June 9, 1942 - Dear Adre

Jan Palson

09 Jun 2026 — 3 min read

We are only living for the future.

It's been 3 months and 2 days of married life to be exact. And the love grows every day. There's got to be a lot of "Glamour" type magazines out in 1942 featuring love quizzes and advice columns and maybe something called "how to write to a soldier". Spoiler: head cold or not, he's getting a pass and getting down to East Hartford. That's why there's no letter tomorrow.

Original Letter

Transcript follows.

Transcript - June 9, 1942

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

Dear Adre,

It seems that we have been married longer than three months. I don’t exactly feel like an old married man, but it seems a long way back to Hereford St. Maybe it is because it hurts to look back at the nice time we had there. We are only living for the future. Every day that goes by I just stick away in the past and look to tomorrow. Every tomorrow that becomes yesterday brings me a little closer to you. When that time comes we are going to be together always. Nothing is going to come between us after this. We will see if it is true that two people can become tired of each other. I know this will never happen to us because we love each other too much. You say life is becoming unbearable down there and that is the way it seems up here. But we can’t let this thing get us down. It is easy to say “keep your chin up” but much harder to do that. We must get along. I’ll have to recover that sense of humor I’m supposed to have. Maybe I can comb my hair different so as to look like Gary Cooper. I’ve had a bad head cold for 4 or 5 days now and that does not improve my disposition. All that damp weather we had a little while ago did it. This sinus trouble is bad. I want to know, very much, if you are happy down there, but then if you tell me you aren’t, I feel very badly.

I really don’t mean happy but satisfied. I want to know how you feel even if it is bad news. I love you, darling, and think of you so much. Don’t pay any attention to what these magazine writers say. What the deuce does some 5-cent magazine writer know about what I want to see in my wife’s letters? It is none of his business in the first place and I doubt also if he ever got close to a soldier. He should be able to find something else to write about. He is probably narrow minded. How long have you known the guy? I suppose you have had in over to the trailer for supper. A fine thing getting some magazine writer to write your letters to you husband. I’ll break the guy in 5 pieces if I get my hands on him. Say, is there really such a guy? That is pretty convincing. I’ve almost got myself believing it. When I get my $29.00 raise I’ll fly home and catch him. It looks as if I’m going to make a little better than $1.50 a day. Now, did you marry me for my money? It will be a couple of months before we get all that money probably. Well darling, I’ll close now because it is time to fall out. I love you sweet and your letters are wonderful.

All my love

Leonard

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx