Aug. 4, 1942 - My Dear Mrs. M.

Jan Palson

04 Aug 2026 — 4 min read

Big Guns! Casemated 12-inch gun at Fort Ruckman. Source: Wikipedia

It is getting close to noon and so I’m looking for my relief.

He's got a wife he loves more than anything and what sounds like the best guard duty around. He's on Nahant walking the beach. The threat of being sent away looms everyday but in the meantime, he's got it made. They are already planning for 3 days off in September. Is that for Labor Day? They are really looking forward to it and it sounds like Mom will make the drive up. Note that I can't find anything about Jibru (if that is how you spell it) - if you have a different idea for what that is, let me know.

Original Letter

Transcript follows.

Transcript - August 4, 1942

Bat H - 9^th C.A., Fort Ruckman

My Dear Mrs. M.:

How do you like that? You are a old married woman now. You’ve been married five months come this week (Friday). Just think of that. You don’t look married to me. You look prettier and nicer than when I first saw you. You are wonderful and I love you very much. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you. All this is part of last night’s thinking. Walking up and down the beach I can think of a lot of different things. Usually I think of you. How you looked doing some thing or how you acted when I told you something. So this morning I am sitting out on the rocks in front of the hotel where we are suppose to be walking guard. It is a swell morning and a nice cool breeze to go with it. I can look over and see Revere Beach, the GE plant, and open air theatre, and then way over on the right there is the Lynn Gas. It is quite a view. I can see what should be Fort Banks but I’m not sure that it is. I almost fell asleep dreaming of you and that would have been very bad. It is a pretty serious offense to fall asleep while on guard. They shouldn’t work us so hard during the day because it makes it hard to keep on the alert at night.

I didn’t give it much thought when you told me but these three days in Sept. you have off will be nice. Is Vicky thinking of going down where Tony is? I think if she could she should. I’ll expect to see my wife up here. I’m quite sure you can get in to the dances up here. I don’t know whether I should turn you loose on these nice fellows up here. They hardly know what the score is and you are so worldly wise. They would be easy prey for you. Such nice boys too. I should have a pass around then too and so we can have a very nice day together. That is if I am still around here. They are going to send some more fellows out the middle of this month and it will be more than five or ten this time. It is hard to figure out what is due to happen. The ones who are late in getting back to camp and who have their names turned in and those who go A.W.O.L. and those who get in trouble in general are the ones who will be sent off. I don’t think I am in this bunch but I might go anyway. There is no way you can be sure of staying here. I have to improve my behavior from now on. Now that it is too late, I am going to try and get back to camp on time from passes. Isn’t that good of me? Now don’t go worrying about their sending me to Jibru. I’ve been telling you all along I wouldn’t be here for good. It is getting close to noon and so I’m looking for my relief. I didn’t get up for breakfast this morning because I was too tired and so now I’m kind of hungry. The past couple of days the meals have been terrible and so I’m not looking forward to anything special. I’ll close this now and drop it in the mail on the way back. You’ll get it quicker.

Your loving husband,

Leonard

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