Thursday 30 Nov. 1944

Dearest Kitten:

It has been two says since the last time that I wrote and told you how much that I love you. Funny thing, I still do. That’s odd, I wonder why I do? You won’t let me kiss you, make love to you, or even put my arms around you. Could be it is because you are so far away. Hm-m what I could do to you.

Enclosed is a money order for ten dollars, this is what I want you to do. Cash the money order and take five dollars and go down and open a joint savings account at the Union Old Lowell Bank at Kearney Square. Tell them that I am overseas and that I want a joint account. They will give you some papers for me to sign or perhaps they may send the papers themselves. As soon as the account is opened I will have a class E allotment made out to the account. I will have $50.00 a month deposited for us. The reason for a joint account is so either of us can draw on the account. If ever you get into a jam you will be able to draw whatever you need.

With the other five dollars you can buy yourself some bubble gum. In other words buy whatever you want with it.

That is all for tonight so give my regards to everyone & kiss the babies for me. I love you with all my heart, Beautiful.

Your Loving Devoted & Faithful Husband,

Bob

Tuesday 28 Nov. 1944

Dearest Kitten:

This is just another short epistle to let you know that I am still very much in love with you. I always will love you no matter how far away from you I go. Time will not affect my feelings for you either. For more reasons than I have time to enumerate, you are the only gal in the world for me. What more can I say to make it clearer to you of my great love.

Enclosed is a picture of one of my men & myself which was taken about six weeks ago. The man’s name is Buonadonna. He is Italian and is from New York City. He has a little Bambino at home and gets a big kick out of showing me the latest pictures of her. He plays the violin for the Battalion band and is very fond of good music. He has a very cheerful personality and is always laughing.

Sunday I went to see the football game which we lost 18 to 13.It was a good game and I enjoyed it very much despite the heat.

Since Sunday it has rained quite a bit and we are thankful for the relief from the heat. Due to the fact that it is raining right this minute, I am able to sit quietly for a short while and write to you. Did I say quietly?

Later:

In letter 145 I am glad to see that you realize that it is not entirely my fault that your letters do not arrive with the same regularity that they are written.

You wondered if I would return bossy. You never know. I doubt it, but where men are concerned, I have learnt a lot in handling children, because children is all that they are.

Why doesn’t somebody shut Leo up once in awhile. The onlyest thing that he can talk about it buses. I hope that when I return he never gets on my nerves about them. I am rapidly acquiring a habit of shutting people up.

You got something when you wrote, “Darn this war.” But in the paragraph before that sentence, about turning on the radio and off with the lights, you really got something there.

Was glad to hear about Norman getting a furlough & Arthur being O.K. Arthur does not know what he is missing. When Arthur and I return we are going to raise a football team between us. So tell Lorraine so that she will be prepared.

Freddy is a man after all. Give him my best wishes for an easy pregnancy. Tell him if he is very careful his wife will not divorce him before it is over.

I love to hear about the youngsters getting into trouble. At least they are full of life anyway.

Leo Mainvelle? Please write plainer. There is no one I know by that name. Maybe he is one of your secret admirers. From the way your wrote his last name, I could not be sure how it was spelled.

The picture that I told you about did not come out. It was all blurred. I asked my C.O. if I could have a picture taken with his camera and he is willing. Now all I have to do is wait for the sun to shine.

No remarks about where Bobby gets his brains.

See how well I obey you?

Where that bond came from I do not know, as I have not made out an allotment for another as yet. In fact I had been wondering about sending some money to the bank each month instead. I want to open a joint account for us and have the Army make a monthly deposit. Let me know what you think of the idea.

Boy are the mosquitoes terrible around this place. I ran into a very generous one though. The night was dark and sultry. I was completely done in from battling the mosquitoes and from loss of blood. I was completely limp, too weak to call to the medics when along came Percy, the skitter with a delicate ego. Seeing my plight and knowing that I was only good for another hour or so if something was not done immediately. He buzzes off to the Red Cross blood bank and returned with the necessary blood in his body to take care of me. When he got through with the transfusion, I felt like a new man.

In appreciation I have kept him for a pet. I have him chained to the orderly room. Better than a watch dog, he is.

Give my regards to everyone and kiss the babies for me Sweetheart. I love you with all my heart.

Your Loving Devoted & Faithful Husband,

Bob

P.S. Wish they wouldn’t give me so many furloughs.

Saturday 25 Nov. 1944

Dearest Kitten:

I am having a hard time to concentrate on this letter. You see I am writing this at my desk and bordering the paper is snapshots of you and the children. All I have to do is move my eyes ever so slightly and there are pictures of my loved ones.

Do you know how much I love you? How deep is the ocean? How high is the sky? Despite letter #144 I am still head over heels in love with you. Impatient woman, slow down before you blow a gasket. What will you be like when you have to wait two or three months before you hear from me. The Lord help me, you will probably skin me alive in your letters.

