January 2, 1945
Click Here to Enlarge Item
310.74.1-4.2016 Transcription
Somewhere–France
c̅[1] 7th Army
2 Jan 45
Precious,
Again tonight this wont be much of
a letter (as last night) and I so pray right
this minute that the silly old newspapers
& radio aren’t bothering you—‘cuz
no Nazi’s are bothering ol Thump’s[2] Pappy.
However I’ll quickly answer your 3
swell letters & then kiss ya both goodnight
before I go to 8PM→8AM work.
Your Dec 21st’s:- Go ahead! sure, go
ahead! darlin’ & blow off on paper every
so often——honest, it helps! And
dont you ever ever ever think that I
think its “small-fry” ——promise?!
Sure! old Wilitzski[3] still “flails-against”—
but it is s̅[4] that former deep-inside-intensity
but I dont have time to go into it now.
Hmmm! I just “see” little ol’
Thump’s “stableness” you speak of, ‘n
don’t ever think I couldn’t eat him
moment from moment (not limb from limb).
Lets both pray that artillery never eats him
limb from limb!
Gee! that ol’ “battin’ average” of ½ oz
a day is so swell, isn’t it?!! Tell him I
absoloutely know he’s such a good boy. Grandpa
sez so too.
[2]
Your Dec 23rds’s:- Maybe Minnie (Larson)
Shuman has a[c]crued the benifits Death et al
does carry c̅ it—I could write hours
on this but time & situation make it
impossible.
You speak of Thump getting a silly streak
often while you are trying to put him to bed.
Wonder where he gets it?—couldn’t
be from his pap who girls use to think was
a clown nor from his Mother like in the
Commercial Hotel room that first premarital
Elko visit the night Levi’s were tried on?
Hummm!
So Master T. Pig Wilsey slurps up
to 6 ¾ oz F-A-S-T—wonder where
he gets that fast stuff—hummm!
[However, you’d just be appauled to see me eat the
last 3 months—I just “pay” for it if I do eat fast.][5]
Don’t give up on that cereal spitting, dear—
it’ll come just fine.
Your Dec 24th’s:- How’d they ever get
a microphone up to abandoned buildings
on a the [sic] German border for Xmas service?
Which [circuitously][6] reminds me—did
Aunt Katherine ever get that record
“DONT WORRY” to you. (Please answer, dear).
[NOTE! NOTE! NOTE!—PLEASE!—HUH?][7]
Oh! darlin’ oh darlin’! something has
happened the last 15 minutes that I’d so
like to be able to tell YOU TWO PRECIOUS
AMERICANS—something that makes
you just chill all over c̅ thrills—
“production”
“resource”
A M E R I C A { “strength” Just came overhead
“Freedom”
might-M I G H T!
by thousands to help us when we felt we
wanted & needed ‘em!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dearest One, I’ve such a huge &
wonderful lump in my throat for {you two & A-M-E-R-I-C-A[8]
that I must stop.
P-R-O-U-D-L-Y yours,
Dave
[1] Medical abbreviation meaning “with.”
[2] Nickname for their infant son, Terry.
[3] Wilsey’s nickname for himself.
[4] Medical abbreviation meaning “without.”
[5] Bracketed text is part of original.
[6] Bracketed text is part of original.
[7] Bracketed text written along the bottom edge of paper, with two arrows pointing from the first “NOTE!” to “DONT WORRY.”
[8] In original, “you two” is written above “&,” which is written above “A-M-E-R-I-C-A.”