Letters from AJ (Fred) Anton to Lucille Ewald, December 1944

Containers:

17.0017-Box 1, Folder 004

Scope and content:

In this folder Anton writes more about his trip home to his family in New York. While home, he spends time with Colonel Sellers who got Anton into the Marines and reviews a dress parade done by a local regiment from Wentworth led by Col. Sellers. Attached to the December 7th letter is a newsclipping written by marine Gunther Gherkin, about a "fake" boot camp that trains actors to look like marines for propaganda purposes. There are also several cut out newspaper comic strips included with his letters to Lucille. By December 14th he is at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and is assigned as a platoon leader and his letters are addressed to the O. Comd. Bn. There he writes more about physically demanding training and the lectures he helps with occassionally. He mentions his three minors that he took in college; French, English, and Speech. He also describes a procedure he had to have done on his heel that keeps him out of training and being moved back to Quantico. In his December 19th letter, he writes about seeing Franklin Delano Roosevelt when he came to visit the camp. Anton also writes about the scarcity of of gas stamps among him and his friends, which affects their ability to get out of camp. Anton also briefly wrties about the Christmas celebrations in the camp including a play and some parties.

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