Document Type
Personal Letter
Keywords
Katherine Trickey; WWII
Rights Management
All rights retained by Bryant University
Abstract
First part of letter typed [Transcription begins]
WAC Det. IRTC
Camp Wheeler, Georgia
Sat. 15// January 1944
Dear Folks,
I got your nice letter, Mother, last night. To answer some of your questions, I can’t really tell what I think of it alll yet; it is too new to form any real opinions on. The weather is loosy. (sic) Deliver me from having to spend many winters in Georgia. It rains nearly all the time and is very cold and damp. We wear our heavy overcoats and still shiver most of the time. If and when the sun comes out it is failry (sic) warm but that is so seldom one forgets about it in between times. The country is not at this time of the year at all attractive. There is a great deal of sand and little foliage arund (sic) the camp. Our barracks is in a stretch of sand with no trees anywhere near. I’m afraid it will be terribly hot in summer and it is windy and cold now. Most of the girls have very bad colds, but I have been lucky in that respect so far. I guess my living at camp so long this last year has toughened me for this half outdoors living. It compares with our climate when we have a wet cold last of October and first of November just before the snow comes. The trees and grass are dead and everything is dirty looking as it is at home before the snow comes, but down here they never have the snow to cover it up; it is like this for months---Me, I don’t like it, I’d rather have snow.
As far as the job goes, this one I’m on now is just routine and not enough of it to keep me busy at all; but the captain who interviewed us yesterday said that I would be changed shortly so I’m not worrying about it at all. This is a brand new outfit of WACs here. They keep coming in a few at time and until the whole detachment is here nothing much will be done about placing the girls on their permanet (sic) jobs – just now they are using us wherever they can to keep us busy and to get some routine jobs done.
I’m sending home a picture of our company at basic training; it is not as good as I hoped it would be; the photographer was too far away so that the people are too samll (sic) in it; however with a mangnizying (sic) glass it might be pretty good as apparently most of the girls took (a) fine picture. The C.O’s is no where near as good looking or very attractive looking.
It is now 10.00A.M. and we have typed just two furlough(s) – (five minutes a piece) all this morning and there are two of us on the job. I’ll sure be glad when and if they change me to something that is busier. (switches to handwriting) Some just came in so the Corporal is going to type them. He is as bored as I am. He is a nice chap from Ohio.
The clipping about the Bangor Airport is interesting. I wonder if the girls will be transferred or jut let out. I guess I’m just as well off here.
-2-
There hasn’t been much to write about since my last letter. I went to bed early Thursday night. Last night we had a talk from the WAC captain from Birmingham, Alabama who is next in command above our lieutenant in the WAC 6 (?) After the talk we cleaned the barracks for this morning’s inspection. I felt like working and scrubbed all the evening. You should see me down on my hands & knees with a GI Brush scrubbing floors. Maybe that job Aunt Grace turned down at the bank will still be available for me when I get out of the service. I’ll be right in trim for it. Marjorie’s sister wrote her that she was going to clean house when Marjorie came home on furlough so Marjorie wouldn’t get our of practice during her furlough.
The boys have lost the bottle opener and are having a grand time trying to open their coke bottles on the edge of a table. They nearly all have coca colas in the middle of the morning and again in the afternoon.
-3-
I have been using my spare time here in the office to type up some form letters to send out to our basic company members so as to let them know where we are and in hopes they’ll answer and tell us about themselves. I’ll enclose a copy so you can see it.
That picture of Evelyn didn’t look natural. I doubt if I would have recognized it. Do you want it back?
I am also enclosing a Sample copy of a Furlough Paper so you can see what I’m doing.
Love
Kay
[Transcription ends]
