December 16, 1944
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310.60.1-11.2016 Transcription
Somewhere – France
With 7th Army
16 Dec 44 @ 3:15 PM
Hi, dearest,
At least I can start “happy-like”
to write you each day this past week—
then mail-time arrives & I get
nuthin’ & I go kerplop in my writing
ability. Oh, me! Anyhooo, I surely
oughta “collect” today after a
week of “no-soap” while all the
other guys are getting packages ‘n
stuff. Maybe its been only 6 days but it
surin’-Hell seems like 6 years since I heard
about you, ‘n Terry, ‘n Mom ‘n Dad.
Even more than my getting a
letter—I hope so so so much
that all you folks get my “Dont-Open-
Till-Xmas” letter before Dec 25th. Please
dont fail to let me know what date
it actually arrives.
Sumthin’ Ive thought of for a long
time but just never got around to
describin’——you have asked
me several times to ask for this or
that in letters so that you would
have proof to show a P.O. clerk as you
send other things too. Here’s what Ive
thought:—every so often at the top of
a new page of paper (such as page 3 for example)
I will write out that I want you to
send me this or that thing, but I don’t
[2]
really want you to go get it (plus
all the work entailed in getting & fixin’).
It will just fulfill your “stockpile”
of written-request-c̅[1]-the-P.O.-clerk.
Then—Lord knows you should
have enough envelopes from past
letters to just put that particular
sheet of paper into & go down to
have him stamp mailing-approval
onto one or both {the writing &-or the envelope. Several
times I’ve seen P.O. clerks doing
that to other wives or girls or mothers
letters—sometimes they stamp
across the writing; sometimes across
the envelope; & sometimes across both.
Sooo, it looks like a scheme such as
this f should really fix you up (unless
postal rigamaroll has changed since I last
saw it done). Lastly, dear, when I
really want something I’ll encorporate
the word r-e-a-l-l-y along c̅
the request. Just as working example,
there is something I really want
so I’ll put it on page #4 at the top of
the new sheet of the paper. Better let me
know in some letter, darlin’, that you
received this letter as otherwise I’ll
not be certain of our agreement. I still
hate to think of the work youz gals must go to
to buy, fix, etc & then mail stuff overseas.
[3]
Can you send me 6 kaki colored
GI-handkerchiefs.
Gosh how I ache to get some pictures
of you & Thump[2] together. Why! if I’d get
some pictures in just one mail I’ll
bet I’d not feel badly about [not][3] getting
any mail for 3 or 4 or even 10 days—
the reason being that I’d just “float”
along for 3 to 10 days on the “strength”
of that letter that did contain a picture.
Guess I never explained that mail-time
is usually between 4-5 PM (depending).
Thus its not yet time for me to be
either “floating” or kerploped in my
writing.
Let me ad lib something that is
kinda hard to put on paper in a few
words [let alone Wilitzski’s[4] verbosity {on paper & otherwise too[5]][6].
American newsprint (paper, magazines
& radio commentator’s script) surely gives
most of us overseas an awful pain
in the ass! yup!—a-s-s! Why dont
they tell the truth!? Why don’t they use
frank words instead of this glamorizing
& hearts-‘n-flowers composition!?
Why don’t they keep their necks pulled
in!? Remember when Drew Pearson, Boak[e] Carter
& K[a]ltenborn[7] all three had the war over about Oct 15th
(or was it Sept 15th?) How red can faces get??—huh!?
[4]
Can you get me a series of sizes
of stoppers for washbowls, sinks, etc
dear? I could really use them on & off
as we travel [(move)][8] along. 5-&-10 ¢ stores,
hardware stores, etc could pro[b]ably
line you up a whole series of sizes
from small to big for not over a dollar.
In addition, if you could find & really
send several sizes of those “universal-
stoppers” it would be swell—
by “universal” I mean that kind
which sits down ontop (not into) the
sink’s hole like a pancake made of
rubber c̅ a ring (or lug) in the top of
- Looks sumthin’ like my Fitch-
dandruff-hair-scr-rubber-scrubber
would look s̅[9] the little “fingers” on
the bottom side. Sooo, between a
series of “set-in” & a series of “set-on”
stoppers I oughta be able to “stop”
anything in France or Germany when
we run into said facilities along
our run. Thanks, darlin’.
