23 June 19h)

Dear Dr Allen:

After some maneuvering the last Rebound reached me today. It
seemed to me that "Kirkpatrick I mean Fitzpatrick"really hit the nail
on the head when he said that some days you think that the Rebound
ought to be coming any day and in a few days it does arrive. Last
week I thought that it should be coming any day and today I did receive
ite

I am really ashamed that I haven't written sooner but I have been
changing camps, changing jobs, etc. and the time has really flown the
last couple of months. Guess I should start at the beginning.

I left Camp Butner, North Carolina around the first of May to
come on cadre for this new Engineer Combat Battalion here in Camp
Maxey, Texas which is located here in the north east corner of Texas.
I see by the Rebound that "Joco" Ballard is only about 100 miles
across the prairies of Texas and I sure am going to try to contact
him. I came on cadre as a classification clerk and expected to go to
Fort Washington, Maryland for a course in that work.

At the last minute my name was withdrawn and I was placed in the
Battalion Sergeant Major position. It was really a fine break and
came as a complete surprise to me. This was followed by the recent
promotion to sergeant. I now have the three stripes up and now am
working for those "rockers" that go on the bottom.

Our battalion does not have it's fillers as yet and so we are
now in cadre training.

My older brother, whom you will remember fell on his ankle last
year, went back to the Springfield General Hospital in Missouri for.
an examination in late April. The doctors seemed to be satisfied
with his progress although they said it will take time for it to get
back to normal again. They gave him another six months limited service
and then he will go back to the hospital for another examination. He
is now in New York City acting as an instructor in a Signal Corps
Photographic School.

My younger brother now makes me look like a runt.. He is now
6! yt plus and doedXSeem to be letting up a bit so far. I was home
on a 3 day pass a couple of weeks ago and I think I would really have
my hands busy to try to handle him now,

I think you remember Tom Porter from Ottawa who took a course under
you last summer on the hill. He is now in Columbia University Midship-
man's School in New York. He likes the Navy fine but he thinks the
Indian#s got the best end of that famed $2) transaction.