6 December 1941
Time – 1000
Weather – Clear and warm
Co “B”, 2nd Tank Battalion
Second Marine Division
Fleet Marine Force
Camp Elliott
San Diego, California
Dear Folks:
It looks very much as if they are going to transfer me to the paymaster branch of the service. That is the reason that the letter Dean Cleland wrote has to be notarized. The Major General Commandant’s office sent it back because it wasn’t. Then of course the Captain of the Tank Company had to give it back to me to get it notarized. Then I realized what they wanted with my degree and the letter. So many things happen on the spur of the moment in the Marine Corps that one never knows what is going to happen. Well any way I thought I would let you know what they have in mind. You see each Company or rather I mean each Battalion has a Paymaster. It would be a very good branch of the service to get into and I imagine that is where I will end up.
Monday when we get paid I must do some more Christmas shopping. This payday I will receive $10.00. You know it is a funny thing but here in the Service you never think about money. If nothing else it teaches you how to be conservative. For example on payday you get your laundry, your smoking supplies, your stamps, stationery, tooth paste, just whatever you need in the way of supplies until the next payday. It learns one how to budget.
By golly I forgot that Elizabeths birthday is this month. I must get busy and send her a card as she never forgets me. By looking at the card I notice that it was December the 4th. Well I’ll get busy this afternoon and get her a card and get it in the mail.
Tomorrow I am going to the service here at the base. I like the Chaplain better here than the one out to Camp Elliott. He appeals to me more. He seems to have a better way of getting his sermons across. In other words he comes right to the point, and I like people who do this.
Surely will miss all of you this Christmas and I hope next year to be with all of you at this time. I imagine that I will be able to go up to the Whitemans. I might even get a week off. Don’t know for sure yet.
Hope that this finds all of you feeling fine.
Love to all,
Leo
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