The Althing

Letter or Postcard – Letter

Sender – Ralph Peterson

Recipient – Phyllis Peterson

Postmark Place – St. Petersburg, Florida

Postmark Date – 14 April 1943

Letter Date – 13 April 1943

Text:

My dearest Phyllis and Bonny,

I got your letter today and was glad to hear from you, and that you and Bonny are getting along good. Always tell me how you and our little girl are getting along. I like to hear what you and her are doing and what kind of devilment you get into. I bet you two can think of a lot to do. Maybe Bonny is small yet, but wait until she grows up. Then, if she is anything like you were I just bet we won’t be able to make the little dickens mind at all. I mean when she gets like Donna is. Just about that age. And if I can remember right I think your mother told me about you when you were small. But I don’t care as long as she is just like you always. I am glad that you got the doctor bill paid, as it will be a big load off your mind. Now the money you get from the government you can buy something you need, if you have enough. I guess you will have a place for all you get. I use enough as it is, but I put myself on $10 a month allowance and it is only the first of the month now and I am damn near broke already. But I have bought everything I need for this month. I wash my own clothes and I take my uniform to the YWCA. They have electric irons there so I press my own. I also press another guy’s here. I get 35 cents a suit for doing it. It all helps out, but I seem a lot happier when I am broke than when I have a little money. Don’t worry about me. I will get along alright, even if I have to take in washings. I just heard tonight that I’m getting shipped out before Saturday. Of course I don’t know for sure, but I know a guy that works at headquarters. I will let you know tomorrow if I find out, which is doubtful, as all these troop movements are supposed to be secret. I am on KP again tomorrow. This isn’t for doing nothing wrong, but it just happens that our Squadron is X now, and anything that needs to be done we do it. All this squadron consists of is the leftovers of a bunch of other squadrons. I guess I better tell you what I did today. Got up about five, had chow, and went out to the rifle and machine gun range. We shot them off a few times, then we marched over to the gas range. There they set off gas bombs. The different kinds of gases are tear gas, mustard, Lewisite, and phosgene. Boy and I tell you, they really stung. They just want us to know what each one smells like. Then at noon it started to rain and it kept on all afternoon so we had a half a day off. No more news to write about tonight, and also I have to get up at three in the morning. I think I better go to bed, so till tomorrow night all my love and kisses to my dearest wife and baby from Daddy.

PS – Keep on saying you love me in each letter. I like to see that in there. Night, now. Ralph

Notes: At this point Bonny is about a month old, so I don’t know what sort of devilment the little dickens was really cooking up other than pooping, peeing, and spitting up. I think Dad was looking to a time when she would be older. Donna was Donna Leigh, second child of Mom’s sister Marian Leigh and her husband Donald. By this time they had three kids with the fourth on the way later that year. Donna was almost three. Dad had lived with them before for a time before getting married and going into the army so he would have a good idea of what a two year old little girl was like.

Dad very clearly wrote YWCA, not YMCA. I suppose he could have meant to write YMCA, but perhaps the YWCA did offer some assistance to soldiers. The building above is the St. Petersburg building that housed the YWCA during World War II, and it is not far from where Dad was based.

Letter or Postcard – Letter

Sender – Ralph Peterson

Recipient – Phyllis Peterson

Postmark Place – St. Petersburg, Florida

Postmark Date – 13 April 1943

Letter Date – 12 April 1943

Text:

My dearest Phyllis and Bonny,

Got your letter today and was sure glad to get it. Just keep them coming like that and that will please me real well. It is nice to come in after a day on the drill field and lay down and read them and dream about you. It really makes me feel swell. But the way you wrote today’s  letter it didn’t sound so good. You wrote and said I was the only one you were sure of. Do you mean that you don’t trust yourself? Or what do you mean by the way you wrote that? I trust you honey with all my heart and body, but don’t write like that anymore. I know it is hard way up there alone, but it is just as hard down here for me. In plain words it is the worst kind of hell a person could ask for. Just pretend that I am beside you every night and try to forget about some of those ideas you have. You told me not to worry but I will until I get a letter telling me what you meant by today’s letter. Just keep on loving me, darling, ’cause you and Bonny girl are all I have in the world. You are the only ones I would do anything for. Even die if it would help you out. I was sorry to hear that Mr. Moon died. He was a nice old man even if he did make you mad once in awhile. What are Mrs. Moon and Garnet going to do now? I suppose they will stay there on the farm until Garnet graduates. I know what that is because I went through it three times and I can tell you it isn’t very nice. I am glad that you and the baby are both getting along swell. I hope Bonny girl doesn’t catch that cold, too. That would be kind of hard on her. Take good care of yourself and her, too, sweetheart. You must have an awful house full there with Joy’s mother there, too. As long as they all help with the work and don’t make you do too much it will be alright. It is kind of funny that Joy’s mother would come down there after all she said about you and your folks. Had an awful hot day down here today. We had lessons in Jiu-Jitsu all forenoon, then this afternoon double time for about five miles without stopping. That is what they call running down here. It is just a slow run, but in this heat the sweat was just thick all over me. My pants were all ringing wet. When they feel like it they can really work the devil out of you, and they did it today. We also learned the easiest way to break a man’s neck and arms. It is really simple to do it. We got the banner for our squadron today, and I have the honor of carrying it. Maybe it isn’t an honor, but the Lieutenant picked me out so I must be all right for something. It isn’t hard to work yourself up in the army if you do everything you are supposed to do. That is kind of hard to do sometimes. I can’t think of a thing more to write tonight. I forgot to write to Avis and Sookie last night so I have to do it now, so I will close with all my love and kisses to my dearest wife and baby from Daddy.

PS – I hope I didn’t make you mad with some of the things I said in this letter let me know if I did.

Notes: The opening section borders on paranoia. Without even seeing Mom’s letter I think Dad is reading way more between the lines than is actually there. The Mr. Moon who died was Elijah Moon, whose wife was Nellie Grant. Nellie was Mom’s first cousin once removed. Their daughter was Garnet Moon, who would have been 15 at the time and was Mom’s second cousin. Interesting when Dad says, “I know what that is because I went through it three times and I can tell you it isn’t very nice.” Is he talking about the death of a parent? He lost his Mom when he was 6 and his Dad when he 18. But what is the third time? And again it is odd that Dad would grouse about Aunt Joy’s mom coming shortly after her daughter had given birth for the first time, which would be perfectly natural. In later years Mom and Dad and Alvin and Joy were friendly, so not sure what this was all about other than Dad sensing that Mom was getting work dumped on her when she had also just given birth. Finally we again see the casual juxtaposition of how easy it is to break a man’s neck and the honor of carrying the squadron’s banner.

Letter or Postcard – Letter

Sender – Ralph Peterson

Recipient – Phyllis Peterson

Postmark Place – St. Petersburg, Florida

Postmark Date – 12 April 1943

Letter Date – 11 April 1943

Text:

My dearest wife and baby,

Got two nice long letters from you today. Boy, was I glad to get them. I bet you I read them over at least a dozen times. I would just lay down on my  bunk and read them and dream about you. That’s when I feel all the more lonesome for you. It just gets my and I can’t even read for a while. That proves how much I love you, honey. I love you until it hurts. When I get home I will prove how much I do love you. Of course you know how much I love you. I didn’t go out at all today, only for chow. I did a big laundry in the forenoon and put it out in the backyard to dry. Then after chow while it was drying I wrote four letters. I wrote them to Clarence, Alvin, Bill Pick, and a kid who is in Virginia now. After I write to you I got to write to Avis and Sookie. I can’t think of nothing to write about to them, so I guess I will send them a card. They might get mad at me, but that’s all I can do now. I am sending you some cards with this letter. I will write on the back of them what they are. It will give you an idea where I have been staying. I am glad that you got the money that I sent home. I hope you can put it to good use. Tell your Daddy not to borrow too much from you, as you can use it. But if one of them get sick you can use it the best way you know of, but if you can, clean up all of the bills first. I only wish I was there to help you. I wouldn’t care if I owed somebody $100. I would still like to be there. It was so hot today that you could lay out in the sun and be doing nothing, but still the sweat would be rolling off a person. I have really got a nice tan. Every chance I get I take my jacket off and let the sun brown me a little more. One kid from our room is just as black as an Indian. Don’t worry about the sun hurting me now, as I have gotten brown enough so it won’t bother me anymore. I am glad that you and Bonny are getting along good. She gets more like me everyday, does she? If she wakes up in the night she sure is something like me, but I bet she doesn’t ask for a peanut butter sandwich, does she? Just wait a while and she will. What are you doing, anyway, back up there? Doing all the work while Joy sits around? I don’t want you to do that. There is two of you there and there is no reason why you should do it all. Just do your share and make Joy do hers. For gosh sakes don’t let Joy see this, as she will be mad at me. She will tell Alvin and pretty soon everybody will be sore at me. I hope you or the baby doesn’t catch that cold the rest of them have. I will have two girls to grease up then. If you get a cold just be sure to let somebody grease you up like I did when we were up in Green Bay. I would like to come home and do it, but I guess it is impossible to right now. Don’t tell me you and your mother still argue. I thought those days were over. I don’t want you to fight with her now. Wait until she feels better. Ha, ha! There will be a shipping list out tomorrow and Tuesday, so it is possible I can go yet. I would like to get my teeth into something. I can’t think of nothing more to write about, so will have to close for now with love and kisses to my dearest wife and baby from Daddy. All these kisses for you and Bonny

PS – I am still waiting for that letter from Pappy.

Note: It should be noted that both Mom and Aunt Joy had just had babies. I’ve browsed enough of Mom’s letters, which will be posted later, to know that the level of work for them was heavy even had they not just given birth. Presumably the “greasing up” Dad refers to is either coating someone liberally with Vicks or some other aromatic concoction. My Mom loved and admired her Mom but it is no surprise they fought, knowing my Mom’s disposition. Grandma’s health was not good. She didn’t live much past the war, passing away in 1948 at age 50.

Letter or Postcard – Letter

Sender – Ralph Peterson

Recipient – Phyllis Peterson

Postmark Place – St. Petersburg, Florida

Postmark Date – 11 April 1943

Letter Date – 10 April 1943

Text:

My dearest wife and baby,

How are my two little girls today? I hope you are fine. Take good care of yourself and the baby. That’s the only thing in the world I ever worry about. Had an easy day of it today. All I did was march in the big parade in the forenoon. Got done with that about eleven, had chow, and got the rest of the day off. We marched in review in front of the Colonel of St Pete Air Corps. He is leaving here this week for New Jersey, so we had to give him a farewell parade. I am sending you one of the papers of town up to you. You won’t be able to see me, but I will make a mark about where I am. We are standing at rest when this picture was taken. I was one of the rifle (?). The band is about 80 pieces. Quite a large one. Got two letters today. One from Alvin and one from Harold. There is still a mail call yet tonight, so I hope to get one from you. Alvin kind of gave me hell for writing to you the way I did. I guess I had it coming. Anyway, he said that Bonny girl was awfully damn cute. Gosh, it seems as if everybody has seen her except me. They all say she is a cute little doll, but if she looks like me how can she? If it was you she looks like I would know she was cute. I still think she does look like you. My brother-in-law is a Corporal now. He’s pretty proud of it, too. I guess I told you that he got married again, or didn’t I? Tomorrow is Sunday and I have some work to do. I have to wash clothes in the morning and then I’m going to church. That may sound funny, but I have been going pretty regular since I came in the army and when I come home I’m going to make you go, too. How does that sound to you? I can’t think of any more to write now, so I will wait until mail call and see if I got a letter from you. That will be about two hours from now. Just got back from chow and mail call and no mail from you, but that long letter I got yesterday will last me until tomorrow. I have to write to Alvin and Avis also, or else they will be giving me the devil. That’s about all I can think of now, so will close all my love and kisses to my dearest wife and baby from Daddy.

