October 1944, still.
**I'm using my authoritative power as blog owner and editor, as well as being the one who currently has possession of the letters, to save you all 3 weeks of a one-sided conversation between my soldier and his sweetheart. The fact of the matter is, she spent an extended period of time in the hospital in October of '44, and was unable to write and respond to the letters her soldier boy sent to her until he finally received a reply from her dated October 31st. All of this time that he was writing to her, they both knew his furlough would be soon arriving, and I believe they were planning on being married as soon as he got back to Indiana.
In the interest of my free time, and you're boredom - I am editing and combining the 20 letters that my soldier wrote to his love as well as the correspondence from his mother between October 11 and the 31st.
(From mother)
We got both your letters this a.m. so sorry you hafto have so many worries and I know just how blue you are for I know how I worry when I think of you being sick, but I hope you don't worry to much for you know she is getting good care and will till she's well. We don't plan on heading to the hospital till Sun. unless she does have her operation and wants me to come be with her there thru it if she does I'll go. I think she was just laying in Converse with a quack Dr. and getting no better. This Dr in the hospital will bring her out of it I think.
Well Dear this month will be half over this weekend. I figured your 17 wks would be up about 13 of Nov. What do they do wait till the last minute and tell you when your furlough will be? I'm so glad she will be over her operation and can be around then, and I hope she can go back with you...
(From my soldier to his sweetheart)
October 11, 1944 - ...try to think about our future angel for we are really going to enjoy ourselvs, startin in the day I walk in that door at home. It isn't very long either darling.
Honey, thank god I do believe Sherry is going to leave us alone. She has had plenty of time to answer my letter and she hasn't, so I guess I made it plain enough that I didn't want her.
You know what beautiful? I signed the pay role tonite for the last time in good old Fort Bliss. Don't forget honey, that means you have to take it easy and rest up for I will soon be agrivating you again....
October 13, 1944 - Honey I am so excited I can hardly sit here. I have been shaking hands with Jimmy and crying. I guess I never will grow up. I just couldn't help it though we were always so darn close. This afternoon at 3:30 they called him over to the Battery office and told him to get his duds on that he had a furlough if he wanted it. I helped him pack his things and at 6:30 he crawled on the train headed for Indiana. His grandfather died is what called for all this excitement.
My instructor said I was just the kind of driver the Army needs. He also told me that I should get a transfer into the armored division but I don't know if I would like it or not. I would like to stay on the trucks but I am afraid they will put me in something else, and if they did that then I would be sorry I didn't try to get in the tank corps or something like that.
A couple of guys just came up and looked at my tatoo, one of them said he would like to have one but he was afraid to get it because he would have to carry it the rest of his life. I told him to go ahead and get it for they wasn't very heavy. I am sure glad I got mine. Just your name written across my arm means an awful lot to me, but why shouldn't it? Isn't it my whole life?
I haven't found out for sure if they had to operate or not. I sure hope they didn't. The sooner you get well the better it will suit me. I sure wish I could be with you darling, while you are in the hospital. I'm glad you like the flowers dear, you were suppose to of had them last Sunday by noon. Wasn't there a card with them?
(Yes there was!)
October 15, 1944 - Hello my littel darling, here it is Sunday again. What do you want to do today go to Marion to the show? Basil said I could use the truck today if I wanted it. Oh you want to go to Wabash, huh? OK honey, we'll go to Wabash then, you're the boss. I know what you are thinking by now hon, but I haven't went clear batty yet. No I was just wondering what it would sound like to talk that way on Sunday again. ... you know honey when it comes right down to facts I really have quite a lot to thank Don for. If it hasn't of been for him talking me into coming to Converse and going to work for Basil I would have never met the sweetest girl in the world.
October 17, 1944 - Will scratch you a few lines dear just to let you know I love you more than ever and darling I think of you all the time. I want to be with you so bad honey I don't know what to do. Time will go fast and it will just be a short time till we are together but it is sure going to seem like years.
The truck drivers are going out on the desert again tonite. They sure are catching hell. It will be a littel better for them this time though for they are taking our battery out. I sure hope they have better luck to nite than they did Sunday nite. I'll bet there was at least $25,000 worth of Uncle Samuel's equipment tore up. There sure were a lot of wrecks for some reason. A boy that sleeps just two beds from me is laying in the hospital with a fractured chest and a broken nose. It's no wonder they are having wrecks though for when you drived for three and four days at a time you get pretty sleepy.
Oh darling I love you so much. Darling I would give anything if you could be here but I would give more to be where you are. Kay Kyser will be here tomorrow nite. I don't know for sure if I will go though or not. I would like to see him though and it might be a long time before I get the chance again. This is the first chance I have had in about nineteen years to see him....
