May 9, 1951, Wednesday

Pvt. Robt. M. Gimbel
Co "B" Boat Ba.
369th E.B. & S.R.
Fort Worden, Washington

Dear Mom and Dad,

Well, here's another letter, I hope it finds you all well and everything okay.
I start to school Monday. It's Diesel school, Mechanic school that is.
I am going to be on a LCM Landing barge. It's 52 feet long, has 2 250 HP diesel engines and a crew of 4 men: a Diesel Engineer "Mechanic", cox man who pilots boat, and 2 deck hands.
So, we have just been loafing this week.
They have a celebration here in Port Townsend that's just like Vicksburg's (Michigan), beards and all. We have to march in it.
Me and Bob Bailey went and saw Fess and Hill last night. They are on boat maintenance up at Hudson Point, that's 1 1/2 mile from us. They haven't started school either.
We're just all setting around, and dodging details.
I got my cookies yesterday, thanks, the one can with the money broke open and the money was gone, so better not send anymore that way.
The officers here are all common, always say Good Morning or Afternoon, when returning a salute. They ask quite often how we are doing. Threat us like human beings for a change. In fact it seems funny.
The weather is still good here.
We got split up a little but Orie is still in the same Co. with me, and Bailey's one of the gang too. He's from Fulton, Michigan.
There's some guys in this Fort that's taking basic here. The they have marched only as far as 6 miles, only once. Had only 1 day of bivouac, don't carry hardily any equipment and they think they are having it hard.
We just laugh at them.
A corporal here asked us how to pack a field pack, he didn't even know how. We showed him how, that is Bob and me.
Well, I guess this is all the news for now, write soon and lots of love from me to you all.
Love
Bob