December 17, 1944
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310.61.1-5.2016 Transcription
Somewhere – France
With 7th Army
17 Dec 44 @ 6 PM (Sun.)
Mornin’ dearest – [really goodevenin, dearest],[1]
I just woke out of a dream
into a “dream”—the “dream” I
woke/walked into was a warm
shower. Imagine! Why I scrubbed
myself so hard I actually tired my
arms & hands. Then I hurried back
to this unbelievable supply of hot
water & washed my “sleeping-sheets;”
[its really a sack of GI-issue meant to be
stuffed c̅[2] straw as a “matress”—ticking,
but we guys c̅ sleeping bags use it as
“sheets” nearest us to keep our comforters &
sleeping-bag-walls clean. It had gotten pretty
dirty, & I have been looking for a sizable volume
of warm water to wash it in for some time.
Today was the first chance——boy what
a satisfaction to have clean “sheets!!”][3]
Another odd-and-end I’ve forgotten to
tell you about directly [indirectly referred to via
coffee drinking [letter][4]][5] is our plain drinkin’
water. Its all so untrustworthy that
every drop is heavily chlorinated.
Many many soldiers just absoloutely
refuse to drink it (P.S. the foolhardy dopes)
but I’ve gotten so Im suspicious of
anything that doesn’t reak [sic] of chlorine.
Whumpf! guess I’ll be drinking the
[2]
“Chlorox” that belongs to you & Grandma
(maybe I should say, belongs to Thump[6]—& his diapers)
when I get home. Wont you 3 guys
be mad?! Whumpf!
I must get something weird
off my mind. In brief, firstly, a
guy by the name of Dr Carl Ruff (Capt, MC[7])
came up from his Replacement B[attalio]n
this evening to hang around & shoot
the “bull.” He took his first 2 yrs of
Medicine at U of Wis[consin] (& thus knows lotsa
people) & finished at Louisville. He
practiced in Middleton (outside of Madison)
etc, etc, & has been overseas 12 months.
Well——I asked him to eat in our
officer’s-mess & he did. Coming out the
mess-hall door it was just dark
dusk & we two were alone. First
thing I knew a high pitched anguished
voice said” ——“ Welsey!! For Gods sake
get me down off this roof! —theyve
got me tied down up here!.” Lordy,
it was so real, so pleading, so ang-
uished that I started shooting my
flashlight all over. To make a 6 minute
story of spooky, “tragic,” hunting/talking [back & forth][8]
short——this Capt Ruff is a
ventriloquist——& really good.
After frantically searching for this
[3]
“poor-guy” for about 3 minutes I had a
hunch & asked Ruff, was he pulling
ventriloquism on me——he said
“No” so for 3 minutes more I hunted
all over to try to help find & help this
“poor-guy.” Finally Ruff broke down
& let me know he was “ventriloquizing”
- My reason for bring[ing] this all up
is this——if you ever run
into a spookey unfathomable
circumstance, suspect the person
near you of ventriloquism. I know
this all sounds kinda simple-Simon
on paper——but just have it
“pulled-on” you sometime & you’ll
know what I mean!!
Something I’ve forgotten to tell
you in dozens of letters [AND PLEASE
ANSWER BACK THAT YOU’VE RECEIVED IT][9]
is this:—I sensibly & open-mind[ed]ly
realize that the first time little ol’
sweet Thump sees me, I’ll probably
scare him & make him cry when I
pick him up in my arms. Please
realize, dear, that I realize the “baby-
psychology” of it all & I’ll not be hurt
or dissappointed or delusioned. [Why! even
a mother can’t go away, often, more than a week
but what she is a “stranger” & scares her baby
when she lovingly picks him up on her return—
[4]
& thus many a mother has been thrown into
tears by it all][10] Sooo, what can I hope for
from little ol’ Thump when he first sees me.
Agree?——Agreed!
You wrote about ol’ Thump having
[QUOTE][11] “the happiest disposition” ——& wondered
where he got it from. You, dearest, gave
him a good hunk of it——maybe
way back when (by heredity) I wasn’t
such an anxious-drivin’ guy from
what the old timers in Oconomowoc
tell me. But anyway, you iz the main
contributor. I am reminded too, that Mrs Gillespie
says her boy, & such boys, are the nicest dispositioned
little fellows ——say?!——maybe I can
buy myself a congenital heart here in Europe to
make me a better guy——huh?!
I went to the Chaplain’s evening
service again tonight. They are OK, but
gosh! how I’d love to go to a Eucharistic
Service. You you know! ——that after
incessant inquiring (maybe inadequate) I
have learned of only one Episcopal
Chaplain & he is 75 miles aways. These
roads, etc, etc might just as well make
his place be 775 miles away. Regardless
I have my “Foreword Day by Day” & today
(as 100s of other times) I see those things which
are sooo applicable:————
I THANK MY GOD UPON EVERY
REMEMBRANCE OF YOU——
ALWAYS IN EVERY PRAYER OF MINE
FOR YOU—ALL.……..
With all my love,
Dave
[1] Bracketed text is part of original.
[2] Medical abbreviation meaning “with.”
[3] Bracketed text is part of original, except for closing bracket, which was omitted.
[4] Bracketed text (and bracket) inserted into text via a caret.
[5] Bracketed text is part of original.
[6] Nickname for their infant son, Terry.
[7] Marine Corps.
[8] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.
[9] Bracketed text is part of original.
[10] Bracketed text is part of original.
[11] Bracketed text is part of original.