It seems that a traveling salesman was very discouraged with his wife as every weekend when he would return home she was filthy, the house was filthy, and the kids were filthy. He decided to kill his wife and upon reading about a man killing his wife with too much sex relations, decided that was the best way to kill her off. All one week he got to bed early, ate raw eggs, oysters and everything to build him up. Upon arriving home that Saturday, he started in on his wife. He even kept her in bed all day Sunday. Monday morning he was half dead but figured that he had made a good start, and given a couple more weekends and a chance to recuperate through the week, he would be making good progress. The following Saturday night he walks into his home all primed for his wife and behold. His wife is all spruced up, the house is immaculate, the children are clean and his wife looks like she did before he married her.

Unable to curb his curiosity longer, he asked her how come all the improvements. And what did she answer but: “You treat me right and I’ll treat you right.”

Was I surprised to read that Bobby helps you with the dishes. It is good training as well as a help to you.

Yep, just keep hoping and use a little patience and our day will come. Maybe sooner than either of us expect.

Sorry to hear about your tooth but that is what you get for giving your husband hell. Bad on you. You should be more patient with your poor henpecked husband.

We are getting to have quite a library. By the time I get home, we sure will have quite a home if you keep it up.

Sweetheart, I am seriously thinking of sending some money to be put into a joint savings account, rather than buying a bond every month. The idea being so that we will have some ready cash upon my return home. Sound O.K. to you?

I must close Sweetheart. This letter has taken me just six (6) hours to compose. Do you wonder why I hate to start a letter. The only way that I can get a little peace is to get out of the Company.

Give my regards to everyone and kiss the babies for me Sweetheart. I love you so much Darling.

Your Loving Devoted & Faithful Husband,

Bob

P.S. Am going to a football game tomorrow.

Wednesday 22 Nov. 1944 - Thanksgiving Eve

Dearest Kitten:

Here it is Thanksgiving eve and I am thinking of the many things that I am thankful for. Having a beautiful wife like you and two darling children. Being fortunate enough to enjoy good health and liberty. Tomorrow a great many people will spend their day in concentration camps or under the yoke of a conquering tyrant. So you see even though I am miles away, I have many things to be thankful for.

We are having turkey tomorrow and I hope that it is good. We are more fortunate than a great many who will be battling the enemy. They will be lucky to even get something to eat.

One of my officers got a glass window from a plane for me. I got it on my desk with about a dozen snapshots and the latest pictures of my family under it. All day long I have been having a hard job to concentrate as I could not help myself from looking down at the pictures. The glass is about two feet long by a foot and a half wide. It is nice and smooth for writing purposes.

Today has been a relief after the hot weather. It has been fairly cool all day and now it is raining out. After the past heat, this is a very welcome relief.

So Bobby was all excited over the snow. He must remember raising heck with his dad in the snow. Remember the day that I was shoveling the walk and he was helping by throwing snowballs at me?

Your certainly have been busy entertaining the past month or so. I am glad that you are lucky enough to have someone visit you to break the monotony.

The name is familiar but I can not place it right now. I should know but it just slips my mind.

Well Sweetheart I have to close. I love you with all of my heart, darling Wife. I exist only for the day when I will return home to you.

Give my regards to everyone and kiss the babies for me.

Your Loving Devoted & Faithful Husband,

Bob

Monday 20 Nov. 1944

Still at Brisbane

Dearest Kitten:

I have neglected you disgracefully and am duly ashamed of myself. Things have been in more or less of an uproar around here and my time has been very much occupied.

Yesterday, I grabbed my supply sgt., Nicholson, and we went to the seashore and enjoyed ourselves. It is the first time that he has been in swimming and he got a wonderful sunburn. We got back to camp at 8:00 in the evening and I had hopes of writing to you but no, my good luck had forsaken me and it was necessary for me to take care of my little chick-a-dees. It seems that they are always hungry and it being one of my sad duties to see that everyone eats, it was too late and I was too tired to write when the mess got straightened out.

For some time to come my mail will not be all that I would like to make it and not the way that you like to receive it. You see that at some future date my APO will eventually change. But there is something that will never change and that is my love for you. There isn’t a day goes by but that I think of you and home with all that the word home implies.

There are times that I get very lonesome but the majority of the time I am too busy to get too lonesome.

Oh there are times when I wonder where and when this separation will end. It seems that the longer I am in the Army the longer it seems before I will get out.

By the way, your husband can now wear a gold bar on his left sleeve, denoting six months overseas. Marvelous isn’t it? I only hope that they do not reach my elbow before I am repatriated to the states. As one 1st Sgt. who sports six of them put it to his company commander, “Sir you will either have to break me or allow me to wear them on the other sleeve.”

There is a drought over here at present. It is quite hot and has not rained for almost a month. The air is full of dust & smoke. The dust is so bad that in three hours time I have to dust off my desk again as it feels gritty to the touch. The smoke is from wood fires - they call them brush fires over here and let them burn as long as it does not endanger buildings. At four this afternoon, I could look directly into the sun with my naked eye. That is from the dust and smoke and is no exaggeration.

The Aussies over here have a habit of always carrying something. I guess they do not feel dressed without a basket, bag, or pack.

If my mail has been delayed it is because the Post Office over here has been changed and it may be some time before they get properly settled. There are a lot of Aussies employed in the Post Office and they take a month of Sundays to get anything done.

