November 26, 1944
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310.44.1-5.2016 Transcription
Somewhere — France
26 Nov 44
Back c̅[1] my gang
(after 2 “loan-outs”)
[No
mail for
some days
now, but it’s
uncircumventable
due to moves
& probably shiftings
Dearest,
Oh what a worthless day I
have put in — whittled
on a piece of Algerian briar wood
to make a pipe like 10 or so other
guys are doing [but my knife is so dull
it will be weeks before the pipe is finished][4].
Anyhooo, maybe after days of real
“business” (“busy-ness”) to just do
nothing makes me feel so shiftless-
worthless-dopey. I felt just like
a drugged dumpy moron sitting
on a bump making shavings c̅
a pocket knife. Oh, me!
Anyhooo, I sure, sure, sure do
love you, darlin’. (even if I am a dumpy ol
moron). It seems I cant think
of anything else to write except
I love ya, I love ya! But — I
fetches you love one certain
moron anyway, dontcha?—I betcha!
Don’t tell little ol’ Thump[5] that his
Pop sat on a bump all day —
will ya, huh?!!? — cuz he
[2]
loves me even if you don’t — see!
Lordy! I just read this over &
it seems I’m writing as if I had
half a snoot full of French wine.
So help me, I swear I havent had
a drop of nuthin.’
The main reason for this letter
anyhooo, is that I want to “handle’
by airmail as well as V-mail,
that I just wrote — the fact
that we are permitted to say we
are c̅ the 7th Army. AND, our
fairly permanent (& new) APO is
758.
Oh yes, I did do something
constructive today. — I washed
towels, socks, & nurmi [sic] shirts
real pretty like. I heated lots
of water in those goofy shaped
French tin pitchers & had even
3 rinses (yup – THREE!) in warm
water. Boy! am I in plutocratic
surroundings today (but not for long).
[I just read this over][6] You’d think
it was childish-glee or childish-
[3]
values to exclaim about 3 rinses
of warm water for ones washing
but really those little goofy things
can mean so much over here. Also
when I said “plutocratic” surroundings
I imagine you & 99% of the American
girls would have a hissy over
this “joint” I’m housed in but
we think its kinda hot stuff.
[even though Ill swear every building in France
is just permiated c̅ a dirty-dusty-dirt that
is absoloutely unremovable][7].
I answered Alice McGee’s, Bill
Faber’s, & Mrs Green’s letter via one
of those GI-Vmail-Xmas cards. A
similar type I sent to Mom & Dad
although there was more writin’
room on the other type. On Mom &
Dad’s I wrote that I was terribly
sorry about never being able to [split infinitive again!][8]
as yet get a connection c̅ those
PX[9]-mail-order-Xmas present set
ups. — that doubly goes for
you & Terry. Gosh, dear, I don’t
know what to do — I’ll be
damned if Ill pay those soldier-
sucker-prices the French racket
[4]
onto us. P.S. Anyhooo, was a good Pappy
way back in the first place, by allotting most all
my money to Mommy & Thump — huh? — aint it!
Guess what I’m trying to say is
that I’ve doled out no sucker money
to these Frenchmen for (fairly) worthless
presents/souvenirs to send home.
And — I don’t have it in my pockets to dole.
Lordy! one guy spent 30 bucks
& all he had was junk — just
what you folks in America would
call junk. But —— this all
doesn’t help my predicament of
Xmas shopping any. Do you
suppose you should buy yourself,
Terry, Mom & Dad something for me,
or wait until I can find
something of equitable value
(even if it does arrive after Dec 25th).
Gee! golly! gosh! dear, you decide,
will ya please, huh?
Say! did you know that
Fels-Naptha soap is the 3rd most
wonderful thing in the world —
yup! 1st & 2nd are you & Terry &
3rd comes Fels-Naptha! can you swipe
some from Mom, huh?, maybe? [LABEL][10] → H-i-N-T.
Lordy! I better stop all this —
but — gee I love you, dear. Dave
[1] Medical abbreviation meaning “with.”
[2] Army Post Office.
[3] Bracketed text written in the upper left-hand corner of the page.
[4] Bracketed text is part of original.
[5] Nickname for their infant son, Terry.
[6] Bracketed text is part of original.
[7] Bracketed text is part of original.
[8] Bracketed text written in the margin next to “able to.”
[9] Post Exchange for shopping.
[10] Bracketed text is part of original.