PS – Tell me you love me in each letter you send. RP

Notes: This letter kind of speaks to the church going habits of my parents, as referenced elsewhere. I checked the online database at Google for the historic St. Petersburg Times covering about a week before this was written but found no picture such as Dad describes. Possibly it was a post newspaper.

Letter or Postcard – Letter

Sender – Ralph Peterson

Recipient – Phyllis Peterson

Postmark Place – St. Petersburg, Florida

Postmark Date – 10 April 1943

Letter Date – 9 April 1943

Text:

Dearest wife and baby,

Got your letter today, and that is the kind of letter I like to get. Nice long ones with lots of love in it. It helps cheer me up and forget the army life. Just keep on writing ones like that and I will be satisfied. It was awfully hot down here today and they really drill the drill out of you whether it’s hot or not. The water just runs off a guy and then that dry dust covers up and coats you in one dirty mess. I am glad you got your check, as it will help you out and you sure need it. I hope that money that I sent home will help you out, also. I am going to send all that I don’t need home. You will have more use for it then I will. I do my own washing, so all I need money for is getting my uniform cleaned and pressed, and a few candy bars if I can get them now and then. So the boy friends are starting to come around, are they? I guess I will have to come home and take care of them. I am only fooling, as I know my wife wouldn’t do anything like that to me. You never would believe that I trusted you, but I do right to the bottom of my heart. I asked you once not to go to the dances and I’m going to ask you again. Let me know what you think of my crazy ideas. You will probably curse me out plenty, but then you know how I feel about you. I love you so damn much that I just can’t think of you ever talking to some other guy. I am glad that everybody is giving our baby a lot of stuff. I only wish I could send something else besides love and kisses, but I will send something when I get to my permanent station. And they better all make a big fuss over her because look whose baby she is. I am so proud of how that every time that I get a letter from you with something about her in it I show it to the guys in my room. I darn near break the buttons off my shirt. Then they congratulate me and that sure sounds nice. I just came back from town before I started to write this letter. I got a (?) (?), a hat, and a shoulder emblem. I am going to send it to you. I haven’t got them on my shoulder yet, but I will when I get to school. It is a nice looking emblem, and you can put it on that kimona that I knitted for Bonny right where I wanted to put a big flower. I bet the little devil would think she was in the army. I can’t think of much more to write tonight, but I will send some more tomorrow. All my love and kisses to my sweetest wife and baby from Daddy

PS – Did I ever say that I love you? I do with all my heart. Night, babies. R P

Notes: The green-eyed monster rears its ugly head again, as seems to be a running theme in all military letters I have transcribed. The really odd part of this letter is the bit about Dad knitting a kimono for Bonny. Jumping Roosevelt Grier! I knew Dad had some basic sewing skills, but knitting is a new one on me. Maybe there’s more to this story than meets the eye, but for now I will have to take it at face value.

Letter or Postcard – Letter

Sender – Ralph Peterson

Recipient – Phyllis Peterson

Postmark Place – St. Petersburg, Florida

Postmark Date – 9 April 1943

Letter Date – 8 April 1943

Text:

