Letter or Postcard – Letter
Sender – Ralph Peterson
Recipient – Phyllis Peterson
Postmark Place – St. Petersburg, Florida
Postmark Date – 30 April 1943
Letter Date – 29 April 1943
Text:
My dearest Phyllis and Bonny,
Hello, girls. How is every little thing? I hope everything is swell. I got the Argus and a letter from mother this morning, and this afternoon I got a letter and Bonny’s birth certificate from my dearest wife. That was what I wanted to get most. I would rather get one letter from you then ten from anybody else. I’m going to take Bonny’s birth certificate down to headquarters tomorrow and get it straightened out. Then you will get some extra money every month. My two pals and I just moved to another room and the flight just moved in so we had to move and make room for them all. All we did was moved to another wing of the same hotel. Let me tell me something about these guys I call pals. It’s kind of funny how they and me got to be such good pals. They are both from California. One is of German nationality and the other is Mexican. They ain’t young men anymore. They are both 37 years old, but they are two swell guys. They are both married and have children. One of them just became a papa just before he came in the army, so that is one of the reasons I get along good with them. I can talk to them about our little Bonny Louise and they like to hear it. As a matter a fact I guess I have bragged about it to everyone. I know I really am proud of you two and I love you more as each minute goes by. I love you so much that it hurts when I think of it. When I was about 16 I never thought I could get that way about anyone, but you changed my mind and I love you for it. It was a quiet day today. I had lost some sleep yesterday but I sure made up for it today. I got up at reveille this morning at five, went back to bed and slept until eleven, then I had chow and went to sleep until four tonight. Then to top all of that off I’m going to bed rather early tonight. I guess I will have enough sleep for a while. I don’t have to go on duty until noon tomorrow, so if I still am tired I can sleep some more tomorrow forenoon. Well tomorrow is the day that all of us boys have been waiting for a long time. It is the day that we go down to headquarters broke and come back with a little of those gum things. The heck of it is a guy spends it when he gets it. I can’t think of anything else to write now, but will write you a nice long letter tomorrow. I sure like to see that drawing of baby’s hand. I can see how big she is then. Well, until tomorrow all my love and kisses to the sweetest wife and baby in the world. Night now, honey, from Daddy
PS – Give my love to all the folks, and happy birthday sweetheart honey. RP
Notes: “Mother” of course is Mom’s Mom. So his two California pals aren’t young men anymore. At 37 they were the same age Dad was when I came around many years later. He slipped it in at the end, but he didn’t forget Mom’s birthday, which was on the 30th.