Sept. 24, 1942 - Dear Audrey

Jan Palson

24 Sep 2026 — 6 min read

Scrap metal crafts!! Boston Globe - Newspapers.com

It is a bitter pill to swallow.

This Army life.... he will get all poetic again. Along with updates for the next pass and even the furlough. Don't tell him he's spelling it wrong - he'll figure it out. We now know the letter to Amelia is about buying their trailer. Their own place. A couple of "naturals". I believe Mom and Vicky are currently renting a trailer so they are not committed since hubbies are away. She does deserve to be spoiled we all agree. Keep your fingers crossed for the retreads. Very important considering how much they need to drive up to Natick and Fort Ruckman and back to East Hartford. It'd be a shame to have to store the Packard due to rubber shortages. It just needs a wash and a wax.

Original Letter

Transcript follows.

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!

Research, learn, and support this work. Go to: Newspapers.com

September 24, 1942

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

Dear Audrey:

For the past three days I have been telling that I could have a three-day pass and in the same breath tell you I might not get it. Well rest easy, I’ll get the darn thing or know the reason why and I don’t think there will be any need for blood shed. I was beginning to get all worked up over the confusion and lack of cooperation around here. If there are any more interruptions, I will take care of them with my bayonet. I will do a good clean job – swiftly and silently. Guess what? My fourlough will come around the second week in Oct. at the latest and I will take it. I would much rather it would come later when Vicky might be gone so that we could have more time together but that is impossible. Besides nothing can stop us from having a good time. We are a pair of naturals. Even if it was possible to take the fourlough later I wouldn’t because we can’t be sure of anything up here and I might not be here to take the darn thing when it came up. (That is no reflection on Vicky because is a good scout but you know what I mean). I didn’t mean for you to price a Simonize job. I know what they cost and there is a lot of hard work in one but what I meant was a car wash and a polishing.

There is a difference and I think what I mean should only cost a couple of dollars however you had better let me take care of that. In one of your letters you said something about you were not going to be hard to please but darling I want you to be. I want you to know what you want and stick to it. If you don’t like Amelia and Al’s trailer, don’t forget to say so and we shall continue looking. That is the only way you can keep me on the ball. I want you to have so much and yet I can’t give you anything. You deserve everything, and I can’t give you a thing. Someday, somehow, I’ll make it all up to you. I love you. I love everything about you. The way you smile, the way you jump on me, the way you had your head, the way you dance, and everything. This writing about you drives me crazy. I want to jump the fence and start for East Hartford and the sweetest girl in the world. This Army life with its confinement and restrictions is no good. To coop a fellow up in a place like this after he has lived so differently in outside life is too much to expect of a man. It is a bitter pill to swallow. To expect a man to settle down to a rutted routine, to questionable orders, to suffer disappointments and disillusions and to be insulted is too much. And for what – a rather questionable cause. I think sometimes it is lost amidst a mad scramble to defeat the Axis. I try to imagine what life will be like after this is all over but this is beyond my imagination. I know this though and that is that life won’t be the same and it probably won’t be as good.

We will never enjoy the things we use to and any attempt to hang onto the slightest vestiges of these is foolish. I hope you aren’t asking yourself what has come over this guy all of a sudden. As usual, I’m just raving and will get over it. By tomorrow I’ll be able to see a little sense to this screwy life and its necessities. What do you think of that idea of your coming up the 29^th and my coming over to see you? I’m quite sure it will work. I can get someone to pull my shift and then I can come back here for pay call. (the 29^th is on a Tues.) My shift is twelve to four then and I could take off in the afternoon and have someone to pull my shift later at midnight. The only difficulty is where will you be and how will I get back here Wed. morning. I don’t want you to drive way over here but maybe we could meet in Boston someplace. Well, what do you think? I was afraid we didn’t have a leg to stand on concerning those retreads. We have no real argument. I will see what I can do over here in Nahant. This tire situation is getting bad. We might have to put the car up in storage for the duration. I liked your shoes and bag and I must confess I forgot to tell you so in the first letter when I got back here. If you see an outfit you like and can see your way clear to get, why by all means get it.

I like to see you in new clothes but I don’t like to see you running up a big bill. You are carrying a heavy load now, which is not your fault, and I think you are keeping your head above water very well. So don’t let whatever I say bother you. I like to see you all dressed up. I love you without any clothes on too. Have I said enough? Well whether I have or not, this is the end.

Love

“Freddie”

War Updates

The Lynn Daily Evening Item

Lynn is having another rally to raise money for the war effort. Will it outshine Dorothy Lamour? This one, sponsored by the newspaper will be "mammoth"! And keep collecting tin cans!

Read more about it and support this work: Newspapers.com

Meanwhile in Hartford...

Hartford is contributing to the war effort with a bond show at the beautiful Bushnell Memorial Performing Arts venue. More scrap metal drives and yes, meat is going to be rationed.