Whooooopie! L E T T E R S
Time out while I’ll devour them.
[5]
Oh, precious!—your letters are
such lovely things. So nice, so sweet,
so kind, so warm, so “purr”-creating!
The way you tell me about Thump just
does so much that I darn near cry—
its an exhaulting cry – not a sad one.
I feel so ashamed when I receive 3 like today after
having written “bitching”-letters recently. Even
though it helps so much to “blow-off” to you, I
still shouldn’t do it in comparison to your
lovely things.
Theres lots of “gap-osis” (again! still! yet!)
in your letters arrivings, but here goes
for your Nov 19ths:—Umm! in one
paragraph I read that ol’ (wild-indian)
Thump weighs #10-7¾, & then in the next
paragraph he has “weighed-in”(like prize-fighting)
at “trainer” Brandt’s office at #10-10!!
Soo help me, you (& Grandma) get 10 more
Oak Leaf Clusters[10] to go onto the 700 you
have already! Lordy! add the 24” length
along c̅ it, for 24 more Legions of Merit!
Dearest——don’t for a minute
think that Im not “behind-ya” when
you make those many-times-wisest-
Motherly-decisions re: our baby——
such as stopping “Olac” (correct?). Really! so
many times a mother truly knows the
“score” which the busy doctor doesn’t
descern over his desk via conversation.
[6]
Mind you, dear—this is no reflection
on Dr B.—— just a reflection on all docs.
I’m awfully awfully glad you
were frank about Dr B’s words re:
Terry’s heart. ‘Cuz believe me absoloutely,
dearest, it is God’s-will (remotely helped
a wee-tiny bit, maybe, via [requesting][11] Dr. Clagett-Harrington’s
hands) that will make what Is [MEANT][12] To Be
about Terry’s heart when full bodily
activity time comes. Dearest, I just
know God will have me c̅ you & helping
you at that time.
Ya know what?—every
one of those words you write about
Terry I actually “live—“see”—“dream”.
Its so peculiar a phenomena. Guess its
cuz Im a doc, & that I’ve always watched
babies so endearingly, that I can
actually “see”/”live” what you write on
paper. Precious, don’t ever stop! never,
ever!——writing such things.
Within 3 hours after receiving the Truax papers I
had mailed them c̅ 2 airmail stamps. [REPITITION 3X][13]
No army lawyer (I.A.G.) is yet near to send you your P[ower] of Att[orne]y.
Next, jumps a wide “gap-osis” to
your Nov. 26th’s:-[Arrow connecting from 26] Gee, darlin’, didn’t
you get my Happy Anniversary (EFM)[14]
cablegram? Gosh! Shucks! I gave it
to Dobie outside of Marsielle’s to send
[7]
to you—it just should have had
time to arrive before the 26th! Anyhooo
since my bestest intention didn’t
reach you on or before the 26th, I here
now say—HAPPY ANNIVERSARY,
dear. P.S. Kiss her, Terry, real super special like
on the cheek for me.
I may as well ad lib here that
c̅ your 3 letters came a card from
Mrs Harrigton c̅ seasons greetings, &
a few notes that Fran hears from
Don occasionally, who seems to be in
northern France. Dick is growing
OK she says. The other nice thing in
todays mail was a Xmas pkg from
[guess who][15] Margerey Hughes. Guess I
forgot to tell you that every time
she wrote me (either U.S.A or once here) she
seemed so thoughtful/kind/& nice.
Anyhooo, Ill respect her “Dont open”
stickers till the 25th of Dec—gee!
it shakes-heavy; wonder what
it is; humm!; gotta shake it
more diagnostically. Gee, darlin’, that
thought just gave me a sweet purrrr—
when I remember how cute you are when
you go around “diagnostically” shakin’ Xmas
packages—remember?—& remember
how I use to yip at you in fun c̅ a real
repremanding voice. Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Whumpf! I bet you’ll even shake that Xmas letter I sent.
[8]
[Back to your Nov. 26th’s letter][16]: Dearest
your opening sentence on the 26th was
about “wonderful…& said…”
about…my being yours for a year
& a half. Em, I’ve been yours
since I was a medical student!
