January 17, 1945
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310.87.1-9.2016 Transcription
Somewhere –France
c̅[1] 7th Army
17 Jan 45 @ 3 PM
Dearest,
I’ll start today’s letter early—
even before mail has had a chance to
come in (usually (4:00-5:300 PM) cuz Im
gonna go “socializing” for supper.
Yup! my first “socializing” [as be it!][2]
on the continent of Europe. The Major (who
headed the team of 3 MDs {chief surgeon + asst surgeon + anesthetist[3] +
one nurse + 3 enlisted men when I[4] was
on my 2nd “loan out” at Thanksgiving
time to that Field Hospital) is here as
a loaned-out surgeon on Detached Service
for a little while. He’s not only a “good-Joe”
but an absoloutely brilliant surgeon.
Maybe I should describe that the (above)
working-set-up is just one unit of
thousands called Surgical Auxillary
Groups who go into Field & Evac (& occasion-
ally Gen[era]l) Hospitals to help out in a
super-specialist manner—IT’S
THE BEST “DEAL” in the Army! I was
never so satisfied or enthusiastic or
happy as when I was c̅ major Blocksom’s
team [REMEMBER THIS][5] (P.S. But what in Hell good
will it do you or me to remember this). Anyhoooo,
the Major just loves a drink of scotch; I
learned this; & I have some. Soooo, I
[2]
offered him some, & right
away he invited me to
walk back over c̅ him to
his room (outfit) [(His Surg Aux Hdqrtrs.)][6] for supper after a few
drinks. My! what extensive “socializing”?!
Sooo, after an hour from now I should be
having a good time—(my first “time”.).
Before I forget, darlin’—remember
that it wont be long after this letter
arrives that ol’ toothless-grin-around-a-
stuck-out-tongue Thump[7] might begin
to grin around two cute baby teeth.
If so, I imagine he’s kinda the guy
who’d give you a peck of “teething-trouble.”
However it be, just keep it in mind
so you don’t get too much worried by
some unexplained fever, malaise, “upset,”
“sickness.” ALSO, if [just if][8] Thump should
be delayed in dentition—DONT WORRY!,
as it could be “normally” expected in
any kiddie c̅ a congenital heart. OK? OK!
Gillespies baby didnt “teethe” for quite awhile—AND
IT DOES NOT MEAN MENTAL DEFICIENCY, “RETARDEDNESS,”
etc, etc that some old gossiping-bitch around the corner
would like to fill your lovely & level head with.
P.S. Measles, chicken pox, etc are also “due.”
Oh, yes, for Heavens sake, immunize him
soon for whooping cough. This “shot” may
“upset” him for 12, 16, 30 or 36 hours. Please, dearest,
even insist that Terry’s doctor-Dad RXes it
from overseas at a slightly earlier time
than average. please write me Dr. B’s impression
[3]
if it should be over 9 months of age
& feel him out as to 7, 6½, 7½, 8, 8½
months of age. maybe I’m just “heped.”
Oh, yes,—its too late for the recent
(& passed) “episode” to tell you to retrospect
the date the date you note upon first
opening a letter—think back as to
what newspapers said was “the-score” at
that date & maybe my letters will then be
more logical. I say this as I know
some of my recent letters have been pretty
“stinky”—but there “waz” reasons.
Just a hint for all War-Wives—the
grand box Margery Hughes sent me for Xmas
had as one of the things in it, a moist
fudge—it was all milldewed via
the dampness, darkness & time. The fruit
cake kinda took a “half-beating” too.
But—boy! were Margery’s dry
crispy-style TollHouse cookies delicious.
P.S. Secret:—I was awfully hungry at the particular
time I opened them, but I ate the whole damn can!
Pig?—well if Thump is a “pig” (UNQUOTE you) so is
his Pop—see! 卐 ! ⋆ ! Ü ! But we sure ‘n Hell love you!
Guess I better go to Major Blocksom’s “party”—more
tomorrow AM before I go to bed, dear.
