June 1, 1942 - Dear Adre

Jan Palson

01 Jun 2026 — 4 min read

Fort Banks - 1940s - Artist Unknown

I don’t want to lose my head twice.

It's so hard to leave your true love and return to an Army base especially after only a few days. A few days of nothing but REDACTED, REDACTED. Apparently, she drives him up to the highway to catch a ride from Hartford back to Winthrop and Fort Banks and he takes his chances. He's still optimistic about the war. It'll be over. They have plans. Right now it's all about training and firing the big guns. And mystery novels. For her, it's carrying all the weight and managing their lives. Not sure what's up with the g.d. car. Gas rationing and tire shortages can't be easy.

Original Letter

Transcript follows.

Transcript - June 1, 1942

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

Dear Adre,

Do you like that? When you were showing it to me Sunday I thought about calling you that in my next letter to you. I think it is good. Maybe I’ve finally found the right name for you. I’ve tried everything from “Battleship” to the latest which was “Pine Knot”, something reserved for only me. When you left me yesterday I put my hand up to wave good-bye and I almost waved to you to come back. I miss you too much. I think it’s a good thing I am a little optimistic concerning this war because this way I can look forward to being with you sometime. If I believed all the stories that go around as to how long the war will last, I would hold my head in front of the big guns and lose my head. I don’t want to lose my head twice. I’ve already lost it once to you.

I’ll never be sorry we got married and each time I see you makes me feel better and better. You are so soft and nice and you treat me so nice. I’m afraid I made you too tired. I shouldn’t have tried to possess you so much. (maybe that word is not right, but you know what I mean. I don’t want to hurt you). On the hand I got myself all dogged out. With the cold this morning I felt terrible. I went to bed as soon as I got back to camp. I got back around 7:30 and the fellow at the gate didn’t say anything because I was a half an hour late. A Navel Officer gave me a ride right from where you left me into Mass. Ave. in Boston so I was very lucky. I fell asleep and slept part of the way. No whiskey on this trip.

I’ve just come from being paid and I don’t feel any better. I don’t care much for the money except to clear up our debts. That is if my wife can’t be here to help me spend it. It seems funny, but a lot of the fellows are talking about going to tonite and trying to drink some joint dry. They are going under the fence. They are quite enthusiastic, but I don’t share any with them. If they threw the gates wide open I don’t’ think I’d go out. And it’s not because I am tired either. If I can’t take my wife out, I don’t want to go out. Do you remember I used to be such a wild spend thrift? It was nothing for me to take you out and spend $.90 on you. Well I’ll prop myself on my bunk and get out my mystery novels. I’ve read 3 or 4 in the last week or so. We can get quite a few from the post library and so I have been taking advantage of this. I suppose I should read something real instructive instead of the mystery stories, but these are easier.

I’ve got a money order to send to the bank. And I’m mailing it with your letter. All this money going out each month on that g.d. car. It’s a shame you have to carry the whole load. You are so nice and you treat me too good. I love you very much and I think of you always. Once again I’ll say I love you. I’m starting to save all my love for you again. I left it all with you Sunday.

All my love,

Leonard

The Boston Daily Globe

This is the closest paper to Winthrop and Fort Banks so perhaps it's Dad's go-to. There are actually lots of newspapers available but the goal is to provide a sense of what's going on in the world.