Oct. 18, 1942 - Dear Audrey

Jan Palson

18 Oct 2026 — 6 min read

Boston Globe - almost everything is scrap - a lot of history is going in the pile. Support me: Newspapers.com

I sure can get sick of this place.

Isn't a surprise pass on a Saturday night supposed to be special? Well, some adventures just don't turn out the way you want. Stick to washing. He's getting good at that. Bernice, his older sister is having another baby. At some point, we'll all call her Aunt Bunny. Fingers crossed for the 3-day pass coming at the end of the month. Combined with a furlough, that's proper time off.

Original Letter

Transcript follows.

Transcript

For some context, War Updates follow the transcript. On Sundays, we get the Hartford Courant for news plus comics!

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October 18, 1942

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

Dear Audrey:

I started to write you last night but I didn’t have anything to say I decided to do something about it. I got dressed and went to Boston and got cocked. Well, it wasn’t exactly like that but I did go to Boston. Last night after chow I was laying on my bunk thinking of you and wondering what to write you about when the sergeant came by and asked me why I wasn’t getting ready to go out on pass. Hell, I said, “I don’t get a pass until the 27^th.” Maybe so, but you have a pass up there now, he said. (shall I continue this dialogue?) A pass on Sat. night was perfect. With Sunday coming up no one would miss and I could go and come without endangering my pass on the 27^th. After being stuck in this place for over two weeks I was properly fed up and so I decided to grab the opportunity. It is not my fault they can’t keep things straight up in the office and if they make a pass out for me I might as well use it. Well this was about 6:30 at night and by 7:30 I was in Scollay Sq. but I pass right thru there and went up to Myrtle St. there was no sense in my lingering there because I only had a dollar and you are the only girl that interests me. I compared all the girls with you and none of them could come close to you. You are the most wonderful girl in the world. But this is getting away from my story. Both Frank and Laura and Brownie and Bernice were home and were glad to see me. Frank had just got paid so he promptly dashed out and bought a case of Pickwick Ale and there were quart bottles too. Well we started drinking but I didn’t have a good time. I didn’t get drunk and I was really trying.

I can’t drink anymore or like I used to, but I did get sick or for five minutes I was sick. I don’t know how to explain it but what should have been a good drinking party for Frank, Brownie, and myself turned out to be a fizzle. It is funny but whenever you have relatives living close together there is trouble. If we go see Aunt Amelia without going to Aunt Bee she feels slighted. If we do the opposite, Amelia is hurt. It’s the same with your folks. I went to Brown’s first and then to Laura’s and then Bernie wanted everyone to come back to their place because of David and of course Laura didn’t say anything but we didn’t have a good time. I guess I am getting my thoughts too involved. Maybe it’s because neither Brown nor I had any money and Frank bought all the beer and chips. Or it’s because you weren’t with me. Or because Frank had to work today and wanted to go to bed early. There is no bad feeling between the two and they are both good scouts and I just imagine things. It is just one of those times when nothing turns out the way you expect. I went out of the gate in a hurry, glad to leave this place behind me and just a night out was enough for me. I sure can get sick of this place. At night all I do is lay on my bunk and write you and then read until the lights go out. That is when they don’t have something for me to do. Laura and Frank have a pretty nice place. It made me wish you were living up here in Boston. I thought you weren’t sure whether Bernice was going to have a baby. It is very noticeable now and she thinks she is going to have twins because she is so large. She thinks because she is so large, so early it must be twins.

She says you wrote her saying something about the baby and I thought you weren’t sure so I was surprised to see her so big or I shouldn’t say big because she isn’t showing very much – just enough. She drank ice water all night. David is a hot rock all right. We went down to the park this morning and he must have fell down five times. We brought his little football with us and I tired Brownie out playing on the common. I threw the ball all over the lot and ran him ragged. A gust of wind would knock him over – him and my old man. Oh yes, I almost forgot to tell you I went out with a dollar and came back with the same one. I bum rides both ways and Frank even furnished me with cigars. How does the suit fit you? I’m waiting to see you in it. In fact, I’m waiting to see you and can hardly wait. I feel like leaping this fence and just stay with you all the time. I could dodge the police. That is what I feel like doing and of course I wouldn’t do it but I do love you so very much and want to be with you so very much. I came back to work camp early and have done my washing. After my week in the kitchen my fatigues were very dirty, and I mean dirty and it was quite a job getting them clean. Then I washed some socks and running pants and so I did quite a wash. Those scrubbing boards are pretty good. I can get the socks fairly clean by scrubbing them. Another thing I was going to ask you was why haven’t you sent me Tony’s address like I asked you? I think I owe him a letter and I lost his address.

I am going to find out if I can have a three-day pass the 27^th. I went up to the office yesterday and asked about it but the 1^st Sergeant didn’t want to give it to me because of my furlough on the 1^st. It was too good a thing. But I talked him into letting me see the Captain and I am going to see tomorrow and I might get it. I’ll use the trailor as an excuse and if I strike him in a good mood, I have a good chance of getting it. Of course everything considered, and I mean that if they find out about this pass I’ve had, they will have a fit and then I’ll be sunk. Anyway, I’ll probably see you the 27^th anyway for twenty-four hours. I hope you can make some sense out of this letter.

All my love

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Leonard