NOT[9] (tomorrow AM) but 3 hrs later:—
I just had a very nice time c̅ Major
Blocksom [P.S. Who is an Episcopalian][10] & the bunch
[4]
at the Auxillary Surgical
Group headquarters which
as of the moment happens
to be (coincidentally) right here near us (1/4 mile).
Their Hdqrtrs moves as does the general
military situation. Guess I never said
much about Major Sullivan who is their
C.O.—he took his Residency at Wis[consin] Gen’l
back when I was working there as a hospital
orderly. “Sully” & I have reminisced
lots about lots of people on 2 other occasions.
(P.S. He’s a pretty powerful guy in Etousa[11]).
Sully drank the scotch c̅ major Blocksom
& I me[12], & of course more “bull” flew—then
we ate fried chicken, & all of them had
work to do so I’m home sooner than my
8PM-night duty-starting-time as I had
imagined.
[P.S. There is no “scotch-whiskey-effect” in what follows][13]:—
Emily—I dont know just how
to write what follows. (I know—I’ll come
to the point & then ramify—no Wilitzski[14] persiflage.)
I have cautiously & around-the-corner
(Army-style) been given the chance to join/
transfer to the Surgical Auxillary Group.
As I said before, it is a bunch of super-
specialists who go into other organizations
to help them out. (The cautious & around-the-corner
part of this is as you could figure out—they think
enough of me & my work to join their “select” group—yet
they think enough of me to know that I might get
“burned” if I applied for transfer & it didnt go through—
the C.O. of 116th probably would keep me a 1st Lt. [for] years).
At the present moment they [and every other
organization as far as that goes][15] need
[5]
anesthetists badly. [From here
on are a thousand points
pro & con that are almost
impossible to discuss on paper.][16] For example,
for the 116th to lose one of its 2 trained (a[17]
rare privelege from an Evac) anesthetists would
be a miserable situation & the C.O. of 116th
would fight like Hell to block any such deal.
A point prominent to me is that my getting
your letters would be very sporadic as
only every so often would we pass by or
communicate c̅ headquarters of the Aux Grp
in order to pick up mail (its all sent to Hdqrtrs).
Outgoing mail would move alone as fast as ever, though.
The anesthesia work, per se, [pardon][18] would be
just what I want. The work per week
would be less actual hours—probably
a bit more irregular in hours, but yet there
is an organization to their hours on &
hours off according to a scheduled plan,
come to think of it. Naturally there are
dozens of people in this 116th that I like
a lot, yet there are those 2 majors (written 2X)
whom I hate ← (unchristian??) & they hate me.
Add the Lt-Col chief of Surgery who is a fake & goldbrick.
Also there is not a surgeon in the 116th whom
I’d chose [sic] to operate on me if I had to make
a choice—but I must be frank & admit
that I’m “spoiled” by knowing/seeing what
really “top” surgeons are from the past—
of course every Aux. Grp. surgeon is a “top”
man or he wouldn’t have been chosen to
join. Post-war contacts would be far
wider c̅ leading USA surgeons, as it is
these guys who will be the surgeons of
America for the next 20 years—how
[6]
much “value” this has to
it is just problematical
(Its 50%-50% that I’d ever become an
Anesthesiologist—I so wish we could talk). Also,
I just know I’d be a Captain in not over
3 months & maybe a darned site sooner.
Life, per se, would be a little more rugged
but not beyond reason or limit; occasionally
it would be “swankier” than Evac.-life.
Heres another intangible point & hard to express
on paper [or any other way][19]—God put me
into this Evac; should I go around
“putting” myself out of it. Another point
is that the enlisted man & nurse who
work c̅ me on my shift (Ive written of them)
would just “die” if I’d leave them; we do
get along just perfectly, we three. Pay
is no different per grade of rank in an Aux.
Grp than any other Army outfit. Maybe I
should reitemize (written 2X before) that I feel
those 2 Majors (116th) will do all they can to
“spike” a Captaincy for me [(plus the Lt-Col)][20]—I honestly
do not know how much they can do.
