May 15, 1942 - Dear Audrey
Anyway I love you more than I do pool playing.
You just know Mom would rather go to a dance with her husband and no doubt she has friends that are going "sans" husbands or boyfriends as well. I do hope she gets herself something nice. She deserves it. Damn this war. I too wonder how much gas she gets. I hope Dad's day gets better. Spoiler - he does not land in the guard house. He does not get a manicure. He has learned that these inspections are meant to find something - anything - so preparation is everything. Inspection is a game where you might win kitchen duty. I like that he found a way to blame the inspectors' wives. Anyway, it sounds like a good, hot "colored" band makes night chow more fun. Yep, that's how white guys are going to talk in 1942. Sigh.
Attention All Non-Coms: go fry your *#$%@^^
Original Letter
Transcript follows.
The Boston Globe - May 15, 1942
We knew gas would sell out and it did. Plus the threat of ration cards being reviewed caused many who might have embellished their gas requirements to return them for more realistic cards. This is so hard for folks. And it doesn't help that Nelson is forecasting more hardship. He mentioned in a previous letter about maybe flying from Boston to Hartford; well scrap that - the Army is taking over the airlines. Remember the Caravan of Stars in early May? Impressive $600,000 has been raised for the war effort as famous, fancy people continue across the country. In contrast, refugees are escaping Burma for India. The amount of suffering caused by war is staggering.
The Boston Globe - Evening Edition
"There is no Gestapo in the United States". I suppose you can drive wherever you want since you're using the gas rationed to you. Mrs. Hobby does seem charming. She seems to be qualified but they're talking about how she looks and that she "picks nice hats". They would never write a story like that about MacArthur... "George has big brown eyes... Anyway, Mexico is pissed off, as they should be. And now Hitler needs help. War rages on.
Meanwhile in Hartford...
This is more Audrey's POV I think. Dorothy Dix is a problem solver and Dr. Brady answers medical questions. Not sure when "Dinner" turned into "lunch" but it does sound delicious. My horoscope approves of my rose-colored glasses. And if that really says lobsters are 3 for 95 cents at the A&P and it's not chicken, I'm building a time machine tonight. And grab that butter before it's rationed. Who wants to go with me??
Transcript - May 15, 1942
Bat H 9th C.A, Fort Banks
Dear Audrey,
This is one of those hard days in the Army for me. It is terribly hard to say nothing and it’s an awful temptation to tell these non-coms to go fry their …..
That is when I feel as I do to-day. Nothing seems to go right. I’ll get over it all right, but there are a couple of guys just looking for a punch in the nose and today I feel like accommodating them. Of course I won’t, but I can think about it. They would have me in the guard-house so fast it would make my ears ring. It’s a dark foggy day any way and all morning I spent carrying ashes. Oh well as I said before by morning I’ll be feeling different.
They had a colored band over to play at night chow last night and they were pretty good. They stayed and played way after we were thru eating and were really hot. Saturday is getting close and that means inspection. Which means really getting “on the ball”. These inspectors go out of their way to find things wrong with us. They act as if it was the wrong time of the month for their wives and so they come around here and take it out on us.
Of course go to this dance. I want you to go and have a good time. Not only will it break the monotony, but it will help keep your hand in. after two years of being an Army widow and staying in doing your knitting every night, you won’t know how to dance. So you go to the dance and buy yourself something new if you want to. You sure deserve something new.
How about the gasoline? Did you sign up for a ration card? I hope you got more than 3 gallons a weeks. Although it’s not worth the trouble to try and get more if the ration board thinks you only rate the minimum.
For the past week I have been letting my finger nails grow and I let them get pretty long. But I have nothing to cut them with. So I’ve started to peel them and I’ve got one left now. And as soon as I finish this letter I’m going to bite that off.
By the way there is a formal dance here to-nite. If I didn’t have so many things to clean for to-morrow I might go. I might look in though. I’m afraid to have a dirty rifle because they would stick me in the kitchen and I have no desire to spend 2 or 3 days in there.
Whoop, there goes that finger nail. I couldn’t wait. After this coming Monday we start all over again on the passes so I’m going to see you again soon. There is some talk of 3 day passes and I wouldn’t refuse one. Of course it is only so-called “latrine rumors” so far but they have done stranger things than that.
I don’t think you have to worry too much about me going out to fire on the island next month. I’m not going to be in one of those gun crews. I’m not fast enough. Or rather it’s too hard and I have my eye on a better job. Well sweet, I’ll close now and start on that rifle. I skipped nite chow and played pool. Is that all right? I have to keep up on my pool, it might come in handy some day. It’s a highly intellectual game and it is only for a few morons to play it. Anyway I love you more than I do pool playing. I guess that takes care of my responsibility to my wife. What higher compliment could I pay her than that?
Lots of love
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Leonard
Next letter tomorrow, May 16, 1942
Check out our Facebook.
Comments Welcome 😄
Support this work by signing up with my link to Newspapers.com
