JUNE 23, 1944 Friday afternoon Italy
 
Dear Jack,
         Thanks for your letter. I'm reclining on my bedding roll as I write this, so it might be a little hard to read. We are camped in an old olive orchard. The trees look gnarled and gray enough to be ancient.
         Some of the towns around here are very picturesque. They are perched on hilltops, and look like pictures out of an old fairy tale.
         I just finished taking a shower at a mobile bath unit. You not only take a bath, but exchange your clothes for clean ones if you wish. Quite frequently you get all new ones.
         As I may have mentioned before, the food is all canned, even the butter. They do hand out cigarettes, lifesavers and gum with it. They also include toilet articles, like soap and razor blades.
         The weather here has been good. To-day we had intermittent showers, but the sun is shining nicely now. There are all kinds of summer insects buzzing and humming.
         Its fifteen minutes to four now - at home it's just about ten in the morning. By midnight here, it will be suppertime in Cleveland.
         Goodbye and don't work to hard.