July 11, 1942 - Dear Audrey

Jan Palson

11 Jul 2026 — 5 min read

Fort Ruckman 1940s - Nahant, Massachusetts (Credit: Capt. Gerald Butler)

I should have had a masterpiece worked out.

Kangaroo! Not sure why his barracks has so few "fellows". It's funny how he mentions sharing his masterpiece through generations and here I am sharing with generations. And yes, she was the only one who laughed at his jokes. Just leave the stuffy old Packard alone. Note - who needs gas when your tires are bad - sad lol.

Original Letter

Transcript follows.

Transcript - July 11, 1942

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

Dear Audrey:

Well I don’t just know what to talk about tonite. I’ve been on guard today and so I have had plenty of time to think of what to write but as usual my mind is a blank. Maybe that is a good sign. Maybe I can keep the letter in a more sensible train of thought. It is when I think I am having those so-called brain storms that I write those screwy letters. Saturday has been a exceptionally quiet day and for a change. I’m not tired as a kangaroo (I suppose you didn’t know a kangaroo could get tired. Well neither did I so don’t feel too bad about it). Anyway, I’m not very tired tonite. It rained all this morning and so we didn’t do anything.

There are only about seven fellows in my barracks and so we have quite a racket. Where there are 25 – 30 in the other barracks. They are apt to forget about us and that is what happened this morning. They forgot to wake us up and so we slept until seven which is as rare as a ten-day furlough for me. Someone has to rave about it but we don’t catch h-ll because it is not our fault. I’m sick of being a chump and so I’m quite as conscientious as I used to be. If those five babes show up with their car (they have a snappy convertible and not a stuffy old Packard sedan) looking for me, I think I’ll jump the fence and take care of them. I’m only kidding darling. I wouldn’t go out with anyone but you. I can’t picture myself having a good time with anyone but you. You are the only one who would laugh at my jokes and play up to me. You do laugh at my jokes even though they aren’t funny, don’t you? You are very nice.

I pulled guard from four until eight this afternoon and it had stopped raining so I enjoyed the walking along the beach. I have to go on at four o’clock tomorrow morning and then I am through for a while. As I started to say I spent four hours standing around doing nothing and I should have had this letter all planned out. I should have had a masterpiece worked out. And a serious side of course. Purely academic. Maybe along these lines “How to keep from growing old” or “If I had four apples and gave my father six I’d be a god dam fool”. That would be something you could hand down through the generations. Maybe I could write my book using that as a foundation. Would you like that? I had a hunch when I started this letter that if I kept writing I would finish two pages and here I’ve done it.

Nothing but good exciting news too. So you registered for another gasoline ration card. I guess you are right about not needing very much gas because the tires are thin. But if worse comes to worse, I’ll get you some tires somehow. I suppose by this time you either have a good break on that job or you haven’t and so there is no use in my wishing you luck. Because by the time you get my wish your luck would either have been good or bad. I’m thinking of having you give up your job any way and live off my salary. Now that I have such a responsible and influential position and the pay promises to be good. I think my wife should sit at home and enjoy the prestige and honour that is befitting the girl who married me. Ahem!

Maybe pick yourself up a couple of maids. No longer will my wife have to sweat and toil to make the middle meet both ends. I just seen my duty and I done it. Ain’t you proud of me. Of course I won’t let these sudden riches to my head and I likewise will try to (and I like this) prevent them from going to my wife. I shall have figure some way to keep them myself. Do you like that last? I thought as much. Now don’t go getting excited. So you really like my haircut? Well wait until you see it again. I’m going to have the top of my head look as though it needed a shave. Just enough to give me a bristling effect so that I can scare you.

Some thing has to be done about your beating me and I figure if I look bad enough you will be afraid to club me or trip me. That is good phsy cology. I think it up all by myself. Well if I am going on duty later on I’ll have to get some sleep. I had another “brain wave” and so wrote another page. I love you darling very much and no one can ever take your place. I am going to think of you tonite.

All my love,

Leonard

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P.S. we are having turkey for dinner tomorrow.