To His Brother, About His Weapon and His Daily Routine

Postmarked March 15, 1943, from Camp Wheeler.

Addressed to Master Robert Mauro
500 Lexington Avenue
Mount Kisco, New York
(Why 500? His address was 491?)

Pvt. Frank Mauro
Co. B-4th Trn. Br.
Camp Wheeler, Georgia
First Platoon

Dear Bib,

I received your letter today and it was good to hear from you.

I think I told you my daily routine before, but I’ll tell it again anyway. First, however, I want to get one thing straight. I am still in the infantry, but I am not just an ordinary rifleman. I will carry a two-way radio in the field and I will probably carry a carbine instead of a rifle. A carbine is something the army is substituting for pistols. The carbine weights about 5½ pounds and is about ⅔ as long as the garand rifle, but its range is only about 300 yards. However, it is a fifteen shot semi-automatic, .30-caliber and is just as effective if not more so than the rifle at short range. Read more of this post