439 2/10/1942 Robert A Carlson to Helen Carlson

Robert A Carlson Fort Dix, New Jersey Tuesday, February 10, 1942

Helen Carlson Box 582 Newburyport, Massachusetts

Dear Helen & Elmer, I’ll drop youse a hurried line tonight as I don’t have time during the day. Tomorrow I am going to start making out the payroll for our 220 men. It’s not just a matter of typing their names out either. There are remarks we have to put in for all kinds of deductions, promotions, allotments, insurance and everything else. It’ll be about 90 pages long. Tonight we’re gonna celebrate our 1st year in the Army as we were inducted Feb. 10th a year ago. Over the weekend I was again in N. Y. City. We saw the Normadie from the top of the Empire State Bldg. and the next day I hear it burned down to the water. Maybe that’ll keep us here longer. A week ago we got 175 new men into our outfit. They’re all from the East mostly and also from the South. I don’t know how I’ll ever fill out this big page. I like to receive letters but I have a hell of a time answering them. I received a bulletin today on Company Administration. It says that in combat, the Company clerks stay in the rear echelon of the Division or the Corps. That don’t make me mad. Well, there’s so many guys in here I can’t write anymore. Bob P.S. Say Elmer, did you ever receive that picture of me?