Parenting advice and moving through Germany
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310.287.1-5.2016 Transcription
Somewher|else|yet–Germany
18 Apr 45—With 7th Army 6 PM
Ummm! dearest,
Seven letters!—‘n how good they
seemed after so long s̅[1] letters. Probably yours, too,
will arrived “bunched” as the 116th outlet + Army
outlet + etc will of necessity all be “bunched” during
this time of mad chase. I dont believe I can
answer them all in 2 hours. [P.S. I’m still tired—this is
our worst holocaust of any—if such is possible—each one
worse ‘n worse ‘n worse than preceeding ones. You just cant
convince me there isn’t mismanagement when we have to
be the only Evac c̅[2]in a 100 miles area. Why not get all those
Evacs off their “dead-butts” that just sit in England & Scotland!][3]
Ad lib:—When I’m home ask me how I just
learned/saw how the Army is “laying-for”
Bed Check Charley (also called Pee Call Charley) [4] tonight.
Your letters were Mar 8, Mar 21, Mar 27, Mar 30,
Apr 1, Apr 2, & Apr 5.
Your Mar 8ths [is unfortunately (as a lead-off for this letter) a
touchy one—about furniture, the Chaplain, etc][5]:— Dear, I
can see what you write. To go into all points
on treacherous paper is very bad. Anyhooo, here’s 2
minor thought-ramifications; (1) Many wise parents
have said that c̅ growing children good furniture
should not be too good for the children’s sake. Many
millions of us kids have lived through a “poker-back,”
“prissy,” “delycate” “Home-life because of fearing our
parents furniture. It detracts from H-O-M-E; it
makes a certain unnaturalness/strain/restraint
about Home. That’s why it is said (as above) “Children
Are Children—get good furniture when theyre grown.”
[2]
Thus—chew-my-butt all you want, dearest,
about “Furniture Care” but please lets not have our
children carry “strained” inner psychodynamisms
of Home because of your PROPERLY/UNDERSTANDABLE
emotion re: what is Clarice’s. I’m sure our
kiddies will be normally/”child-ly” careful but &
that is far different from the hellion (sp?) chopping-up
kids that some people have—yet, dear, you
must realize that the (above) normally/”child-ly”
carefulness is probably not the carefulness your
heartstrings would like. Thus, one could almost
say it is a minor “shame”/”misfortune” that we have
good furniture now—instead of 11 to 14 years from
now. Dont misunderstand this darlin’—I’m
sure you see this point made by thousands of wise
parents, as I do. (2)
(2) Please dont forget, dear, page one’s:- “I can see what you write.”
But, do ya suppose maybe even Clarice is a little bit
“fed-up” c̅ The Chaplain, having seen-known what
he has done. She IS AND WAS the kinda girl who’d
“forgive-&-take-him-back”—yet maybe, do ya
suppose, “underneath-like” she is kind [of] “fed-up?”
(All Pre-Promotion ↔ (Death) factors she lived through added onto/unto
by Post-Promotion factors—might add up to “fed-up-ness”)
P.S. Never yet have I learned that you received my
letter about, lets call it, “Violation of Man’s Primitiveness” that I
limitedly put on paper. Please remention it (rep. it) several times
if you did.
Anyhooo—(above) is only 2 minor points
& I can “see” the major points. Thus, Ill stop till
we can verbally talk about the major points.
P.S. This is one letter of yours (Mar 8) that I’m not going to tear up despite
US Army rules. I’ll reread it often.
[3]
Your Mar 21st’s:— Danke fur die drei ← 3 (iii) (III). I hope
the pre war car blue isnt too far off from your wish.
Is it really blue or that blue thats so dark it almost
looks black? (Remember how your retina’s rods & cone cells
disagree c̅ my retina rods & cone cells?—ho! he! ho!). I’ve
forgotten all minor details of those wedding snaps, but
I believe what Mom thinks is a stole———
is your much reviered (sp?) scarf put on for a picture
that was taken at the departing time; I had my
field jacket & your scarf put back on as it was cold.
P.S. Did you note the “helme[t] picture”—imagine having to
carry helmets to your wedding—ho! ho! Anyhoooo, I
“stooged” & staged that particular picture.
Just as for everyone in this Life—some
“have-their-head-on-their-shoulders”—others “have-
their-head-up-their-butt” ←[7th Army].[6] Thus, you judge
where your Public Health Nurse’s head “sets.” Some are
really OK—others are a “detriment” to mothers
(& doctors) & kiddies. The Bundesen-Helmholz book[le]t
should be pretty decent.
Your Mar 27th’s:—No Theater of Operations can
belittle another Theater of Operations, actually—they
all have their “roughest-spots.” Iwo Jima was
“rough”—so was Bitche when they threw
us out in the Winter months—I know, as
we went through it [& the Siegfried cement dragon-teeth
tank blockage projections I’m sure you’ve seen][7] on our
way into Germany. Ask me, when Im home, about
Bitche, dragon’s-teeth, Pirmasens, & the curve of the (road)
street at Gemüden. Have you ever seen a city & an
auto factory (the Mercedes-Benz cars) P-O-W-D-E-R-E-D!
[4]
I know it will be hard (on paper) to define:—
the passports show a decided change from Dr DBW. to
Capt D.B.W, but its OK! OK!—but try, dear. I’m
curious—honest!
Ummm! boy! purrrrr! 2 8 ” !—‘n please
don’t misconstrue that I deplored (in my letter) his
losing baby plumpness, etc.
[Mar 29th’s][8] Outrightly, outside of Saverne was our second
stop. Thus, “sillily,” Saverne was older than Miss Burg.
Outrightly, Sarrebourg first; Saverne (outside) second [(called Dietwieller)];[9]
Göllhein [you’ll never find it except on a minutiae map][10] third;
Dieburg fourth; & fifth = _____ . We keep out of
big cities—infact all towns, even—we
go 1, 2, 3 miles from a town——you can see
them from our tents but that is all. It would
be unwise, unpleasant, “unpleasant,” & dumb to
set up right in a German town.
I understand & agree, dearest, about not
shooting up all our precious film at a “new-baby-
wive’s-rate-of-every-2-weeks”.
Re: Ben Jones—Em, in this particular
War no Loved Ones should become “finalistic” for
years—ESPECIALLY RE: A FELLOW IN (OR GOING) TO
CBI[11] ! ! ! It might take me [them][12] years to get
away, but I’d [we’d][13] get away ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Tell the Jones’ I know of many “dead” prison cases
that got away from these rotten, dastardly, bastardly
stinkin’ Krauts[14]—even though the fellows
wished they had died. Isn’t it terrible?!
Geee, I gotta hurry to work. (Ill answer the other 3 later)
AML,[15]
Dave
REP:-$25 PTA[16] FOR 2 PAIR SUMMER SHOES IS YOURS, DEAREST.
[1] Medical abbreviation meaning “without.”
[2] Medical abbreviation meaning “with.”
[3] Bracketed text is part of original.
[4] The name given to lone Japanese (in the Pacific) or German (in Europe) planes that flew over Allied areas to disturb Allied soldiers or dropped bombs or flares to lead Axis ground forces to Allied campgrounds.
[5] Bracketed text is part of original.
[6] Bracketed text is part of original.
[7] Bracketed text is part of original.
[8] Bracketed text is part of original.
[9] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.
[10] Bracketed text is part of original.
[11] China Burma India. CBI was the US military designation for this area during the war.
[12] Bracketed text is part of original.
[13] Bracketed text is part of original.
[14] Germans.
[15] All my love.
[16] Personal Transfer Account for sending money back home.