**admittedly, I had to Google this one. I could not recall ever hearing the name Kay Kyser prior to this. How have I never heard of him? My musical tastes include, honestly, EVERYTHING...even country...and the Big Band "sound" ranks right up there for me. Anyway - Kay Kyser was a popular band leader in the 1930's and 40's with 11 #1 hits and was also well known for his "Kollege of Musical Knowledge", and he was coming to Ft. Bliss, Texas to entertain the boys!
In the interest of my free time, and you're boredom - I am editing and combining the 20 letters that my soldier wrote to his love as well as the correspondence from his mother between October 11 and the 31st.
(From mother)
We got both your letters this a.m. so sorry you hafto have so many worries and I know just how blue you are for I know how I worry when I think of you being sick, but I hope you don't worry to much for you know she is getting good care and will till she's well. We don't plan on heading to the hospital till Sun. unless she does have her operation and wants me to come be with her there thru it if she does I'll go. I think she was just laying in Converse with a quack Dr. and getting no better. This Dr in the hospital will bring her out of it I think.
Well Dear this month will be half over this weekend. I figured your 17 wks would be up about 13 of Nov. What do they do wait till the last minute and tell you when your furlough will be? I'm so glad she will be over her operation and can be around then, and I hope she can go back with you...
(From my soldier to his sweetheart)
October 11, 1944 - ...try to think about our future angel for we are really going to enjoy ourselvs, startin in the day I walk in that door at home. It isn't very long either darling.
Honey, thank god I do believe Sherry is going to leave us alone. She has had plenty of time to answer my letter and she hasn't, so I guess I made it plain enough that I didn't want her.
You know what beautiful? I signed the pay role tonite for the last time in good old Fort Bliss. Don't forget honey, that means you have to take it easy and rest up for I will soon be agrivating you again....
October 13, 1944 - Honey I am so excited I can hardly sit here. I have been shaking hands with Jimmy and crying. I guess I never will grow up. I just couldn't help it though we were always so darn close. This afternoon at 3:30 they called him over to the Battery office and told him to get his duds on that he had a furlough if he wanted it. I helped him pack his things and at 6:30 he crawled on the train headed for Indiana. His grandfather died is what called for all this excitement.
My instructor said I was just the kind of driver the Army needs. He also told me that I should get a transfer into the armored division but I don't know if I would like it or not. I would like to stay on the trucks but I am afraid they will put me in something else, and if they did that then I would be sorry I didn't try to get in the tank corps or something like that.
A couple of guys just came up and looked at my tatoo, one of them said he would like to have one but he was afraid to get it because he would have to carry it the rest of his life. I told him to go ahead and get it for they wasn't very heavy. I am sure glad I got mine. Just your name written across my arm means an awful lot to me, but why shouldn't it? Isn't it my whole life?
I haven't found out for sure if they had to operate or not. I sure hope they didn't. The sooner you get well the better it will suit me. I sure wish I could be with you darling, while you are in the hospital. I'm glad you like the flowers dear, you were suppose to of had them last Sunday by noon. Wasn't there a card with them?
October 15, 1944 - Hello my littel darling, here it is Sunday again. What do you want to do today go to Marion to the show? Basil said I could use the truck today if I wanted it. Oh you want to go to Wabash, huh? OK honey, we'll go to Wabash then, you're the boss. I know what you are thinking by now hon, but I haven't went clear batty yet. No I was just wondering what it would sound like to talk that way on Sunday again. ... you know honey when it comes right down to facts I really have quite a lot to thank Don for. If it hasn't of been for him talking me into coming to Converse and going to work for Basil I would have never met the sweetest girl in the world.
October 17, 1944 - Will scratch you a few lines dear just to let you know I love you more than ever and darling I think of you all the time. I want to be with you so bad honey I don't know what to do. Time will go fast and it will just be a short time till we are together but it is sure going to seem like years.
The truck drivers are going out on the desert again tonite. They sure are catching hell. It will be a littel better for them this time though for they are taking our battery out. I sure hope they have better luck to nite than they did Sunday nite. I'll bet there was at least $25,000 worth of Uncle Samuel's equipment tore up. There sure were a lot of wrecks for some reason. A boy that sleeps just two beds from me is laying in the hospital with a fractured chest and a broken nose. It's no wonder they are having wrecks though for when you drived for three and four days at a time you get pretty sleepy.
Oh darling I love you so much. Darling I would give anything if you could be here but I would give more to be where you are. Kay Kyser will be here tomorrow nite. I don't know for sure if I will go though or not. I would like to see him though and it might be a long time before I get the chance again. This is the first chance I have had in about nineteen years to see him....
**admittedly, I had to Google this one. I could not recall ever hearing the name Kay Kyser prior to this. How have I never heard of him? My musical tastes include, honestly, EVERYTHING...even country...and the Big Band "sound" ranks right up there for me. Anyway - Kay Kyser was a popular band leader in the 1930's and 40's with 11 #1 hits and was also well known for his "Kollege of Musical Knowledge", and he was coming to Ft. Bliss, Texas to entertain the boys!
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