My dearest Phyllis and Bonny,

No letter from you today, honey, but the mail is still screwed around so I might get a couple tomorrow. I hope so anyway. Your letters make me feel an awful lot better and they make the time pass a lot faster. If you would quit writing I don’t know what I would do. I think I would go crazy. Please don’t fail me, and write as often as you can. I just got back from KP about an hour ago. I washed up, took a shower, and started to write to you. Got up this morning at three and got done tonight at seven. Quite a long day, but I had about four or five hours off in the forenoon and afternoon. All I did was help serve out the meal to the men. That lasted about two hours to each meal, then I would have the rest of the time off. I guess we can’t go out anymore at night here in this hotel. It don’t bother me because I would rather sit here in my room and write and think about you and the good times we had before I had to go to this damn army. How we used to go to the show then come back and eat some hot biscuits and smoked liver sausage that you always seem to have when I came down there. Then the time we had after we were first married, how we were so happy and loved each other. Remember the way you used to tease me when we were alone, and the threats that I used to make but never carry them out? I can just sit here and think about those things and feel so damn blue that I’m telling you I about bawl. I put your picture in front of me whenever I can. You might think I am crazy but I actually took it along to bed with me one night, and when I woke up I still had it in my hand. It was still dark so I lay awake and made believe that you were right there. I kissed it so many times that I almost wore the glass in two. That’s just the way I feel about you, darling. It really isn’t much news to write about tonight as I haven’t done anything to write about, and the lights are going out in 15 minutes so I will have to make this about enough for now. Keep on telling me how you and Bonny girl are getting along. That’s one thing that I want to hear about. Until tomorrow night when I have more time, all my love and kisses to my wife and baby from Daddy

PS – Pray that I will be shipped up north. Love, Ralph

Notes: No sure if it was the same product, but growing up Oscar Mayer Braunschweiger was a staple at our house. As kids we would have sandwiches with mayonnaise and mustard, but as I grew up I noticed that my Mom would have hers with Tabasco Sauce and maybe a slice of tomato. I tried it and liked it, and that continues to be the way I eat it. It is a nostalgia food for me. Whenever I buy it I think of my Mom.

Letter or Postcard – Letter

Sender – Ralph Peterson

Recipient – Phyllis Peterson

Postmark Place – St. Petersburg, Florida

Postmark Date – 8 April 1943

Letter Date – 7 April 1943

Text:

My dearest wife and baby,

How are my girls today? I am one tired boy tonight. This was my first day in the field for eight days. Besides that, we change hotels at noon today. The sun was so damn hot that I just was sweating steady all day. We had our first bayonet practice this forenoon. It wasn’t much. Just to show how to kill a man. You can stick him, slash him, or just (?) his head in. This lasted only a half a day, but we will get some more soon. There are six guys in our new room. Two of us from Wisconsin, two from California, one from Minnesota, and one from Illinois. Quite a collection of men. All our hell of nice guys. We have our room closet and shower and toilet, so I guess we are living pretty high according to the army. I didn’t get a letter from you today, but all the mail wasn’t brought to our new hotel. Some of the guys said that there wives had got there allotment check, so I was wondering if you had got yours. I hope that it will come in time to help you out. Also, that money I sent should come in pretty handy. You can use it all because you have our baby to buy for, which I have nothing – only myself to buy for and that don’t amount to much. Gosh, darling, I sure would like to come home some night and surprise you. I bet they couldn’t separate us for hours. The longer it is the more sweet and nice it will seem. I hope it isn’t too long. There isn’t much news down here. We had a blackout here last night that lasted from eight to eight-thirty. They sure can make it dark here along the coast. While we were having it a squadron of our big bombers came over. It sure sounded real. There were about twenty, the way it sounded. I am now in what they call Flight X. It is the parts of all the squadrons that have been shipped out. My mail will still be sent to the same address. Gee, baby, I should write to Sookie, and Cal, Avis, your father, and my stepmother. Oh, yes, and to my brother-in-law. I mean Harold Button. But I am so damn tired tonight that I will have to wait until tomorrow to do that. The way this writing is, it looks as if I am tired, but I will do better tomorrow. Until then, all my love and kisses to the sweetest wife and baby in the world, from Daddy

PS – The order just came through, and the whole squadron will be on KP tomorrow. Night, sweetheart. RP

Notes: More casual chat about killing methods followed hard by details about closets, showers, and toilets. C’est la guerre. At this point Dad was unaware that his military experience would come in those heavy bombers flying over St. Petersburg. Just as a reminder, Sookie was my Mom’s older sister Virginia, Avis was my Mom’s younger sister and Cal her husband, and Harold Button the widower of my Dad’s sister Merna.

