Wednesday, August 30, 1967

Aug. 30, 1967

4:30 PM

Wed.

Dear Mother + Dad,

How is everyone at home? I am getting along fine but anxious to find out when I'll be leaving here.

I got your letter of last Friday yesterday. I received the package this afternoon. Thanks a lot.

I was very glad and surprized to hear that I passed the test for third class. I'll be looking for some kind of notice from them in the next few days.

Do you remember my writing the last time that I usually didn't have to do any work on working parties or anything like that? Well the past three days that I've had duty (Sat., Mon, today) I have had mess cooking. I usually put in about 10 hours each day when I get stuck with that. It's not really bad, just a long time on your feet. We just fix the food and get it ready to be served. We don't have to do dishes or wipe off tables, fortunately. Usually they try to break it up so that you don't have mess duty every day you have duty, but there isn't many men in our barracks so that means you have to do it more often. Actually, I'd rather do that than cleaning up the barracks. It does make the day go faster for me.

Last Wednesday when I came back to the barracks about 3 PM, I found a note laying on my rack. It was from this guy who I palled around at Great Lakes last winter. He had seen my name on a list at his barracks and decided to look me up. He had just got here that day. We were really surprized that we both would be here about the same time. So, we have been going into 'Frisco when we have the chance.

Sunday we went there and spent most of the day. We went to Fisherman's Wharf then went to the Haight/Ashbury section and paid a visit to the "hippies." There are a few of them downtown but if you want to see a lot of them you have to go there. I wish I had a camera with me that day. They lay in the grass in the parks and sleep (among other things), hold public speeches in the parks, paint pictures on the sidewalk! Some of them walk around with a little kitten tied to a string and crawling across their shoulders. There are a lot of tourists that go out there and this makes it easier for the hippies to get publicity and attention.

I haven't heard anything from Bill yet, have you? He probably wishes that he had thought things over a little better before he signed the papers and raised his right hand, but he'll get over it soon, no doubt about that.

I am glad to have my ring back. That new set looks real good. I'll try to take better care of it now that I know the set breaks so easily.

I hope the weather was good for your trip to Effingham. Did David have as much fun this time as he did last time?

I think I am going to buy me a movie camera or do you think a still camera would be best. Just in case I do get one, what size projector do we have 8mm or 16mm? I'd like to take a lot of pictures to remember the places I've been and the things I've seen and will be seeing.

These two weeks have went by fast for me, although it seems that I've been here longer. I should be finding out in the next week or so where I'm going and when.

That's about all I have to say for now. I'll try to write next week. Bye,

Your son,

Mike

P.S.

I noticed you didn't send my radio. That's alright because a lot of the other guys have radios, so I really don't need mine so don't send it in case you remembered you forgot it.