RURAL BRYANT, SD, PRESENTS:

The cottage home is all modern, nice and clean with chicken house and barn. A large plot for garden, the rest is excellent pasture and hay-land. Just what we wanted, a paradise for the children too, they have their swings in the shade of the apple trees fom which I just picked two orange boxes full of transparent apples. How good they are.

We also have pear and plum trees. Here too we were able to get the furniture with the house again. Of course, we now had Ray Wicher send our washing machine and with this we were all fixed again.

I purchased a good young cow which provides all the milk and buter also cottage cheese we can use, even a little to sell besides. We raise all of our own pork, about 100 young chickens growing up, and a bunch of laying hens.

Our pork we put in a locker in town, and when we need meat I bring home several pounds at a time. No worry about food stamps--as we use very few of them.

So you see with the good garden a large part of our living is obtained from the little farm home. This is the ideal way and as it should be, the family helps make the living instead of every thing coming out of Daddy's pay check. And by the way, that pay check has been different from the one back there.

For your information, I figured up my gross income for the year from July 24, 1942, the day of my arrival, to July 24, 1943--more than $4000.00 [his monthly income more than tripled, from $120 to $450-$500]--Editors]. I never dreamed of anything like this was possible for me.

It was to be used as a troop carrier and they put in 3,500 bunks with accommodation for 4,000 men. Upon completion of this ship there was for a time a surplus of Joiners in the yard, so the company requested a number of us to go into sheetmetal work. I liked this work so well that I later decided to join this craft, and as I was able to get a Marine Journeyman rating with top wages I was not sorry I did.

I work in a huge shop at a bench making metal cabinets and lockers for the ships, all different sizes and types, also some are of difficult construction, while others are quite simple to make.

I started out with a simple one and now I construct the very largest and most difficult model; however, any of you fellows could build this cabinet if you had the chance to learn as I have enjoyed, and I mean you too, Ray.

This work requires measuring and accuracy to a 32nd of an inch and though you work from plans a number of principles of construction must be kept in mind, requiring full concentration. For a man with a mechanical inclination it's a dream of a job. This shop is full of wonderful machines, each has an operator, but you have to be able to tell him what you want, and how you want it done.

There is a minimum of screw work, when I have all my work all cut out it is taken into the welding room where the electric welders do the job of joining the various parts together. When this is done the electric sander is applied and all welds and joints are made nice and smooth. I now build the doors and when they are installed the work is ready for inspection by the foreman.

It seems that every mechanic takes a personal pride and interest in his work, doing his best to outshine the others. Any little flaw or mistake is quickly noticed and made a subject of ridicule and laughter by the men. This is the type of work I shall stay with from now on as I am completely satisfied with it in every respect.