Sincerely, Joel C. Swisher

Dear Folks.

Got the letter of Dec 10 today. See that you also have been having cold weather. Was surprised to hear that Gere Hambleton joined the Aviation. Sort of wish I had joined that branch myself. Gere deserves credit as that is the most dangerous kind of service.

I suppose Aron and Blanch are “living happily”. I reckon he is sort of nervous about being drafted. It is a whole lot easier to go and have it over with if he only knew it.

Aunt Mary has been asking me what I needed. In my last letter I asked her to send me a package of auto-strop razor blades. I believe I would also like her to send me about 3 cakes of tar soap. The kind they call Grandpa’s Soap. It gets the dirt off better than Ivory. Also please send me about a half a dozen coarse handkerchiefs. I guess that covers all my needs.

I have gotten 5 letters from my father since I have been over here. That’s more than used to get from him in 3 yrs. I guess he feels he owes it to me. I didn’t hear from him from the time I left him in Chicago until I got over here. I wrote to him a number of times in the meantime and got no answer, so got tired of writing and didn’t write after I got across until a few weeks ago so I guess he hasn’t got any word from me yet. I can see by his letters that he is a little worried.

I am writing this by the light of a candle. That is about the cheapest and easiest light we can get in these parts. I don’t know whether they are made in France or U.S. You ought to see the French picks and shovels and hammers. They are the awkwardest, clumsiest things I ever ran across. They are not worth throwing away or else I don’t know how to use them. I always try to get hold of American tools.

The fellow I am bunking with now is from Oil City, Pa.

The stoves in our barracks are just like the ones in Penn Hill Meeting House. They throw out the heat. Firewood and coal is very scarce over here. There are a lot of crows over here. They call them ravens, but they look like crows. The people shoot them and eat them like we do chicken. I will have to be mighty hungry before I eat them.

Lovingly,
Joel