March 9, 1943

C. P. S. #59
Elkton, Oregon
Mar. 9, 1943

Dear folks,

This isn’t going to be much of a letter. It seems that the longer I’m in CPS the busier I get. Up till this month I have managed to keep out of the camp Gov’t. But this month they put me on the worship committee when I wasn’t at camp-meeting. I’ll have to go after this in self-defence. I’m really not a shirker but I have put a lot of extra time in in the wood-shop so that the fellows can have the opportunity to work here when they want to and that leaves me little time to do anything else. Well we just got through with a worship committee meeting and that’s part of the reason this letter will be short.

I havn’t sent for my shoes yet but will soon. We gave our ration books to the ration board so that we could get new ones and they havn’t given the old ones back yet. I think they will get them when they go to Drain, that’s where the board is. I have been thinking more about the shoe problem and decided that I should get something pretty good as they may have to last quite a while.

Another thing I want to explain is that there is a pretty good possibility of a surveying job opening up. I have notion to get into it if I can and I think I can. We don’t know much yet but the General Land Office wants 24 surveyers and the rumor is that they are trying to get it through Selective Service as a detached service unit. They expect it to start about the first day of May which causes me some concern. I was figuring on going home in May. And you know that opportunities don’t wait on you to get back. So I may take a notion to come home about the middle of April if the surveying looks like it is going to be what I want and is going to really start in May. The surveying will have to look about right of I won’t bother it. The possibilities of furlough on this surveying will have to be considered too. Maybe I could come home later in the summer. We shall see. I have to come to the place that I don’t worry about a decision till I get to it. I have a lot o faith in God to guide me and I usually know what to do when the time comes. What do you think about the whole thing? I believe I have put everything of importance in. I imagine that I could help you any time and if I could wait later I would have more time. I found that I could use the furlough time that I earned while away which would alow me to leave here the 7th and get back the 29th giving me 23 days if I went in May. If I go sooner It will cut off 2 days and I’ll be back where I thought I was. A couple of more things about surveying and the work here. The surveying is reported to be over several states so would be interesting from that side.

While I like my work here very well I don’t know what the future will be. There is work to do for the camp but it seems that we have our quota of overhead men now and 4 men over. So my chances of doing work for the camp are very slim no matter how much it is needed. Our supt. likes to have all the men on the project that he can cause they look good on the books and he isn’t so much concerned with keeping the fellows happy. I have a very nice job now. I am to make two large filing cabinets for filing big maps and plats for the Portland Office. I’ll enjoy that and it will last a little while. We are going to build a couple of prefabricated buildings to be used a fire camps. That will take a while and after tht I don’t know. The work we have turned out has made a good impression on the big boss at the Portland Office but I don’t suppose they can keep my busy for the duration. I’d kind of like to change some time and this looks like a good chance. What would you say.
$10.00
Send me ten bucks to buy shoes with. I’m in the mood to buy some good engineer’s boots now but don’t know what I will settle on.

Thanks for the Bible Society Stamps. They look a little militaristic but I guess that is the kind of advertising that people understand.

If some of you are down in Oskaloosa again will you go to May’s Cut Rate Drug Store and get me a 1# jar of Molle’ shaving cream? I still have some left but it won’t last another year. I’ll get it when I come home. So don’t send it out. Harry will know the store if you don’t remember it.

I got Grandpa Aldrich’s check and cashed it the same time that I did the one Dad sent for the tin clothes. I sent them to Eugene with the boys on the supply truck. We don’t have any trouble with checks. When the stores find out that we are religious objectors they are glad to do business. Some of them have been gypped by the CCC and were a little wary of the green trucks till they found out about the change.

Somebody sent me a Penn Cronicle and I see that Evelyn in in the Gossip column. Something about the Aldrich Holmes romance not lasting I think.

Hearing about you talking to all those nice people I know at Penn makes me wish that I could go back and see them. I wonder what if I ever will get to see them all again probably not. I got letter from Dick Newby to-day.

Yes, the family group picture got here ok.

I heard from Ab the other day, he wrote mostly about the daughter.

This turned out to be quite a letter after all. I’m getting sleepy better quit. So Long.

Yours with all the trimmings
Bernard

P.S. Propaganda enclosed.