Letter from Wilson Ashby McElveen, Jr. to his mother, postmarked April 4, 1946.

[Handwritten on stationary with letterhead “The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston”]

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Postmarked April 4, 1946

Wednesday Night

Dear Mother,

If I say anything to harsh in this letter please forgive me as I am not in a very good emotional state. I have not heard a word from anyone since I left home last week. Please write me and tell me what is going on.

Well I have been back almost a week now. I am either not adjusted or just mad I don’t know which. I hate to tell you this but I just can’t seem to get to studying this quarter. My subjects are harder this time but nothing I don’t think I could not accomplish. My main trouble is - I guess - is that I have last my purpose and want of study which I had last quarter. I am going to try to snap out of this tired and seen down feeling which I have and devote more

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Time to real studying.

We are having a lot of trouble in our company also. It seems that for nine mot months we were told that we could not do this or that until we became upper-classmen. Well we have now become members of the 3rd class and are treated worse than when we were members of the Fourth class. I could explain this to you if I were talking to you but just can’t seem to put it down on paper. I think this trouble will soon be over as soon as some of the members of our class are made corporals. If it is not soon straightened out I am going to ask the Col. personally to put me in another Co. in more pleasant surroundings.

I finally got my schedule straightened out and have attended all my classes. After I went to all my classes of the Business course I went back to Col. Meyers and dropped my Political Science course because I discovered

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I was carrying too much of a load already. Now I have every morning free but at 3rd period but have a lot of afternoon classes. Statistics and Physics are about the hardest subjects I am taking.

Well i walked my first tours this week. I had 19 demerits for last month. Some of them were spite reports but I get most of them were due to [illegible deletion] carelessness. I walked one Monday afternoon from 4 5 to 6 with my rifle but did not have to carry it today because they have been taken up for government inspection. I walked my last tour today but don’t think they did me any good because I just as well walk them next month.

Spanish is not hard - in fact it is very similar to latin. We have not been able to get books yet in Statistics, Economics, or Spanish. I wish they would hurry up and come in so I wouldn’t have to be going all around borrowing books.

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Mom, I hope that I have not made you unhappy in any way by writing you this letter. To tell the truth - I am tired of school - not really tired of studying but tired of sitting here trying to study when I am worrying about going into the army. I feel that they are going to start the draft and wish that I had stayed home until I am drafted. I have tried to forget completely the draft but it seems to be rooted deeply in my mind. I sometimes wish I had already been inducted or already voluntered [sic] so things would not be so unsure. In the end I guess God will work things out.

Mother Please do not tell Pop that I wrote you that I am not studying well and worried because I don’t want him to know this. I do have very greatly the ambition of going into the automobile business but can’t seem to get that ambition high enough to overcome my [illegible deletion] worry about

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Being drafted.

I still like the college and hope someday to graduate here. I a

I also have a lack of “spring fever”

Just between you and me - Has Alice Middleton gone back to Marg Baldwin?

Mom Please forgive me in this letter but you are the one person I have that I can bring my problems to and get put straight on them. Please you and Pop write me even if its just a post card. If I don’t here [sic] from you tomorrow I am going to call up.

Well I guess I had better close now and try to study.

Your devoted son - who wants to do the right thing
W. A. McElveen Jr.