October 30, 1943

From: Pvt. Geo. F. Gleasure, 31157709, Co. E 12th Inf. A.P.O.#4 U.S. Army, Camp Gordon Johnston, FL
To: Mr. Frank Gleasure, 56 Gardner Street, Allston, Mass. (Boston)

U.S. ARMY

AMPHIBIOUS TRAINING CENTER

CAMP GORDON JOHNSTON, FLORIDA

Dear Pa: -

Received your letter this afternoon and by it I see that you didnt get my last letter thanking you for that money you sent. It got here okay but you shouldnt have sent so much because you need it for things up there. Whats the matter with Jimmy? One time he wants a day job another time nights it looks to me like he dont know what he does want. You say you turned in some insurance policies on me & that there is more due next October - How many policies do you hold on me altogether? It seems to me that you have been spending quite a little money for insurance. That fellow Beck that you were talking to in the Harvey Steel is a friend of mine but dont say too much to him because he is an awful gossiper, just like a woman, I dropped my friendship with that girl I used to write to because she is married so dont say anything to him about that because there would be a hell of a lot of trouble.

I was thinking things over one day & decided to stop that affair before there was trouble.

Things here are about the same as usual, right now the weather is very hot in the day time & very chilly at night so we have to be careful of colds. They have us down in the Gulf of Mexico every day trying to teach us to swim but I havent gotten any place yet & I dont think Ill ever be able to swim because I havent the strength to keep it up very long. Do you ever hear from Madeline at all? I wrote to her about three weeks ago & never did get an answer from her so I was wondering if things are okay out there.

I received a letter from Martha the other day & a birthday card from Theresa on the 14th also I got one from Jimmy but his handwriting is so poor that I couldnt read it so if he writes again the thing for him to do is to have one of the kids in the house re write it so that its legible otherwise I cant read it at all.

As yet newspapers havent arrived here but should be here in a few days, anyway the postal service from Washington on through the South is very poor & unreliable so we here just have to wait for things to come through. Like yesterday I got a letter that was mailed from Boston one month ago it never got here till yesterday afternoon so thats an example of the mail service down through here. Well this is about all from here for now so will close till I hear from you again.

Luck
George

P.S. You have made an error in addressing letters to me. You make is look like Johnston is a town here but it isnt, its part of the camps name.

Camp Gordon Johnston. Florida

October 24, 1943

From: Pvt. Geo. F. Gleasure, 31157709, Co. E 12th Inf. A.P.O.#4 U.S. Army, Camp Gordon Johnston, FL
To: Mr. Frank Gleasure, 56 Gardner Street, Allston, Mass. (Boston)

U.S. ARMY AMPHIBIOUS TRAINING CENTER

CAMP GORDON JOHNSTON, FLORIDA

Dear Pa: -

I received your registered letter with money yesterday but you shouldnt have put so much in because you can use it more than I can but I got it safely anyway. I got a letter from Jimmy yesterday, he didnt have much to say & besides I couldnt read half of his handwriting in the first place. I wrote to Madeline about a month ago but as yet havent received an answer. I also got a card from Theresa on my birthday. Things here are going along as usual except that the boat training is getting tougher all the time but it will soon be over, we were out in the boats all night once last week and about 90 percent of everybody on board were sea sick, you never saw such a sorry looking bunch in your life, it didnt get me because I stood on my feet so that I could ride on an even keel, if you let yourself sway with the boat you get sick and I didnt do that so thats why it didnt effect me. Its Sunday here now & its so hot you cant breathe. Well this is about all for now so Ill close till I hear from you again.

Luck
George

August 31, 1943

To: Mr. Frank Gleasure, 56 Gardner Street, Allston, Mass. (Boston)
From: Pvt. Geo. F. Gleasure 31157709, CoE 12th Inf. A.P.O. #4, 4th Inf. Div. Fort Dix, NJ, U.S. Army

Dear Pa:-

I wrote you just as soon as I got back into camp the nite I left & as yet I've received no answer so I'm writing again just in case you didn't get that letter. In fact I haven't heard from anybody at all back there at all.  Martha doesn't write anymore or Theresa or Jimmy either, if they don't care to write once in a while I wish they would say so, so that I won't be looking for letters every time the mail man comes in.  I'm not going to bother any further with writing to people who don't even answer your letters, this place is strain enough on the nerves without thinking about what's going on at home.

I received all newspapers & what few letters that were here when I came back so all the mail that I know of is here.  We have been out on the rifle range pretty regular lately & one day last week while we were out there, one of the fellows in a target pit a little way from where I was stuck his head up too high & got a bullet right between the eyes and it passed in through the front of his helmet, through his head & out through the back of the helmet & as a result they have been after us ever since to keep our heads down.

Did you see anything about that train wreck up in New York the other day?  They say that some dope locked a switch engine out onto the main line when that train come along.  Well this is about all for now so I'll close till later.

