can all go home again.

I trust you are all well and happy.

Very sincerely yours,

Joe