June 21, 1942 - Dear Audrey

Jan Palson

21 Jun 2026 — 4 min read

I don’t think we will be here long enough.

Sounds like the plan to meet yesterday was successful but I don't think he got his glasses. We'll have to see what's up with that. It's now Sunday afternoon. He's on patrol on the beach with every mosquito in the neighborhood. Note, there's was a recent news story from Virginia Beach where tourists were horrified as they watched boats get torpedoed by enemy subs so it's serious. They are on 24 hour alert with no passes but the rumor of more money is hopeful. And now he's spotted a tug boat...

Original Letter

Transcript follows.

Transcript - June 21, 1942

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

Dear Audrey,

I’m writing you this letter sitting on the rocks during my afternoon stretch. The tide is in and so I’m on the side of the cliff and am writing on a magazine. It’s pretty here and I suppose I should be glad I can be out here, but I feel lonely. I miss you and if you could only be here with me, it would be perfect. (time out so I can slap a mosquito. Are they thick and hungry! I can’t write more than five words before one lights on me and I have to chase him away.) I’m watching a tug off the shore and he is getting closer than he should. I guess he has business on the point where they are building something for the govt., but even if he didn’t have any business there I don’t know what I would do. I couldn’t shoot at him. If the guys on the tug love their wives as much as I do they deserve to live until 100. On the other hand they probably haven’t got as nice a wife as I have. My wife is beautiful and sweet and so soft. I don’t know yet whether you got home all right or whether Vicky did either. The sea gulls are swimming around down below and the water really looks inviting. If you were here and had your new bathing suit we would go in. it is nice and calm.

Here is one of the mosquitos that have been doing a job on me.

This morning I slept thru the breakfast and so I was real hungry this noon. I haven’t been to breakfast since Thurs. now, I don’t get up until 9:45 so it is not so bad. They tell me we should get more money for this special duty we are doing, but I don’t think we will. I don’t think we will be here long enough.

It wouldn’t surprise me if we were out of here this week. If that happens I won’t meet Brownie over at the race track a week from this Thurs. which will be just as well. I’ll lose all my money. They are unloading the tug now and so it is all right. Nothing happens around here. The care taker has been draining the pool and cleaning yesterday and today and now he has started filling it. It has been quite an operation. They must have a powerful pump to pump the sea water way up here. I haven’t seen anyone swimming here as yet and so I figure it a waste of time. They tell me we are on special duty and so that makes our passes very indefinite. If we are to get any it will have to be from Btry G because we are doing duty with them and they don’t know anything about passes for us. They also tell us that special duty men receive more money and I don’t believe that either. Speaking of money, there is no need of your sending $25.00 to the bank on payday. If I don’t get the extra money this month, I’ll get it (no more green ink over here) next month and either way we will get it. We will get by this month with not much to spare, but from then on it should be easy going. You should leave a little money to ride on from one pay day to the next and if you send $20.00, you can have another five. Then if you get a new job we will have too much money. In that case I’ll quit my job and loaf for a couple of years. We had a nice weekend, didn’t we? You treated me too nice and I love you more than ever. I’d been looking forward to your coming up and if you hadn’t come I would have been very disappointed. I love you very much sweet and think of you all the time out there at night on those rocks.

All my love,

Your husband