Letter or Postcard – Letter
Sender – Ralph Peterson
Recipient – Phyllis Peterson
Postmark Place – Red Bank, New Jersey
Postmark Date – 22 May 1943
Letter Date – 21 May 1943
Text:
What’s the matter? No letter from you today. I am so used to getting one each day that when I miss one day it seems like a week that I miss. But I hope I get a nice long one tomorrow. I really miss them. All this ink you see on this paper, please excuse it. When I filled my pen it backfired and squirted all over the letter. I didn’t think it was bad enough to throw away so I will use it. You know I have been here about two weeks and it has rained at least half of the time. Again today and so far tonight it has rained hard. This darn weather is really hard on the soldier. At least half of them have colds, some of them so bad that they have went to the hospital. So far I have been lucky. There isn’t much to write about tonight. School is coming along good. Everything is swell except the weather. Sunday is coming up, so I can sleep and write my dearest wife and baby a nice long letter. I have got my clothes pretty well cleaned up so I won’t have to wash anything, and I also have to write Alvin a letter. Also I think it is time to write to your folks. I just found out that one of my pals from my old squadron in St. Pete is right in the same camp, and I have been here two weeks and didn’t know about it. He is supposed to come over and see me Sunday. We had a show here last night at our hall. I didn’t go but I will tell you what happened. You most likely have heard of the man who sang. His name was Lawrence Tibbett. They say he was really good. Maybe your mother has heard of him. I am afraid I will have to close now, as you probably can’t read what I have wrote, so I will close until tomorrow night. Night now, honey, from your soldier husband and daddy.
PS – Write me a extra nice letter telling me how much you love me and how much you miss me. I am so doggone lonesome baby for you. It is all right if you just write me a whole letter telling me how much you love me. Love and kisses, Ralph
Notes: Apparently Lawrence Tibbett was quite the star, though I had never heard of him. He was in the first group of people to have stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and also had a US postage stamp in his honour.