"Just some Marines and some sweet chicken!" - May 14, 1942

Miss Jean Johnson
Sheboygan, Wis.

Tech. L. Winsauer
Co. A 45th Med. Bn.
3rd Armd. Division
Polk, Louisiana

Dearest,

'Just got back from a swell show over at the post theater. The picture was "Shores of Tripoli" and it was a little bit of alright. Have you seen it? Just some Marines and some sweet chicken!

Last Sunday after dinner I went down to the 36th Infantry to see Sammy and found him — washing out a couple pr. of coveralls. He had stopped in up here at the 45th last Friday afternoon but I didn't get much of a chance to talk to him then 'cause we had to go out on a problem that evening (an 80 mile drive). So Sunday afternoon we sat in his barracks for nearly three hours just talking over the "good old days" and filling in the last six months since we've seen each other. Later in the afternoon we took a walk over to see another one of the kids from home — Rube Hensleit — ('member the Hensleit matches?). He was playing poker when we got there but broke up the game, and the three of us hiked over to the P.X. for a few of their lousy 3.2 beers. Just sat around chewing the fat some more and then took off for home. ????

Sammy doesn't look too good right now — at least that's what I thought after seeing him for the first time in over 6 mos. He's lost about twenty pounds and that's a lot of ounces. He thinks the pounds he lost were all excess wt. but I don't know — He's leaving for Fort Knox, Ky. sometime this week for a two months course in auto mechanics, but he said he'd call me before he left so I'll probably see him again in a day or so. Sammy's thoroughly disgusted with the army too, so we had a swell time exchanging our pet gripes and cussing the whole setup. The change of scenery he'll get by going up to Knox will probably do him a lot of good 'cause he's pretty well fed up with Polk and Louisiana. 'Don't know how long I'll be down here either — the latest rumor has it that the 3rd Armored has to be out of Polk by July 6th, and that we're going on maneuvers either in California or Arizona. If we do leave, the chances are we won't see this camp again — at least not till after the war.

Les Klein, he's also from Kohler, was over last night and he's in the 54th Field Artillery. he says their outfit is pulling out next week for California, so maybe there's some truth to the rumor.

I'm still undecided about whether or not I should go to officer's training school. The only reason I might turn it down is that by staying in the Medics I'd get a lot of valuable experience in medicine that I wouldn't get by being an officer in the infantry or artillery or some other branch of the service. But then again I don't know — 'Guess I need a Dr. Lindow and a few of his charts. Personally I think they're a lot of hooey but who knows.

Do you know Clarissa Haynes from Sheboygan? She was down here to see Johnny Held last week and he was out of camp all week on a problem — didn't get back 'till Saturday — 'Course he had a couple days with her but he did just some cussin about it. Oh, and do you know Clarence Hartung? He's also from Sheboygan and lives somewhere up in your neighborhood. He's one of our cooks and we have a lot of fun kidding each other on the relative merits of Kohler and Sheboygan. He knows you and said he used to get apples on the Q.T. from someone living next door to the Johnson domicile.

Tuesday I broke one of the lenses of my glasses and would have been hurtin if I hadn't had an extra pair down here. The darn glasses were knocked off while we were staging an impromptu wrestling match in the barracks just before chow at noon and one of the boys came down right on top of them — I still can't figure out how only one of the lenses were broken 'cause he really landed hard.

'Been getting your swell letters regularly and feel like a heel again for not writing sooner. Don't know what the boys in Ireland do, but down here the only important occasions are pay day and mail call and everybody falls our for them even though it may be raining cats and dogs. Darling you've no idea how much your letters mean to me and its damn swell of you to write so often when I'm so slow in answering. Believe me, I hope you do make me write more letters after we're married 'cause I'm going to feel a heck of a lot less like writing then than I do now — there'll be too many more pleasant things to do — and I know I'll say to heck with answering letters.

I got a letter from Bud the other day but he didn't have much to say outside of his gal troubles and when he was getting his finals. 'Haven't answered yet, but I will — shortly (?)

'Bet your bedroom is pretty neat, and the next time I get home I'm going to have to check up on it one time. You said you'd show it to me "If I'd be goo." 'Course I don't know what you mean — but the way I feel right now I surer than hell couldn't make any promises along that line. You, and me, and a light blue bedroom — nope, no promises. Darling I love you too much and when I'm with you I just can't help myself. Not that I really want to but I guess you know I should.

Instead of taking out an allotment and having the money sent home I signed up for some defense bonds. They're going to deduct enough from my pay each month so that every two months I'll have three $25.00 bonds and a little left over. In other words it'll cost me $28.75 each month. The beauty of it is that the money is taken off before I get payed, and the bonds are sent home so I can't very well gamble it away. boy if they ever come through with that staff sergeant's rating I'm going to put away just some money, so cross your fingers hon!

'Am enclosing some pictures one of the boys took on the Sunday after I got back to camp from my furlough. I'd forgotten all about his taking them, but he brought them over a couple days ago. Don't know why they're so blurred but its probably because of the film he used. That rugged looking Texan is "Tex" Baird, one of the kids I run around with down here — he's a graduate of Texas A. & M. — and a hell of a swell fellow. What do you think of the tents we were living in there? Neat, Wot?

Well darling adios for now and to bed — loving you as ever and for always, your boyfriend (who the heck's Mabel)

Louis

P.S. Your new stationery's a little bit of O.K.

P.P.S. Have you played any golf yet?

P.P.P.S. Let's not wait 'till the war's over to get married.