December 12, 1944
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310.56.1-6.2016 Transcription
Somewhere – France
12 Dec 44 @ 9 PM
Hello, dearest,
My writing was postponed
tonight for about an hour as one of
our Motor Pool enlisted men was
giving me an “amateur-haircut.”
Lordy! I hadn’t had a haircut in
so long [it wasn’t available][1] that I really
looked like sumthin’— the
only “sumthin’” I could think of was
the last time I saw that sweet
little ol’ Thump[2] he was just begining
to “hang-in-the-back” of his neck
[sorta hard to describe][3]. Well, that’s how I’ve
looked everytime I’d dare look into a
mirror. I’d sorta chuckle because
I knew Thump & I were “together.”
Since I last wrote (Dec 10th) I
have been real lucky & recieved 3
letters from you. Hmmm! I’ll
answer their questions in just a
minute when I have [again][4] adlibed
that—I am positive that
all your letters will never reach
me, all my letters will never
reach you. IT’S (again) DOWNRIGHT DAMNABLE!
Your Thanksgiving Day letter led
this group of 3:—You wrote about
[2]
thankfulnesses — mine was
that you & Thump were safe, & well, &
warm & clean & whole — that’s
all I needed & all I care about!
Whumpf! so Thump made a
“pig” (UNQUOTE) of himself on Thkgvg Day
well, see here, Schmaltz!—I told
him he could have all my turkey
as well as his own helping. So no
more cracks about pigs outa ya!
Gee! I’ll bet Grandma had again
really “shot-the-works” on that super-
duper turkey ability of hers.
Thanks a million darlin’ for that
swell present-idea of a Readers Digest
for Xmas. Nope, it hasn’t come, &
to be perfectly frank, I don’t imagine
I’ll see hide-nor-hair of it for weeks
to months. Im still curious about that Xmas
box Dad said he mailed & could have reached me
even at Kilmer.[5]
Hmm! how I love to read the
things you write about ol’ Thump—
I just purr ‘n chuckle ‘n chuckle ‘n
purr. Sure! he’s strong as a bull. Not
that chunky, squatty, broad type of bull, but a
wirey, lyth lithe type of bull. Why, one of those
last pictures I saw [in U.S.][6] showed how he was
“a-bull-in-the-forearms”!
In your letter you wrote that
sweet thing about Terry looking at
[3]
my picture—to this day I still don’t
know if my Columbia picture [FINAL PRINTS][7] arrive AND
if the one that you did choose, was a
a smiling-one. [Gosh! how rushed, & tired &
“AWOL” I was when I sat for those pictures][8]. Please
answer in 2 or 3 letters in a row so
at least one will arrive to let me know
the answer to this minor (but important) point.
Your next letter was also dated
Nov 22nd [was Thksgvg the 22nd or when. I just dont know! Strange?][9]:—Darlin’, even though we
both know, & always did know that
Thump has Grandma (& Grandpa) on
his side in most “disciplinary”
measure & debates—your
judgement is exactly my judgement
when it comes to a total “vote” & thus
you, m’dear, are not “overruled.” cuz you vote my “vote.”
So there!
Don’t ever worry or stop writing about those
reminiscent (sp?) things we have done, dear—
such as fixing our first turkey; Xmas; etc; etc..
They don’t “bother” me at all, dear—HONEST!
Infact, they help! [strange as it may seem][10].
For Heaven’s sake don’t ever send
me cigarettes. I have so many
stock-piled that I’ve been just waiting
to send some to Dad. I can never
seem to get to a P.O. & then they might
be awfully stale by the time they got
to Bis[marck].. Tell Dad not to build up his hopes. Too
high cuz P.O.’s just “aint” near or available to me.
[4]
Can you remember what you wrote
in this particular Nov 22nd letter about
Germany, Allies, etc—well—
Your Nov 23rd letter:—Damitohell!
That letter in which I could fairly
well express my love on paper just
would be the one not to arrive. Nuts!
Please, darlin’, do take the chance
& send any & all pictures of the Frank
Brown types, Barbies type, etc. Maybe—
just dont put all-eggs-in-one-basket [envelope][11].
Stagger ‘em. Come to think of it, it
would be nicer that way, anyway.
ouch! [AND FOR THE (ouch! MADDENING) UMPTEENTH TIME—) YOUR BE IN PICTURE TOO][12] I feel better now that you say
that $200 loan’s payment via installment
hasn’t been hard. Sooo, I’ll (QUOTE)
“give it no [MORE][13] thought.”
The last thing you wrote about
in this Nov 23rd letter was the Bis(?)
boy who “got-it” in Holland & another
who “got-it” in Italy. Emily, have
you any idea just how fortunate
those boys were?!?! —to “get-it”
outright!! This sounds odd doesn’t
it? —well just climb inside
the pocket of an Evac. Hosp.[14] doctor.
Quote me all over Bis. too—it may
help some mothers & wives. [I’ll omit details][15]
[5]
My free haircut tonight (he’d accept $0.00)
reminds me that I did spend 520
Francs the other day, that I forgot to
tell you about. One of our trucks took
itself a trip & brought back orders from
a certain PX.[16] I had it bring a field
jacket, as you can remember what
mine was like when you last saw it
& then just visualize what it is now.
Test = how much did I pay for my new field jacket?
None of us know for sure, but we
believe that our mail is now being
routed out of N.Y. via the sensible
geographical route rather than
“around-the-bush” as that APO[17]#17346
caused it to first go (at first, it was sensible,
of course). All I pray is that my
“Don’t-Open-Till-Xmas”-letter arrives before
Xmas. [Again][18] doesn’t it just make you
furious, Em,—all this mail-losing?
For the first time—we had the
chance to send our laundry out. Boy!
what a pleasure. It is going to be
done by a “revived” French laundry
when they finally get their wreckage
cleaned up.
Better quit darlin’ (better put on 2 stamps
to[o], just to make sure). Soooo, good night
to ya—[TERRY:—Kiss her good again on the
left cheek—huh?][19] Cuz you two guys have
All my love,
Dave
[1] Bracketed text is included in original.
[2] Nickname for their infant son, Terry.
[3] Bracketed text is included in original.
[4] Bracketed text is included in original.
[5] Camp Kilmer, a New Jersey transportation hub for US soldiers heading to Europe.
[6] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.
[7] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.
[8] Bracketed text is part of original.
[9] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.
[10] Bracketed text is part of original.
[11] Bracketed text written underneath “basket” in original.
[12] Bracketed text added between lines in original, with an arrow to insert it into text.
[13] Bracketed text is part of original.
[14] Evacuation Hospital.
[15] Bracketed text is part of original.
[16] Post Exchange, for shopping.
[17] Army Post Office.
[18] Bracketed text is part of original.
[19] Bracketed text is part of original.