Mrs George F. Daley, Depot St., Hyde Park Vermont

Return address:
Lt. George F. Daley Jr
Co A, 293^rd Engr [C] Bn
APO #184, c/o Postmaster
Los Angeles, California

Letterhead: Camp Forrest, Tennessee

3 October ‘43

Dear Folks:

Just got your letter of Sept. 7^th today!! I had known Ellen was home and doing pretty well for herself. That’s good because the sooner she gets better the happier everyone will be. I just learned of course that Newt is in California and so I’m wiring home soon for his address as I have a 5-day leave coming up soon and plan to drop by and see him.

Everything is running smoothly here, this morning I went swimming for a couple of hours in the Colorado River. I am only 3 miles from Mexico and have dropped down there a couple of times to drink beer and talk with the Mexicans. However they are a wild bunch and all carry knives to use at the slightest instant. Have see a lot of real Indians and you may be relieved to know that they dress the same as the white man and don’t wear feathers.

All we have here is sand and snakes. You eat, sleep and drink the sand. It covers everything you own. The snakes are all poisonous and so you always have to carry a sharp razor and a few other impliments [sic] just in case. As you may have guessed it gets pretty hot here and so the next time you complain of the heat in Vermont just think of the heat in the desert. I’m quite well supplied with everything except mail, but I’ve moved so much that it takes a long while to get through. I’m curious if the $200.00 I sent to the bank ever go there, after all $200.00 is $200.00. I’ll have another hundred to send home soon. Spending money is rather hard out here.

Say Hello to Gramp and Gram and tell them that even though I’m about 3000 miles from home I still think of them. Don’t plan on my coming home for awhile because it’ll probably be a long while before I make it. We’re in a business now you know!!

That’s all for now so will close once more.

George Jr.

*Tell Ellen I’ll write soon but my time is pretty well taken. It gets light here at 6:30 and dark at 7:30 which makes a short day –