Army food quality

Army food quality

310.122.1-5.2016

United States--Armed Forces--Military Life

Wilsey, David B., MD

The Wilsey Collection

The Holocaust Center for Humanity

310.122.1-5.2016 Transcription

Somewhere–France

c̅^[1] 7th Army 3:30 PM

14 Mar 45

 

Howdy, dearest,

Ive always forgotten to tell you

something so I’ll start right off today—

infact I’ll start off “bass-ackwards” just

to worry ya—see?! Yup, I had glasses

filled today! [scared yet?—nope?!—shucks!][2]

Ho, ha, hum—they are only protective

glasses. What I have forgotten to tell you

is that along c̅ dozens of anesthesiologic

techniques I have also “picked-up”

bronchoscopy: (ya know—ram a long rifle barrell

like lighted tube down into a guys lungs to look for

everything from gum, teeth, stuck-mucous, inhaled

vomitus to tumors.) Well, every exhalation the

1. makes, catches ya smack in the eye

including ether vapors (burn like Hell), mucous,

or coughed-at-you  blood. Well, what is

more appropriate than a pair of glasses, sez

grandpa to grandma?!? P.S. don’t tell anybody

that my first one was on a Kraut[3]—but it has helped

lotsa American boys since. (P.P.S. I didnt harm the Kraut a bit).

Something else I have forgotten to

write about is how nurses look at/con-

sider men overseas. Sorta 2 catagories:-

(& I dont know as written words can make it clear)

#I:—“Wolves”/”on-the-make-ers” & it surely

is a rude awakening to see guys whose

wives you know—sorta kinda forget

her. Some guys “slip” the first day [cuz they were

always “slipped”];[4] some “slip” on the boat [very

[2]

conducive to “slippin’”][5]; some “slip” after months;

& some NEVER slip at all. #II:—[as the

nurses word it, yet it is much more than the verbatim

presentation—its sortofa a [sic] “respecting-phrase”][6] “He

really loves his wife,” AND/OR “He is very

much married” (said in sortofa reverent/ency-like

honoring way). Doris once sa[id] to me:—

“I think the reason I like you so much

is that you love your wife.” Anyhoooo,

“setch” is life overseas. C’est le guirre![7]

Yas! I! love! you! you! Precious! Lug! 卐Ü⋆!

so there!—see!

Maybe ‘cuz spring—actual S P R I N G—has come today

in this part of France—but—do ya, dearest, rember [sic]

the last time you sat-reclined in Harrington’s living room

chair (in July) after we had been southward to that steak place c̅

the Gottfreidsons?—I do—ummmmmmm.

Golly!—I better [STOP &][8] go see if there is

any mail→ eat→ & then write again.

See ya later, My Dearest—my DearEST.

(HOUR LATER)

Praises be!—a Readers Digest! Dont

you faint—I just did it for (on behalf of) the

both of us. Its the Feb. issue (never Jan yet,

although Dec did come (rep.)). They have APO[9] 758

on the Cover so maybe things will be better.

Anothe[r] before-I-forget:- Boy! oh boy,

have they ever been feeding us lately. Infact

its been so unbelievably good ‘n wonderful

that c̅ every bite we [are] sorta suspiciously

[3]

sending darting looks all around us to

see what we are getting “sucked-into”/

“built-up” for. Ho! ho! hmm! Maybe its for

months of “C”-ration ←[lousey][10] ordeal inside

Germany. Anyhoooo, even though we

gobble ‘n devour the stuff we’re still

sus[pic]ious—see!—we know they’re

just must be ulterior motives. Yup!

P.S. Anyhooooo, as long as mail service doesn’t go

down to a “C-ration-status”, I can live beautifully.

Your Mar 3^rd’s:—came too, today.

Poor Hawney, she wuz worn to a

frazel [sic] & tiz plain ‘n logical to see.

‘S funny poor Mammy doesnt get into

said condition more times per month

from all the trouble that Ol’ Buzzard

Thump[11] gives her—YAS! indeedie!

Say—you tell ol’ Thump you’ll

put him on “C”-rations; that I’ll send

home all our cans of that damned stuff.

& about one day on “C”s & he will eat

those nice things by the barrell! Infact,

you just threaten-the-Hell-outa-him.

Again we have proof of “letter-gaposis.”

FOUR (IV) (iiii) (4) TEETH—wheeeeee!

Never did I know setch things about the

#4^th tooth. Ill bet he looks like a

little ol’ beaver. [Which reminds me:- Do ya

know what an eg “Eager Beaver” is? Well, from

[4]

C.B.I.[12] to Camp Grant, Ill—anybody who shows

a figment (sp?) of industury/ambition in performing

an Army duty is AN EAGER BEAVER. Infact,

I know the term Eager Beaver comes up as many

times a day as does the word Snafu, George,

Jackson, etc (rep.)—infact, as many times as

the word “S H I T” & thats, some days, kinda often][13].

Sooooo, you tell that ol’ Thump that

I’ll “eager-beaver” my way [you can see it is

used “universally”-loosely-widely][14] home from

Etousa[15] & put “C”-rations down his gullet.

Thank Ole for sending her congrats

re: the Captaincy. Gee I hope that

“Captaincy-philosophy-letter” isnt lost so

that I dont have to write it all over.

You speak of writing 2 days letters in one

day AND the same day sending pictures.

Well, I got one of those letters but why

couldnt the picture-envelope have run

neck-&-neck c̅ it? Anyhooo, thanks a

million, darlin. I was just about gonna razz you

about—“Some new baby wives shoot up a roll every 2 wks.”

Now Im glad I didnt. ‘N ‘specially cuz

that Ol’ Buzzard (c̅ his 4 teeth) have been

giving you such a work out lately.

Geeee, I love ya Em, —I so

wish I could be there to H-E-L-P, ‘n

be there to show you (as well as write & say)—

All my love,

Dave

[1] Medical abbreviation meaning “with.”

[2] Bracketed text is part of original.

[3] A German.

[4] Bracketed text is part of original.

[5] Bracketed text is part of original.

[6] Bracketed text is part of original.

[7] “C’est la guerre” is French for “Such is war.”

[8] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.

[9] Army Post Office.

[10] Bracketed text is part of original.

[11] Nickname for their infant son, Terry.

[12] China Burma India. CBI was the US military designation for this area during the war.

[13] Bracketed text is part of original.

[14] Bracketed text is part of original.

[15] European Theater of Operations, United States Army.