That’s why tonight, here in France,
I bring it up again——not
bringing in the least, the miserable
parts of those years from 1939 to 1942,
but bringing up only the God-
guidedness of our being “together”
—not only those separated years
were we thinking of eachother, even
though apart——but here again
we are apart & thinking of eachother
yet all the time we are “TOGETHER.”
Later in your same [26th][17] letter you even, prophetically, heard
Tom[m]y Dorsey play “Together”—dearest, I tell
you—so help me—ITS GOD-GUIDED!
Yup! If I were there to hear
little ol’ Thump plead to be picked up
I suppose [PS. know][18] I’d weaken more
then once—weaken far more
than that lug called Doc Wilsey
would sitting behind an Elk desk
while “lecturing” lotsa mothers.
Anyhooo—again!— my money
is “on” you & your judgement—
you super-swell Mother, you!!
[9]
No, dear, no Tom West [of No[rth] Dak[ota]][19] would
be in our Evac Hosp——I can
see you don’t quite understand our
“situation” —— so all I’ll say is
that the last thing in the world that
would be where we are would be a
broadcasting microphone.
Tell dad he has the use of my
Shavemaster c̅ my blessings & my
best wishes re: its erratic functioning.
I just wish I had something Mom
could use of mine. [Which reminds me,
indirectly,—did you go ever get the car
painted B-L-U-E???][20] ——go ahead,
Miss Procrastination! Mom, could use our car.
Ummm! golly! Just you give
me the chance to take you to a dance.
Ummm!
Four hours after reading your statement in the
Nov 27th’s:—I heard from a reliable
source that the command car c̅ its
bumper-label tells that Dobie must
have been right near our entrance
gate today. Your Nov 27ths had just
spoken of Clyde. Haven’t you ever
received those letters telling about Dobie
& I meeting north of Marsielle on a “one-
in-a-million-shot”?
Gosh! I shouldn’t add another page
of paper-weight but I’m gonna. All the time
I figured on 3 stamps but this 10th page probably should = 4 stamps.
[10]
The last thing you write of is that
all this France-War-separation isn’t
real. I know exactly what you are
saying & I agree ––– YET, in
another sense/phase it is so real––
so rock-bottom & dastardly r e a l when
you live it 7-days-a-week. Ya know––
this 7-days-a-week is an aspect of War
that nobody realizes unless they live
- Lordy! how you’d give anything for
a half day off from Destruction! After
awhile this 7-days-a-week just bored
into the middle of you. Tell everybody
you know, to bless their Sundays’ 7th
day of cercease from whatever they are
doing in their life. [Dont think for a
minute that I don’t realize Terry is
a “7-days-a-week”––but thank God
yours is C-O-N-S-T-R-U-C-T-I-O-N––not
Destruction’s-Work.][21]
And––so speaking, would I ever
love (as you say) to see little ol’ Thump
grow [con-struct][22] every day. I just know
he’s adorable––infact I “see” him.
Im just awaiting, dearest, the time
when we can tangibly see-live-
feel this wonderful growth/construction
in Our Love that has gone on these
months.
All my prayers & love are c̅ you,
Dave
[1] Medical abbreviation meaning “with.”
[2] Nickname for their infant son, Terry.
[3] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.
[4] Wilsey’s nickname for himself.
[5] In original, “on paper” is written above “&,” which is written above “otherwise” and “too.”
[6] Bracketed text is part of original.
[7] Three American radio and news commentators.
[8] Bracketed text written above “travel” in original.
[9] Medical abbreviation meaning “without.”
[10] Type of military badge denoting subsequent awards of the same decoration.
[11] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.
[12] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.
[13] Bracketed text written in a box in the right-hand margin in original.
[14] Expeditionary Force Messages, with numbers corresponding to messages for quick correspondence.
[15] Bracketed text is part of original.
[16] Bracketed text is part of original.
[17] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.
[18] Bracketed text is part of original.
[19] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.
[20] Bracketed text is part of original.
[21] Bracketed text is original, except for closing bracket (which was omitted) and “job.”
[22] Bracketed text is part of original.