Soooooo, these points & a thousand others
have me in a Indecision, whose answer I
absoloutely do not know. If I were
forced by the point of a gun to make
a decision by the end of this page of paper Id
say this: (1) God put me into this Evac.;
maybe I shouldn’t “put” myself out of it &
(2) To get only irregular big-batch mail
from you seems “sorta-hard-to-take.”
[7]
Well, so be it [iNCLUDiNG NO
MAiL TODAY FOR THE 7th or 8th DAY][21]
& maybe I should leave it
at this—I’ll talk friendly & quietly
to “Sully” & maybe learn more—& more
deciding points. As I understand it, if
he gets Col. Barry’s approval (the “biggest” MD in 7th A.)
to “rob” an Evac of their anesthetist—it
is all cut-and-dried. However if Col Barry
is neutral or not “outrightly” approving—
a real “Hell” could be triggered-off.
Maybe Sully [whom I am convinced “stooged” Major
Blocksom to ask me to join the Aux Grp][22] can
just give me neutral facts s̅[23] starting-any-
unstopable-tobogan [sic] of events—though
I know he wants me a lot in the
Second Auxillary Surgical Group (the 1st S.A.G.
is in Eng, Belgium, Italy—the 2nd S.A.G. is chiefly
Etousa though some is in Belgium & Italy). Well
precious One, its almost 8PM-work-time
so I’ll add an adden[d]um in the morning
before going to bed. Sweet dreams to you
dearest—“see” ya in the mornin’.
(19th Jan 45)
Lordy! here it is Jan 19th; this wasn’t mailed the 18th
because I was so dead tired I forgot to mail this &
just fell into bed—for me to forget to mail your
letter dearest, is a true (& sad) index of just how
tired I really was.
Thoughtful weighing of factors during
the past 36 hours doesnt really add a
great deal to the Indecision/Problem. A very
sweeping summary, however, is this:—I
WANT MONEY—MORE MONEY—for you & Thump;
which part-and-parcel means Captaincy.
[8]
To go into Aux. Group assures
a Captaincy {2 wks to 3 months.[24] To stay
c̅ this 116th might keep me
always a 1st Lieutenant. Heres another summary.
if our (inferior) ← (ask anybody) C.O. would only
not be so damned smug & old-line-Army &
give about 15 of us Lieutenants our deserved/
authorized/authorizable/& “normal” Captaincys
I’d make an outright decision against
going into the Aux Grp. maybe I don’t need to
put into words—if I applied
for Aux Grp; the 116th [C.O.][25] was able to “block it;” (a possibility)
he would certainly keep me a 1st Lt until
the war is over just for having even had
the thought to leave his [prideful][26] organization.
I must hurry to get this into the mail
dear, so you read between the lines for
many more of the points.
All my love,
Dave
P.S. Mail finally did come in yesterday after
8 (or 9) days s̅ any 1st class mail, but there
was none from you—durnitall!
[1] Medical abbreviation meaning “with.”
[2] Bracketed text is part of original.
[3] In original, “chief surgeon” is written above “asst surgeon,” which is written above “anesthetist.”
[4] In the original, there is an arrow pointing from “I” to “anesthetist.”
[5] Bracketed text is part of original.
[6] Bracketed text written in the upper left-hand corner of the page, with an arrow pointing to “(outfit).”
[7] Nickname for their infant son, Terry.
[8] Bracketed text is part of original.
[9] In original, there are arrows pointing from “tomorrow AM” (above) to “NOT.”
[10] Bracketed text is part of original.
[11] European Theater of Operations, United States Army.
[12] In original, “me” is written above the crossed-out “I.”
[13] Bracketed text is part of original.
[14] Wilsey’s nickname for himself.
[15] Bracketed text is part of original.
[16] Bracketed text is part of original.
[17] In original, there is an arrow pointing from “a” to “trained.”
[18] Bracketed text is part of original, with an arrow pointing to “per se.”
[19] Bracketed text is part of original.
[20] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.
[21] Bracketed text is part of original.
[22] Bracketed text is part of original.
[23] Medical abbreviation meaning “without.”
[24] In original, “2 wks” is written above “to,” which is written above “3 months.”
[25] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.
[26] Bracketed text is part of original.