Luck,

George

August 24, 1943

To: Mr. Frank Gleasure, 56 Gardner St., Allston, Mass. (Boston)
From: Pvt. Geo. F. Gleasure 31157709, CoE. 12th. Inf. A.P.O. #4, 4th Inf. Div. U.S. Army, Fort Dix, New Jersey

Dear Pa:-

Just a short letter to let you know that I got back okay & it only took six hours for the whole trip so that was good time.  I don't know what happened to me but when I got up this morning I had a sore neck & a sick stomach but feel better now & I think I'll be okay, for a while I thought that I might be going to have another dose of pleurisy but it's wearing off now so I'm not going to worry over it.  Tell Martha & Theresa to write & also tell Martha to be sure that the letter I'm sending with this one is taken care of.  Well I got the newspapers & all mail due me so far, it was all on my bed when I got here last night.  Well I'll have to close now as the lights are going out so write again soon.

Luck, George

August 9, 1943

From: Pvt. Geo. Gleasure, 31157709, Co. E, 12th Inf., A.P.O. #4, 4th Inf Div, US Army, Fort Dix, NJ
To: Frank Gleasure, 56 Gardner Street, Allston, Mass (Boston)

Dear Pa:-

I received your letter in yesterdays mail + didnt get the chance to answer till now. When you write again send the address of that place where Theresa and Martha are staying. Yes you told me that your received pictures from Madeline I also got one of her and she does appear to have put on weight. I didnt hear anything about that train wreck you spoke of as the only papers we get here are New York and Philadelphia papers and they only have local and war news in them I would like however to have some of the Boston papers sent about once a week because I cant get used to what papers we have here. Well this is about all there is from here for now except to tell you that the address here has been changed due to the fact that the vehicles have been taken from us. So the new address is

Co. E. 12th Inf
A.P.O. #4
4th Infantry Division
U.S. Army
Fort Dix N.J.

Luck,
George

April 19, 1943

From: Pvt. George F. Gleasure, 31157709, CoE. 12th Infantry, A.P.O. #4, U.S. Army, Fort Dix, N.J.
To: Frank Gleasure, 56 Gardner Street, Allston, Mass.

Dear Pa:-

I received your letter today along with a couple of others from boston.  I was beginning to wonder if you had been receiving my letters because its been some time since I heard from you.  I get one from Martha occasionally but I never hear from either Theresa or Jimmy.  I don't know whats the matter with them.  I wouldn't get rid of the dog on that account I'd just help him off the struts & when you catch him doing wrong just wallop hell out of him & he won't try it again.  He knows when he's wrong.

Before I left Gordon I sent you a picture book of the City of Augusta so let me know in your next letter if you received it or not.  I think that Jimmy had better stay in his job because I doubt if he can get a release now that the manpower freeze has gone into effect.  So he had better use his head or he will find himself in the army.  As for Martha having heart trouble, you had better try to curb her of drinking as that will do more harm than anything else.  THe doctor can put a scare into her if you tell him about it.  Well this is about all from here so I'll close for now.

Luck,

George.

Here is the new address.

Pvt. Geo. F. Gleasure 31157709.
CoE. 12th Infantry. A.P.O. #4
U.S. Army Fort Dix.
New Jersey

April 20, 1943 (both letters included in the same envelope)

Dear Pa

Just a note to tell you that this address has changed again so here is the new one & be sure you get it right because if you don't the letters will be censored.  The address is on the back of this paper.

Pvt. George F. Gleasure 31157709
CoE. 12th Infantry. A.P.O. #4
4th Motorized Division
Fort Dix, New Jersey

January 22, 1943

From: Pvt. Geo. F. Gleasure 7709, Co E 12th Inf. A.P.O. No 4, Camp Gordon, Augusta Ga.
To: Mr. Frank Gleasure, 56 Gardner Street, Allston Mass. (Boston)

Dear Pa, -

Received your letter yesterday & was glad to hear that you received the insurance papers, photographs & camera. I want that camera put where it won't be carried off by Jimmy. Before he reports to the board tell him that I said to do everything in his power to stay out of the Infantry because it's too tough. We do have to make application for furlough & I've done so but for different reasons they canciled them so I was unable to get there. Evidently that lieutenant that told you I should have saved a sum of money by this time hasn't been in a camp like this because $50 isn't much for a whole month & it don't take very long to go through it. I got the presents from Theresa & Martha okay and have written to thank them for them but don't know if they got the letters or not. Well I must close now as lites will be out soon.

Luck Geoge

January 1, 1943

From: Pvt. Geo. F. Gleasure, CoE. 12th Infantry, Camp Gordon Augusta, GA
To: Frank Gleasure, 56 Garder Street, Allston, Mass. (Boston)

Dear Pa,-

Received your letter today & I'm just dropping a line to tell you that I've received all the mail to date, it was late but I finally got it so there is no need to talk to anybody about it.  Well today was new years day & it was just another day for us, there is no enjoyment here at all just work and plenty off it.  We earn every cent of the fifty dollars a month that we get.  I've got another cold & it bothers my chest again but I think its due to this climate because its warm during the day & its cold at nite.  How did the holiday go off up there?  better than it did here I hope because we had to work so our Christmas wasn't anything to talk about.  Well this is about all there is from here so I'll close for now.  Tell Theresa if she is going to send any mail to me to send it as soon as she can because there is danger of floods here in the south & it may not get through for some time.

