Oct. 8, 1942 - Dear Audrey
We are having fun now – life is fun.
Oh, did something happen on the 7th that Dad should remember? He teases her so. They were married on March 7th so yesterday was their 7 month anniversary. He's stuck with his swan song, feeling low and stuck with kitchen duty. I cannot imagine how cold the Atlantic ocean is up there by Nahant but apparently one guy enjoys it. Shocking. Not worthy of shooting but as a sharpshooter, he could. Who knew the difference new G.D. washboards would make on tattle-tale gray. We're all waiting to hear the results of Mom's exam for her "condition". And we will now do battle with the word "trailor".
Original Letter
Transcript
For some context, War Updates follow the transcript. It includes the front pages of The Daily Evening Item from Lynn, Massachusetts (local to Fort Ruckman) and Mom's local Connecticut paper the Hartford Courant for additional news, plus the Women's Page so you're up on the latest recipes and styles, especially hats!
October 8, 1942
Bat H - 9th C.A., Fort Ruckman
Dear Audrey:
I think my swan song will be “Just Remember Fort Ruckman”. Who is this guy ‘Morale’? I feel so low that if he walked by, I could bite his shins without bending over. I need my little honey. Yesterday when I found those three sand dollars with those two old ladies, I thought of it as a good omen. I don’t know why, just a feeling I guess but I always look for good luck signs on the 7th. It’s my lucky number although I like to get you mad by pretending to be ignorant of that date. If today is any gage of what the future holds for me, I’m sunk. An invitation to a lobster dinner is the best I have done. I have just finished a hard day. I’ve been on the go since 3:30 this morning and tomorrow I start in the kitchen for a week. When we get K.P. now we pull it steady for a whole week. I worked hard this afternoon and I’m going to bed right after finishing this missive. This morning while walking the beach around 6:30 I came upon a fellow in swimming. Don’t let anyone tell you it isn’t cold around here until about nine o’clock.
Well he was out there and actually floating around on his back. What a shock that was for me to see someone like that enjoying something as impossible as that. No one is supposed to enjoy an icy swim on such a nippy morning. It just isn’t done but there he was doing it. I rubbed my eyes to see if I wasn’t dreaming but it was real. For a minute, I considered shooting him and putting him out of his misery. I even passed by without saying anything because anyone who could luxuriate in such impossibilities wasn’t fit for me to associate with. Oh yes I forgot to tell you I’m a pretty good shot too. They finally got me out on the shooting range last Tuesday and I banged away with my musty musket. I hit a score of 121 which is fair. I don’t know whether that makes me a sharpshooter or marksman. I think a score of 135 or more makes you a marksman so I guess I am a sharpshooter, but it makes little difference either way because I am no better off than the fellow who hit “9”. He must have been blind. It is just a personal achievement. That rifle kicks so it made my shoulder sore. All I need now is to learn how to throw a knife and I won’t be afraid of any woman, except you. I am waiting to hear the results of your examination.
You did go to the clinic or whatever it is you go to, didn’t you? I haven’t written to Amelia as yet, in fact, I have all I can do to write to you. It is only when I get to worrying too much about you that I lose my confidence and have any doubts as to the trailor. However, the trailor is the solution to our problem and we shall get one. With our love for each other we can out last anything. When this is over, we will still be in there pitching. We are a couple of naturals – born to team up together. When this is over we will be together for keeps – till death do we part. We are having fun now – life is fun. Remember how we talked last Friday night at the Band (not sure I transcribed this word correctly). I never expected such philosophy to come out of me tonight but I do feel we will make out all right somehow. Maybe it is the good luck omen I was talking about earlier but if it is it is a day late and I don’t like that. Woops!! I almost forgot something else. I managed to sandwich my washing in today and quite a washing it was. A whole week’s accumulation. We have some new G.D. scrub boards up in the latrine and so I used one of them today.
They make it a little easier and I honestly think the shirts look a little cleaner. (Thank heavens the fellows won’t be able to whisper about my tattle-tale gray this wash day). Except I took the skin off of three knuckles and that is no fun. I’m getting to be such an old hand at this that now I stop and pass the time of day with a couple of the boys to see if it will turn out to be a good day to wash. Woo!! What training I’m getting. I’m almost a Junior Commando already. All I need is three more box tops from “Whiffo” the sensational new toilet paper. “It shines as it cleans”. Well, let’s not go any further into that. Personally, a sears-Roebuck catalogue is good —— I said forget it. See what you got me into. Don’t ever change the subject like that again. I’ll close now while I still have the upper hand. One more day gone brings me one day closer to you. You can have all of my love because I save it just for you and only you. All my love is for you. So take it – here it is…
Love
Leonard
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War Updates
The Lynn Daily Evening Item
Stores used to close at night but since men have been drafted and women are working now, stores have started staying open later to accommodate shoppers. The crackdown on liquor continues and if you drive to something like the race track - you're going to lose your gas rations.
Meanwhile in Hartford...
Pretty impressive scrap metal collections. Gas rationing is serious business. And fashion is planned for the war time homemakers school. And the war rages on.
The Women's Page for Mom
This is the best Dorothy Dix ever - and it wasn't written by Dorothy at all. What do you think?
Next letter Sunday, October 9, 1942
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