April 20, 1945
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310.143.1-3.2016 Transcription
Somewher|else|yet–Germany
20 Apr 45 With 7th Army 10 PM
Hi dearest,
As you can see its 10 PM—& a Thurs/“Thurs”
has again been surmounted [It really is a Thurs → Fri combined mess.][1] As it goes s̅[2] saying, I
can rarely write you on a Thursday & thus [again for a Thurs][3]
I didnt/couldn’t write you. May good Lord not have
too many more “Thursdays”/Thursday’s! There just cant
(we believe) more than 1, 2, or 3 more “Thursdays” before
this War is over. We will/should have overrun Germany
in that time.
As reped before, we are the only Evac c̅[4]in a
100 miles of this horrible holocaust. Everyone says that
certainly some “higher-up” in the 7th Army’s Medical
Dept should have to stand a courtmarshal quizing
as to the why of this mismanagement/misjudgement.
However, maybe some good comes out of every evil—
General (★★★) Patch who was here today to visit &
Confere a C.M.H. preoperatively [I anesthetized the pt.][5] talked
in that “hinting” way about our getting a citation
for our work in this mismanaged “nightmare.” Patch
certainly is an Icabod Craine—6’3” to 6’4” & cant
weight over 155 lbs. I heard & saw him tell this
Lt who was shot through the face → jaw → throat
(∴ anesth. through a tracheotomy tube) that:—“I’ll see you,
soldier, in New York in 2 months!”.
Gosh, dear, I got 3 more letters from you that
I just dont know when I can get to answering
them [Mar 24, mar 31, & Apr 6][6] when I already have 3 more to
answer from that last batch of 6 (or 7?) that I partly
answered already. However, one impt. point in some
[2]
of that batch is where is my insurance policy:- I
believe it is in the J.L. Wilsey Estate papers in the
possession of Mr. Alvin G. Brendemuehl-National Bank Bldg,
Oconomowoc, Wis. Why dont you explain & ask & work out
the placement of payment slips c̅ him [or c̅ you if so decided][7] to your
satisfaction. Id like to be less hurried about all this
but I just cant help it c̅ this holocaust full blast—
infact I cant even “think-straight,” dearest. I know
you’ll understand. As reped—you’re so “close” at these times!
Em, you hear chiefly & mostly of Jap atrocities—
just wait till these Nazi atrocities get into your
newspapers. You see, Nazis hide them; Japs apparently
delight in not hiding them. Your hair & blood will
curdle when they reach your eyes & ears. Ever[y] day
we liberate & receive hundreds (or thousands) of so
called “hospitals,” prison camps, & concentration camps.
As the epitomy (sp?) of expression this all—GIVE
ME AN AMERICAN CHIROPRACTOR TO CARE FOR ME
RATHER THAN A NAZI DOCTOR!!—is this
expressive, adequately, to you, Em?!Ü!卐!Ü!? Someday
when I have time—or better when we talk—
ask about paper bandages, piano wire-like sutures,
unphysiologic drains, assinine surgical principles,
potato-peeling-soup-nutrition for men [(pts)][8] who need
4000 calorie diets, never plaster of Paris where needed,
operations chiefly done c̅ only huge morphine dosage (no
ether, chloroform, pentothal, nitrous oxide etc—let alone
our refinements of oxygen machines, intratracheal techniques,
spinals, etc). Em, you’ll loath[e] them till you die—
those Shits! those Shits! those Shits!
Dearest, I just must sleep—I love you both so,
Dave
[1] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.
[2] Medical abbreviation meaning “without.”
[3] Bracketed text is part of original.
[4] Medical abbreviation meaning “with.”
[5] Bracketed text is part of original.
[6] Bracketed text is part of original.
[7] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.
[8] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.