Luck

George

September 21, 1942

From: Pvt. Geo. Gleasure 7709, COA 15th Batallion 1st Platoon, Camp Wheeler, Macon, GA
To: Frank Gleasure, 56 Gardner Street, Allston, Mass. (Boston)

Dear Pa-,

Im sending a picture I had taken here by electric camera Sunday nite.  I haven't much time to do any writing as I have some work to do so will write again a little later.

George

Tell Theresa to write
Also Jimmy.

September 16, 1942

From: Pvt. Geo. Gleasure 7709 C.A. 15th Batallion 1st Platoon, Camp Wheeler, Macon, Georgia
To: Frank Gleasure, 56 Gardner Street, Allston Mass. (Boston)

Dear Pa,-

I received your letter this afternoon in the last mail and also one from Martha.  There isn't much I could do about my eyes as far as sentry duty at night is concerned because every man in the camp has to stand guard when his turn comes and when I go on at night I don't have to make up any time, if I was on days I'd have to make up the time lost at drill.  I haven't spoken yet about the pain in my side because I was out on the range to qualify for marksman and we could not be away from there unless it was absolutly necessary.  Well anyway I think I made the mark.  I tried to quality on the automatic rifle but don't know yet how I'll come out, tomorrow we go out for machine gun instructions, things certainly move fast around here.  Has Theresa got home?  If so tell her to write.  How was the weather up there today, down here the heat would fry eggs.  Well this is all the news for now.

George

I"m going to see the docto tomorrow or the next day.

September 11, 1942

From: Pvt. Geo Gleasure 7709, C.A. 15th Batallion, 1st Platoon, Camp Wheeler, Macon, Georgia.
To: Frank Gleasure, 56 Gardner Street, Allston Mass (Boston)

I received your letter today just as I was going to write and see if everything was alright up there.  I thought that something might be wrong as I hadn't received a letter since Sept 4th and the letters that Martha is supposed to take care of are not getting there.  I got the money order & check okay.  Tell Jimmy to get wise to himself and bid off some job and stay put or he will find himself in the same fix as me and its no joke.  Did Theresa get home yet?  If she is tell her to write - the only enjoyment we have down here is receiving and answering letters.  Its all we have time for.  Well I guess I'll close now because there isn't any news.

George

August 26, 1942

From: Pvt. Geo. Gleasure, COA 15th Training Batallion, 1st Platoon, Camp Wheeler, Macon, Georgia
To: Frank Gleasure, 56 Gardner Street, Allston (Boston), Massachusetts

Dear Pa-

I got your letter at this noon's mail call & was glad to here from somebody back home.  I don't like this country down here at all, the people from around here are not very sociable at all  I haven't been into Macon yet but those that have tell me that the people have little or no use for a soldier.  You don't have to waste paper like that when you write, you can write on boath sides because I don't think they sensure any letters other than those that go outside of the country and if they do they don't cut out any parts, they will just blot the words they dont want us to see they have a regular blot out stamp for that purpose.  Teddy might have been out looking for me the time he was gone for a week, because he used to sit up in front of Moskos every nite till he saw me coming.  I wrote to Madeline the other day but I'm not sure whether I had the adress rite or not, but I think it is 717 El Dorado Ave. Valejo Cal.  If this is wrong tell me.  How did Jimmy make out with his girl & Shepherd?  Tell Theresa, Jimmy & Martha to write I want to here from everybody back in Allston, it's the only enjoyment I have here because I'm holed up in this place and things are about the same every day, same old thing fall out for this & fall out for that they keep us on the jump from 5.30 in the morning till 9.00 at nite and the drilling is tough as hell, I don't know if I can stand up under it on account of the heat or not but I'll hang on anyway and see.  Are you thinking of having your sister come to live with the family?  I got the check alright and it come in handy.  Thanks.  I can't tell you much of what is going on down here because we are not alowed to mention anything of a millitary nature to anybody.  Well I think I'll sign off now as there isn't any more news from here for now.

George

July 10, 1938

From: Jimmy Gleasure, Citizens Military Training Camp, Fort McKinley, Maine

To: Frank Gleasure, 59 Royal St. Allston, Mass.

Dear Pa,

I arrived yesterday we got of at Portland, then got a ride to the wharver.  a ship comes and brought us to the island.  We get up at 5.40 get dressed and make our bed and be out a 6.5.  then we line up for inspection.  Next is breakfast.  After breakfast is exercise then drill to twelve then dinner and more drill. 

The "[enearshion?]" is K.P. auther words is table water for 24 hours You have to wate at the side for breakfast dinner + supper then wash the dishes.  And boy are you pauped then is guard duty 2 hours a night.  Tell Martha, Theresa, George + Madeline to right.  If I don't write for a while that means they ran out of stamps and I will have to what a while untill the ship brings the stamps across the bay.  Well I have to go to bed now

Your Son

Jimmy

COH