January 12, 1945
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310.82.1-3.2016 Transcription
Somewhere –France
c̅[1] 7th Army
12 Jan 45
Good mornin, darlin’—
I mean good evening
darling—although my evening is
“morning” on this night duty deal of
8PM→8AM. Anyhooo, I’ll probably have
time to finish the last 2 of the EIGHT
of your swell “8-batch-letters” that came
yesterday. Boy! wasn’t that sump’n!!!
(P.S. Gee, I hope my 8 page letter last night gets to you.)
Your Jan 1st’s:— Yup! the year 1943
was a pretty “rough-cookie.” I’ll not
itemize things but it was lighted by that
Ever Burning May 26thonly.
I have [naturally!][2] quit[e] a few
things for your scrap book already—
Lord knows how much I’ll have by the
time I get Home. (Thump[3] will [be able to][4] throw me out the
front door [by then][5]). I have picture cards, etc, etc
but if I sent them [based on the fact that
enough time has passed][6] & some censor got-out-
of-the-wrong-side-of-the-bed, they might
be tossed into those huge post-War
warehouses containing chiefly pictures &
post cards. Oh yes, that second set of
2 snapshots I had taken still sit on an
undeveloped roll—dont dispair!
Lets you & I personally take a trip to
beat Ginny Guests butt—AGREED! 卐 ! Ü !
[2]
Please send me an afgahan [sic]
or something of similar nature.
Dont make it over the size of
an overseas-shipper-box, however. Thanks.
It cou Your Jan 2nd’s:- It could have
been that a radio broadcoast [sic] took place
from that first place I was “loaned-out” to
[really, called Detached Service][7] way back
when down in Southern France. However
I never heard of broadcasts going on—
I was just too damned busy there. (& ever since)
Im tickled that the actual cash
“representing” my “Dont Open Till Xmas” letter
arrived. This reminded me of something
so I walked to headquarters & got this EFM[8]-
blank I am enclosing. As written before, they
are famous for jumbling the numbers & you
can see why upon stud[y]ing it. However, this
sheet might help you to “straighten” a
“screwy”-EFM if it should ever arrive as such.
I still ponder intermittently [& very
hazily][9] about those Income Tax figures that
seem like ancient history. The enclosed a
clipping from (official!) Stars & Stripes[10] of
today proves they cant “heckel” you
unless you want to be “heckeled.” Ill keep
on thinking, darlin’—honest!—& then
some night when I’m “up-to-it” Ill write
a bizness-letter.
I love you, & pray for you two, & live for
my return to you c̅
All my love,
Dave
P.S. Atta girl!—re: a B-L-U-E car, if possible.
[1] Medical abbreviation meaning “with.”
[2] Bracketed text is part of original.
[3] Nickname for their infant son, Terry.
[4] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.
[5] Bracketed text written underneath “front door.”
[6] Bracketed text is part of original.
[7] Bracketed text is part of original.
[8] Expeditionary Force Message, with numbers corresponding to messages for quick correspondence.
[9] Bracketed text is part of original.
[10] A US Military newspaper.