III

Now, a long time ago, when I was at Fort Dix, I wrote you my last letter, saying that I hoped to call you on a Monday, but, when I went into get a pass Monday morning, Captain Derouen told me that I hadn’t been punished sufficiently and couldn’t get a pas until Thursday morning. Now, I am wondering whether or not he knew that we were pulling out for Port of Embarkation Wednesday night and had told me Thursday morning just out of meaness or had actually been sincere and hadn’t known. As it was, I never did leave the place, so never did get a chance to call and say goodby.

Wednesday afternoon, the Port of Embarkation authorities inspected our barracks bags, and we had to lay everything out for them. Now we had been told that we would be allowed to take only Table of Organization stuff, and there was I with about ten pair of civilian underwear, innumerable stockings and handkerchiefs, and even a pair of civilian shoes, as I piled everything into my extra barrack’s bag, one of four, and deposited it in the tent of an outfit not far removed from us. The inspection was a farce, the inspector merely walking in and out of the tent without even looking carefully at our clothing and equipment, so that we were able to take anything that we wanted with us, and you can believe me when I say that I didn’t throw away a thing. The Major decided that we would carry only one barracks bag with us, the “A” bag, with the “B” bag inside the “A” bag, as it seemed that the “B” bag generally got lost and was thus of no particular use to the men.  Fortunately for myself, I had the foresight to pick up for a

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