August 6, 1942 - Dear Butch

Jan Palson

06 Aug 2026 — 6 min read

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

Send me a little money when you get some.

Mom's just a big bully - lol. Poor Dad :| This letter might be quite boring if the only news is the scab on your head fell off. He is back to looking like Sterling Hayden - "The Most Beautiful Man in the Movies" per the studio. So that tracks. Apparently there's a big inspection tomorrow so lots of prep. I feel bad for the A.W.O.L. guy. I feel bad for the Army cooks too. Dad has 2-bits to share. If you're wondering, Brant Rock is outside of Marshfield - that is SE of Boston.

Original Letter

Transcript follows.

Transcript - August 6, 1942

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

Dear Butch:

This letter I will write in pieces. A little now and a little later. No letter from my little “blister” this morning. Oh. I hate you. If you can’t write me you don’t have to come and see me anymore, so there. (I guess that sounds like you) you are very inconsiderate and only think of yourself. You’re a big bully to treat me like this. (Shall I write the entire letter on this theme or shall I say something else. Nothing interesting has happened since yesterday so I’m trying to think of something to say) The scab on the top of my head has fallen off and so I guess I don’t look quite as bad now. From now on I’ll have to get up a little early because I’ll have to start combing my hair again. Don’t worry sweet, in a couple of days I’ll be back looking my old self. Just like Sterling Hayden. Don’t you think so or don’t you? I was going to say Ronald Coleman but his ears don’t stick out enough. I got a letter from Laura and she said she was writing you a note. She says Mom has gone down to Brant Rock with the kids. With Jean gone and maybe June she must be all alone at home. Here we are back again. Where did I leave off?

Oh yes! Laura also says one of the fellows I used to work with on the tree work got hit on the head with a piece of pipe while working in the shipyard. These tree skimmers are lost when they get out of a tree. He is in pretty tough shape. She mentioned four or five different injuries so it could not have been any little tap such as I got. I started to write before night chow but I was so mad I decided I better not. They kept us out on the parade field preparing for a inspection tomorrow with these heavy packs on for a good two hours. What stupidity and what confusion. If this happened today, tomorrow will be a nightmare. Well as usual if you know you have to do something you will always find some way to do it. I like to feel that I am equal to any situation that might arise. What a guy you married. He likes to blow his own horn too much. One of the fellows I’ve known pretty well since I entered this (words fail me here) came back this morning from six days of being A.W.O.L. and they slapped him in the guard house. He is a nice fellow and was to be married in a couple of weeks. They were going to give him six days off to be married in but he has lost that now. I can’t think of what caused him to go over the fence like that unless he just got fed up and decided he had enough. I suppose some can thrive on this life and others can’t stand it. I just exist on it. I need you more than I ever thought possible.

If I could only see you at night or a little bit each day, it wouldn’t be so bad. And with the future promising everything but a nice peaceful life with your wife, it makes matters worse. I think we can look forward to a nice day around Labor Day. My pass should come on or around Aug 30 so with your three-day vacation we could almost see so much of each other that we might get sick of each other. At least I would get sick of you. I wouldn’t be used to you and probably by the second day I’ll want a different “babe”. Change of scenery. I am only kidding you darling. There is not another girl around that can compare with you. You are so soft and sweet. I love you. I got a letter from Tony and he was telling me how lucky I am to be able to see my gal so often. It is not often enough for me but I guess I am lucky. He never thought he would go so long without seeing his girl. The poor boy is feeling worse than I. I think the food we are getting lately is terrible. Food is food to me. Usually I can eat what the others complain of, but lately the pigs have been getting more than their share. I like stew but not Army stew. They are ruining my digestion. From what I hear there is a serious meat shortage here in Boston and so must be affecting the Army.

It is impossible to get hamburger. (this is the spot for me to put in my two-bits. The capitalistic meat mongers are holding the meat shipments back so as to raise the prices even higher which means greater profits and more money for their already bulging pockets. I don’t know nothing about it so as I said it is only a two-bit stab in the dark) The meat shortage has nothing to do with the quality of the food so it is the cooks. Well I have written enough so…… Send me a little money when you get some. I have eleven cents and the penny I am saving for your bank (or the baby's) I can’t go anywhere without any money much less get to E. Hartford.

With all my love

Leonard

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