Letter or Postcard – Letter

Sender – Ralph Peterson

Recipient – Phyllis Peterson

Postmark Place – St. Petersburg, Florida

Postmark Date – 7 April 1943

Letter Date – 6 April 1943

Text:

My dearest wife and baby,

Got two letters from you today so I should have something to write about. About all I can do is answer your questions. Yesterday I got a pen and pencil set from my stepmother and a letter from one of my pals who is in Arizona. The pen and pencil set really came from my little half-brother. It is a real nice set. The letter was from one of my friends from Pine River just telling me about his idea of army life, which wasn’t very good the way he wrote. I finally got off quarantine for the measles tonight so I will start working tomorrow again. The first thing we are going to do is move to another hotel. There is only about 50 of us left so they are moving us in a hotel where there is another part of a squadron, but I think I will be shipped by Saturday. That is if I don’t get set in on account of some other sickness. This was sure one nice vacation for me. I got a nice suntan while I was staying in. I am sorry to hear that your mother got burned. I was afraid that it might happen. You tell her for me to be more careful after this. I hope she isn’t burned too bad. I hope that money helps you out. The way you talk about our baby makes me want to see her more every day, but she must be nice. Look at her mother. I think she is the nicest person in the world and I love her so much it hurts. I miss you so damn much that I don’t know what to do with myself. I think I will try and get a 50-year furlough. What the devil is the matter with that radio? I thought it was all right, but I guess I got screwed on that deal. Did the guy make it right with you about it? You asked if my hair was any whiter than it was when I left. I guess it is a little bit, but my face is so tanned that it makes it look more white. I guess you will recognize me when I come home. I am sorry that I didn’t say if I like baby’s name or not. I think it is real swell. I don’t believe you could have picked a nicer one. I was just fooling about you sending some stuff here. Of course when I get shipped out to a school and you have some time you can send some cookies or something. Homemade stuff really taste good to me down here. I can’t write anymore tonight as I have to pack up my clothes to move tomorrow. Until next time, all my love and kisses to my dearest wife and baby.

PS – I love you honey. Keep on writing.

Notes: I don’t now who the Arizona pal was. The pen and pencil set was a gift from little brother Florian Frederick Peterson, who as an adult changed his name to Scott Peterson, which is what I have always known him as. He would have been almost ten years old.

Letter or Postcard – Letter

Sender – Ralph Peterson

Recipient – Phyllis Peterson

Postmark Place – St. Petersburg, Florida

Postmark Date – 6 April 1943

Letter Date – 5 April 1943

Text:

