Hq & Hq Sq
7 February 1945
Dear Mom and Dad, and all,
I realize that these letters are becoming somewhat
stereotyped in their beginning, which is usually a resume of the mail situation.
However, I assume that you are interested in what mail and packages get
here and when, and the beginning of a letter is as good a place as anywhere
else to give the facts. Today I received a box of Fanny Farmer's
mailed in your name Gerry, on Oct. 11, and a V-Mail from you, Mom, written
on January 21, a few days ago. I received Gerry's letter of Dec.
31, written on the Christmas gift stationery; it was very interesting.
Along with it were some Christmas cards, including one from the Rosses
with one of Maime's funny notes appended to it. Saturday I received
a can full of gumdrop cookies and a date-nut cake from Art and Mary; unfortunately,
the cake was a total loss, for around each nut was a ring of mould which,
expanding, had ruined the entire cake; not a single bite could be salvaged.
The cookies, however, were delicious.
Love, Bug
ASC. USSTAF (Rear)
APO 633, c/o Postmaster,
New York, N.Y.
Now I must take time out while I have some
green tea which WAC Weber has just prepared for us, perhaps we'll have
a bit of toast to go with it.
You've probably noticed a little irregularity
in the typing of this letter. I assure you that it is due, not to
my poor technique, but rather to the accursed machine I'm using, which
has the annoying habit of jumping a space now and again. However,
except for that it's a fairly good machine, though eons old, and I really
have no complaint, as decent typewriters are very difficult to come by
over here, at least in this headquarters.
Did I tell you before that I received a letter
from Bob a few days ago? It was written the day before Christmas,
so I don't know yet where he is. However, I thought it quite possible
that he would have gone to Saipan, as I know [...censored...].
From your letter I gather that it must be, instead, Tinian, that
he has gone to. By the way, Weber's brother took part in the assualt
which captured Saipan from the Japs and wrote a very interesting letter
telling of some of his battle experiences. Now that we have recovered
a sizeable portion of the Phillipines, perhaps Thatch will move up there
when large-scale air operations against Japan begin. I doubt we will
ever be able to operate against Japan on the scale that we have against
Germany, but in any case, we'll need all the bases we can build in the
Phillipines.
I must see if I can get a copy of that "Atlantic"
you spoke of, the one with the mention of Dr. Hopper in it. One of
the London newspapers has a collection of American magazines, so perhaps
I can locate it there. I feel rejected that no mention was made of
his illustrious
assistants.
It has been a long time since I've heard anything
about Uncle Charlie. How is he getting along? It seems to me
that he must be well up in the eighties now; at any rate, he ought to be
safe from the draft board for awhile.
Faber's wedding was held last Sunday, and several
of the fellows over here attended, including yours truly. It was
a nice affair. We were served a very nice lunch--cold ham, chicken,
vegetable salad, dessert. We took up a collection in HQ, and presented
the principals with about fifty dollars, or twelve pounds ten in what is
more familiar currency.
I don't particularly regret not having gone
to France before, as conditions over there are not particularly good for
doing the things that I would want to do over there. However, I haven't
given up the idea, and fully expect to get over there in the not too distant
future, probably sometime this spring when the weather has warmed up a
good deal. You have probably read in the papers something of the fuel and
food situation in France, so can see that it would be advisable to wait
until things become somewhat improved. The fellows who have seen Paris
are enthusiastic about it.
In the nice office that we now occupy, flowers
are not out of place, and Mac and Weber have been providing some, though
why they pay the outrageous prices that are being asked for them is beyond
me. In a few weeks, when the weather begins to warm up, they'll be
very cheap and you can get loads ot them for a few shillings. Now,
however, you have to mortgage the farm for just a few. On my desk
is a small bunch of lilies of the valley, while on the mantel of the sealed-up
fireplace are a few crimson tulips, and atop a bookcase, a bunch of anemones.
They do make the place look nice.
With that, I'll conclude the epistle for tonight
and say, Goodnight.