Letter or Postcard – Letter
Sender – Ralph Peterson
Recipient – Phyllis Peterson
Postmark Place – St. Petersburg, Florida
Postmark Date – 29 March 1943
Letter Date – 27/28 March 1943
Text:
My dearest wife and baby,
Hi sweetheart,
How are you and my baby making out in all of this heat? I forgot. It isn’t warm up there yet. I suppose it even freezes once in awhile. If the weather gets any hotter here than it was today I think I will start baking. I don’t mean bread, either. Just my skin. My nose was badly peeled at first but now it is getting better. I am writing this letter in the middle of the afternoon. I don’t have nothing to do now until six tonight. Then the whole Squadron is going on guard for 24 hours from six tonight until six tomorrow night. I will be two hours on and then I will have four off. It will be my first taste of guard, but it won’t be so bad as we will have Monday off. All I have to do is walk back and forth of one of these hotels. Another bunch of guys left today but I am still here. I will be gone by next Wednesday. No letter from you yet today, but we have had no mail call. I hope there is one there from you. We will get it after chow, so I will not write no more until then.
(continued the next day)
Well here it is one day later and I didn’t even have time to finish the other letter. I was just pulled out of my room last night and put on guard. I was posted in front of a hotel and was on guard two hours and off four. I am telling you, I sure am tired. My feet feel like they are burning up. I got one great big blister on one of them so I don’t think I will work tomorrow. I sure could use the sleep. When we are on guard duty we are on for 24 hours. We take our blankets and stay in a big hotel. We sleep with our clothes on all the time and I tell you sweetheart it gets mighty lonesome walking a post about two in the morning. I got your telegram today about two. I thought something had happened when I first got it. I thought something had happened, but when I opened it up I was surely relieved. I sure was glad to hear that the baby and you are getting along good. I should know better than to think you was mad at me. I might write some things that I don’t mean so try and overlook at if you can. About 60 more guys from our squadron are being shipped out tomorrow, but I’m still here so far. I just got word that I will be permanently stationed here. It is just a wild story. It might be true and it might not. If I’m stationed here I think I can get a furlough and come home. I will let you know more about it tomorrow, if I can. I am so damn tired that I can’t write another word, honey, so I will have to close with loads of love and kisses to the dearest wife and baby in the world. Night, now. Ralph
PS – How is Bonny? Are you home yet?