What does "school" in the military look like? The picture below should give you a good idea.
Caption: 'Five soldiers seated at tables receiving instructions from teacher at front of room on operation of automatic pistols according to material on blackboard. This was one of training rooms at Santa Anita Park while it served as Camp Santa Anita, an Army Ordnance training center.'
Caption: Three armored tanks are seen mired in mud at Camp Santa Anita in an area of many oak trees. Two soldiers look over one of the tanks. April 1943.
Citation: Arcadia History Collection. City of Arcadia, photo taken April 1943. https://arcadiahistory.andornot.com/en/permalink/photographs1085.
The following object description information includes basic elements from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). An additional notes field is included to list dates from the actual letter, envelope postmark locations, and any other identifying details.
Notes – Handwritten letter dated July 31, 1943, two pages. Includes envelope, postmarked August 2, 1943, 5:30PM, from Camp Santa Anita, Arcadia, Calif.
The M3 Stuart and M4 Sherman tanks are some of the most iconic vehicels used by the US and its allies throughout the war. The M3 Stuart series of tanks began production in July 1940 after a decade of development by the United States to create a light tank. The M3 tank first saw combat in North Africa in November of 1941, under use of the British as part of the Lend-Lease Act. The M3A1 version of the tank was created later and was the first tank model to include a rotating gunner seat that would turn with the turret. Throughout both versions of the tank, it was reported as being under-armed and as such was later delegated to reconnaissance and flanking only. This tank also saw service in the Philippines, and served dashingly in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands due to its light weight and more practical maneuverability for a jungle.
Citations:
Devivo, Lt. Col. Matthew. “Service and Sacrifice: 30th Infantry Division Still Seeking Recognition 70 Years after Victory in Eu.” www.army.mil. United States Army, November 13, 2015. https://tinyurl.com/30th-Infantry.
“M3A1 Stuart Tank: The National WWII Museum: New Orleans.” The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. Accessed March 28, 2023. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/visit/museum-campus/us-freedom-pavilion/vehicles-war/m3a1-stuart-tank.
“M4 Sherman Tank: The National WWII Museum: New Orleans.” The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. Accessed March 28, 2023. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/visit/museum-campus/us-freedom-pavilion/vehicles-war/m4-sherman-tank.
Caption: Marines repair tanks on Bougainville
Citation: Photolibrarian. “Bougainville, WWII, Tanks, Marines.” Flickr. Yahoo!, June 8, 2019. https://www.flickr.com/photos/photolibrarian/48022145931/in/photostream/.
Sgt. Dolin does not specify what model of tank was used in the training he was performing. Based on what information we've gathered, we can make an educated guess that the tank model in Sgt. Dolin's training in Camp Santa Anita, CA, was a M3 or M3A1 Stuart tank. We inferred this because those tanks were mostly being sent to the Pacific after various performances in North Africa and Europe noted the M3 light tank was under-equipped to deal with enemy tank models like the German Tiger tank.
Citation: “M3A1 Stuart Tank: The National WWII Museum: New Orleans.” The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. Accessed March 28, 2023. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/visit/museum-campus/us-freedom-pavilion/vehicles-war/m3a1-stuart-tank