July 15, 1942 - Dear Audrey
I shall proceed now to bawl you out.
I don't know if that's gold bricking. Maybe lollygagging. He gets a pass this weekend but he will go ahead and wag a finger in this letter. Guess that means his jaw is improving. I wish I knew what new job Mom got. It's my understanding she's at Pratt & Whitney located in Hartford Connecticut. They are the number one producer of aircraft engines so critical to the war effort. And the type of company that would probably push their employees to join the 10% Club. I think it's her obligation, as he puts it, since it's through her employer. P&W are still around and I have not yet reached out to them. It's on my to-do list. I hope you can follow all the maths - I "ain't" getting it, lol. And there's the whistle.
Original Letter
Transcript follows.
Transcript - July 15, 1942
Bat H - 9th C.A., Fort Ruckman
Dear Audrey:
As usual I’m goldbricking. I came off duty at twelve last night and so I was allowed to sleep over this morning. All guards on at night can sleep through revile but are suppose to get up around eight o’clock. I just stayed in bed. No one comes through this barrack and so no one noticed me. I was supposed to go to work at nine. The h-ll with it. It is practically noon now and I have done nothing. I didn’t even do my washing. When the mail came in I got two letters from you and that has made me feel good. Two pictures! Where are the rest? I got a letter you wrote Tues. so now I won’t get any tomorrow. Nothing to look forward to until Friday. I got all the rest of the pictures out and I’m sitting on my bunk gazing at you. Then I read in your letters how much you love me and I get restless.
I want to be near you and love you. I wouldn’t mind the dark if you were with me. I could live forever in the dark if you were only with me. I love you very much darling. How I am going to endure three years in this Army, I don’t know. The thought of being away from you so long is terrible. I miss you honey, you know that don’t you. My pass is coming up Sunday nite and if I get to feeling any worse I shall take off Sat night for East Hartford. I’ve had this in mind for a couple of days and it is a good idea. Maybe I can arrange. Remember how I said after you are in the Army a while you learn a few of the tricks. I won’t do anything foolish so don’t worry. Now so much for that. I shall proceed now to bawl you out. What is the idea of letting the family finances get so low? No need for that. I thought you weren’t going to depend too much on what I get this month. The last time we talked of that you were all set. You had things under control and now you are depending on me. Don’t do things or buy stuff you can’t afford.
I really don’t mean that because you have been doing a good job, but I thought you had something left over. As it is I found out that they are going to deduct $44.00 from my pay this month. Which means they will pay me $79.00 ($29.00 was owed me from June) and so that will leave me $35.00 so you can figure accordingly. You can have about $30.00. Of course I am not sure on any of this. I am drawing my own conclusions. The way everything else is changed around here the worse they could do would not surprise me. This 10% Club you have joined (I don’t have any objections and it is a good idea) will increase your monthly liability about $12. or $13 which means you will have to meet about $80 every month. That is a terrific load and I can help admiring you for tackling it without a murmur of protest.
I know a lot of fellows who would throw up their hands in despair at the mere thought of such payments. Your new job will make it a little easier but it is an awful headache. And another thing if I want to use “ain’t” in my letters I will so mind your own business. And if I want to start a sentence with “And” I will, so there. I guess that should hold you. Your authority! Where do you get that stuff? You know who is the boss. If I was down there you know you wouldn’t have your pants. If you had not already removed them for me. I should slip them off just as slick as goose grease. So now you know where your authority is. In your pants and you can’t keep them on. My jaw is much improved today. Although I can’t eat anything rough or substantial, I can eat much better. It doesn’t bleed and the swelling is reduced so it looks as if the patient will recover. This is the third letter I’ve written since I had it removed and I had to mention something about it in each one.
I washed the pillow case (in cold water) yesterday and after last night I shall have to wash it again today. The trouble I have eating is that the muscles in the jaw bone haven’t, I guess you can call it relaxed enough. The teeth won’t open for me. I’m getting fat anyway. If I had kept on I would soon be weighing 150 and that is too much. Well there is the whistle and I think I have to go to work this afternoon. I love you darling with all my heart.
All my love
Leonard
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