Dearest Phyllis and Bonny,

I just got woke up from a sound sleep and got your letter, so I am going to sit right down and send one back. I got it in the morning and there still is a night mail so I might get another one. It’s okay by me if I do. I am still waiting for the last issue of the Argus. I should say we are waiting for it, because there are three of us that read it. Another awful hot day here today. The sun is out real bright and there isn’t much wind at all. We have not had any rain here for about two weeks so it is getting pretty dusty. I don’t notice it so much inside but I will be out on the drill field tomorrow or the next day, and I will find out. I think the quarantine will be over tonight. I hope so, because I am getting lazy from laying around. Believe it or not. I’m glad to hear that you and the baby are getting along good, but I’m sorry to hear that Pappy isn’t feeling so good. Tell him not to drink so much beer that it makes him sick. He can save some of that until I come home. You better have that couch someplace where I can flop down on it when I get there, or else I will feel sort of lost. And don’t make fun of me this time like you said you did last time. I will have to write  your folks and ask them about that. I am only fooling. What should I start my letters to you with now? Something like ‘hello Fatty,’ or what? Maybe what I have been doing is all right. I am glad that you are getting strong enough to take walks now, as long as you take them alone until I come home. Ha, ha! You was asking Eddie about dances and that brought to mind the way I wouldn’t take you to none last summer. I suppose you will want to this summer. I don’t suppose I can say whether you can or not, but if it is all the same to you I kind of wish you wouldn’t. I just can’t think of you with someone else’s arms around you while I am way down here. I still got those crazy ideas, haven’t I? Let me know what you think of that bunch of blowing off. You most likely will never write to me again. I bet. Do you remember what we both told Don and Marian about spoiling our baby? Not letting her sleep in our bed or anything like that? I can see that you are already going back on your word. I don’t blame you, because even if I haven’t seen her I already know that anything she wants and I can possibly get it for her she is going to have. And that goes for her sweet mother, too. You told me what you did in one day’s work in that letter. I did almost the same thing. I got up, made my lunch, swept the floor, ate breakfast, and then did a little washing. And then I went to sleep. Just about the same, except I didn’t bathe the baby. You give that little girl of ours all my love and anything she wants that you can get. I mean all the milk she wants and when she wants it. If you don’t get what she wants to drink now she will have some tough competition when I come home. Maybe you won’t let me do that. Or will you? Didn’t I say that I like the baby’s name? I think it is really swell. It sounds nice to hear you talk about our little Bonny girl. The guys all want to know what you named her. They thought it was a swell name. I can’t think of anything more to write, so I guess I will close. All my love and kisses to my sweetest wife and baby from Daddy

PS – Did I ever say that I love you?

Note: Some of this reads like bad material from open mic night at a local comedy club. The only thing missing are rim shots. I’m guessing Dad was responding to Mom saying she was fat in one of her letters, but the wisdom of even suggesting “hello, fatty” as a letter greeting is debatable. I have no clue who “Eddie” is, but Dad’s insecurity about Mom going out to dances is readily evident, as well as his reticence about dancing. I never knew my parents to dance. Hopefully the sly breast references will be kept to a minimum in the future. Finally, the post script can be viewed two ways – one as a somewhat charming way of actually saying “I love you,” and the other as a slick way of getting out of actually saying it. I choose the former spin.

Letter or Postcard – Letter

Sender – Ralph Peterson

Recipient – Phyllis Peterson

Postmark Place – St. Petersburg, Florida

Postmark Date – 5 April 1943

Letter Date – 4 April 1943

Text:

Dearest mother and baby,

Here it is Sunday already and I am still staying in for measles, but I am getting out Tuesday night, so Wednesday I will be back on the drill field working my head off. Still, I might not be here by then because there is about 40 more of us guys going out tomorrow and I might be one of them. Our Sarge is trying to get us out so we can go if we are supposed to be shipped. I hope he does, as I would like to get my teeth in some job where I know I am doing something. All we are doing now is just trying to pass away the time until we go. The same thing day after day. There is no chance for ratings here at all. They all go to the men who are stationed here. After we get to school and we show we have a chance to go ahead with our work pretty good then we have a chance for our stripes. I want at least one when I come home. Was it ever hot down here today. I went up on the top floor for my sun bath and did I ever get one. I am just cherry red from my waist up to my neck. I got a little too much on my back as it is starting to sting a little now. I got the mail for our squadron today, but no mail from you. There is only one mail call today so I can’t expect one from you now, but I figure on one from you tomorrow. You know, honey, there isn’t much news to tell you as I ain’t doing much to tell you about. Oh, yes, last night a boy from Shawano (a town north of Wautoma) and I took care of the hotel’s office from nine until midnight. About 50 guys went out and at least 30 of them came back drunk. I put a little Mexican to bed. He was so damn drunk that he climbed in the bathtub and thought he was in bed. Then he asked another guy for a match. We asked him what he wanted a match for and he says to light that cigarette you are going to give me. I can’t think of anymore tonight, sweetheart, so I will have to close. All my love and kisses, sweetheart, from Daddy PS – Hurry up with those pictures, as I want to see what my baby looks like.