Letter or Postcard – Letter
Sender – Ralph Peterson
Recipient – Phyllis Peterson
Postmark Place – St. Petersburg, Florida
Postmark Date – 20 April 1943
Letter Date – 19 April 1943
Text:
My dearest wife and baby,
Well, sweetheart, I got another from you today. Boy, I am telling you honey, that is the part of the day that I like best. It makes me feel a lot better after a day out on the drill field. Just keep on like that and it will help pass the time away while we are apart. Did Billy say that he picked out that pillowcase that I sent you? Well, he is full of shit. I couldn’t get out that night but I had it all ordered and all he had to do was go and pick it up. He better not say he picked it out. Maybe you don’t know it, but Bill told me that he would like to take Avis out. I bet that will thrill her. I had quite an easy day today. I was put in charge of a detail of men. I had to make them clean up around the hotel. All I did was just stand around and see that they did their job all right. I don’t know what I will do tomorrow, but it won’t be much as I know the Sarge pretty well. All he does is say, “Whitey, take four or five men and go do this or that.” Then I pick out my best pals and go and do it. There isn’t much to write about today but I will try and write a little more. The bunch of guys that shipped out the other day are now in California. It looks like that is the only place that they are shipping these men from here. Of course about 50 of them got sent to Scott Field, Illinois. I think this is all for now, as I can’t think of much more to write. More tomorrow. Night, dearest wife and baby, from Daddy who misses you both like the devil.
PS – The lights just went out so I will have to finish in the bathroom. Love, Ralph
Notes: Ralph appears to be learning how to work this army stuff. Throughout his life he was the epitome of reliable and responsible. Even as a somewhat goofy sounding teenager – and he was still a teenager – this must have come through.