January 5, 1945
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310.76.1-4.2016 Transcription
Somewhere–France
With 7th Army
5 Jan 45 @ 9 PM
Hi, Darlin,
I didn’t get to “talk” to you last
night—infact! it was 101% impossible
to “talk” to you based on work. Infact—
that triggers off a whole thought I may as
well tell you about:—Lotsa times
either you or I or both of us are “lucky”
that I get to write at all based on
work & its ramifications. it goes like
this—work like “Hell” for 12 hours
[P.S. not to conducive to writing thereafter].[1] Then
take out 8 hrs (or 7 or 7 ½ hrs) for sleep
which you just gotta do in order to
keep your health & keep up. Then
withdraw 1 (to 1 ½) hours lost in a mess
hall or chow line due to slow service &
waiting. [That’s 21 ½ hours “shot” out of 24].[2] Then
to “hog” the remaining 3 ½ hours are so
many things that should be done like
washing clothes, shaving, meetings, standing
in item-issue-lines, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc
and whatinhell ya got left?—practic-
ally no time to write your Honey, huh?
Then comes a show 3x a week, but if
you even dare go to a show you have
[2]
almost for certain ruled-out
the possibility of writing
to your Hawney—so I have thus
seen 2 ¾ shows in over a month [I’m not
complainin’][3] just cuz I’d rather write.
So if I “seems” rushed, or terse (quick-terse), or
any of a million & other things, any time
in the past or future—you’ll know
the setup/circumstances 7 days a week
all during the past [& all during the future].[4]
Anyhoooo, not writing last night
didn’t “eat’ me so much as no letter
from you [infact no letters hardly for anybody][5]
have come through in the last 3 days.
We might have been involved in that
mess called moving & thus maybe the
postal service just “held-up”—however,
it looks like the 116th will still be
“tucked-in” for some time to come yet.
While on letters [repitition][6]:- The second set
of 3 (out of a total of 6) P[ower] of Att[orne]y papers were mailed
2 days ago; I pray you get the New-Years Present
of $50 I sent you on New-Years-Eve via [a “gift-letter”][7] P.T.A.,[8]
& as yet none of your pkgs have ever
come through. Say darlin’! Im getting awfully
jittery about airmail stamps—only once did I ever
receive any from you (#5) & Ive dug awfully deep into
that reserve of 35 stamps that I meant to have as a
“permanent-hoard.” Better send stamps once a week till
I tell you to stop, dear.
[3]
I know—yup I just know!—that
the newspapers & radio have had you worried
the past few days. Forget it, darlin!—
please! Huh! O.K.! Just play my
anniversary-present-record “Dont-Worry”
that I had Aunt-K. send you. [DID IT ARRIVE?][9]
I’ve lots of fa[s]cinating stories to tell you
about these last 4 days! [REMINDER][10]
Say, how are those pictures—that roll of film shot up each 2 weeks
of you & Thump[11] together?!?! O U C H!
I’d love to “talk” more ‘n more ‘n more,
dearest, but I just must V-mail Mrs
Green a thanks for her swell Xmas box, &
write a Major down at Aix[12] where I was
loaned out to the 3rd General Hospital
way-back-when we first came over to
France so long ago—yup, Precious,
that was eons ago. But its funny—
those eons make me just closer ‘n closer
to my Beloved Wife who becomes dearer
‘n dearer ‘n dear each eon that passes!
All my love,
Dave
P.S. Ho! ho! hum! hum!—maybe I shouldn’t tell you this:
All guys who don’t know me from back in the United States guess
me [in the course of general bull-conversation”][13] to be about 36 yrs
of age. My! my! my! Wonder what it could be?!? Is it the
double (or triple) work 12 (up to 19) hours 7 days a week? Is
it being responsible officers in an Anesthesia Dept? Is it
fretting about not being able to help out my Dearest c̅[14] our
baby? (Am I just aging fast?) You guess—& let me know.
[1] Bracketed text is part of original.
[2] Bracketed text is part of original.
[3] Bracketed text is part of original.
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[5] Bracketed text is part of original.
[6] Bracketed text is part of original.
[7] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.
[8] Personal Transfer Account for sending money back home.
[9] Bracketed text is part of original.
[10] Bracketed text is part of original, with arrows pointing out from all four corners of brackets.
[11] Nickname for their infant son, Terry.
[12] In Southern France.
[13] Bracketed text is part of original.
[14] Medical abbreviation meaning “with.”