Letters #140 -1 & 2 came and also a package from you and Mother. I wrote to Estelle, thanking her for the peppermints that she sent. I tried to make it as funny as possible and I hope that she likes it.

Of course there were some sheilas around at Coolangatta - what-a-name. Sheilas to the left of me, sheilas to the right of me, right in amongst them rode the brave amphibian. Hmm-m was that me? Immodest women - bare legs clean up to their shoulders. Try as I could, I couldn’t get any of them interested in me. Better luck next time. The swimming was good anyhow.

What a couple of scrappers we are going to have with Bobby & Barbara. They must keep you hopping.

I enjoyed reading about Blanche. She looks good in her uniform. They certainly gave her plenty of publicity.

There you go talking about snow when I am dying from the heat. At night I go to bed with my pajamas only. I tuck my mosquito net in nicely around my blankets that I use for a mattress, go on a skitter hunt inside with a flashlight. After killing all the skitters that I can catch, stretch out and go to sleep. We have used our net ever since we came over practically. The mosquitoes go around in dive bomber formation over here. We have already lost one man that way. The last time he was seen was one night he was headed for the latrine. The only thing that we can figure could have happened to him is that he couldn’t hold himself and dropped his pants. That is all these mosquitoes need around here. I suppose that somebody someday will find his dog tags because I can not imagine these mosquitoes leaving even the skeleton. They don’t only take your blood, they take blood, flesh and bone.

Glad to see that you had some company to break the monotony of things.

Sorry but I must close. Regards to everyone and kiss the babies for me. I love you Sweetheart.

Your Loving Devoted & Faithful Husband,

Bob

Tuesday 14 Nov. 1944

Dearest Kitten:

From the letters that I have been getting from you, I take it that my wife is still very ambitious. Painting, sewing, and cleaning, you sure are doing quite a job on our house. Too bad that I am not present so that I can appreciate it. It makes me very happy that you take so much pride in always improving our home. The time will come when we will have our own home.

Do you know that your husband is madly in love with you and can hardly wait for the day when he can take you in his arms again. Funny guy this husband of yours, all he wants is to be sent home. Nobody can blame him, seeing that the most beautiful wife in the world is waiting for him.

You’re so understanding, how could I help but love you. Even though you hate to write letters, every day you manage to write a letter to me, because you know how much I look forward to your letters.

I can imagine how the little girl upstairs must have been with the two indians that we have. Poor kid was probably frightened to death.

By the way, I received a box from Estelle and it was just what I asked for - peppermint patties. She sent me four pound boxes from Pages. The piece that I had was very good. I am only kidding. I passed one box around and got the empty box in return. Have started my second box. They were in very good condition in spite of crossing the equator. Candy from the old country sure tastes good. Funny but I have very little craving for candy. After a meal a peppermint pattie tastes good though.

The wheel barrow is a very nice toy as it helps exercise almost all muscles of the body. I am glad that Bobby likes to play with it. Maybe the youngsters believe in the saying that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. It is partly your own fault for going back to bed and leaving them up. The sin of the apple theft will be on your conscience.

Tell Lorraine D. that taking care of somebody else’s baby is a very poor way of satisfying her motherly instincts. Tell her that any time she wishes that I can take care of the matter and guarantee results.

What back pay is it that Mother got? It was a nice amount to get just before Xmas anyhow.

It is about time that they fixed the ceiling for you. Gosh I will probably go right past the house if there are many more improvements.

One question if I may, you say that you hemtoned the walls. What is hemmtoned? Please spell it.

[Kem-Tone Wall Finish?]

Now for some news of what I did. Late Saturday afternoon I was wilting from the heat so I grabbed my bathing suit and went in town to a swimming pool. I followed the directions that one of my Sgts gave me on how to get there and made it without getting lost. They are called baths over here. Beach bathing is called surfing.

Sunday morning I got up early and went down to the Red Cross. They send out a couple of trucks to the beach each Sunday and a couple more out to a mountain. They have picnic lunches and have a good time. I went to the beach and wore myself out swimming.

Historical Postcard of Ogunquit Beach/Marginal Way

The woman in charge of the outing got talking to me and her uncle goes up to Ogunquit every summer.
We had quite a chat. She got a big kick out of the pictures that I carry of my family.

For lunch we had hot dogs, cheese, tomatoes, celery & soft drinks. I enjoyed myself very much.

Give my regards to everyone and kiss the babies for me. I love you Sweetheart.

Your Loving Devoted & Faithful Husband,

Bob

Friday 10 Nov. 1944

Dearest Kitten:

How’s my favorite wife these days? Sounds as though I had a harem, doesn’t it. I wonder what it would be like to have a wife for every day of the month. I can just picture thirty females battling over the same man. There is only one woman for me though and that is you. I guess it is because I love you so much. I do you know. Without my love for you, I would be a very lost guy. It is something that I can depend on when everything else seems to be going to hell.

Your husband is starting to get into condition. Every day I put on a heavy wool undershirt, work pands & work shoes and go out and do a little running and calisthenics. I am getting too fat & too soft, so I decided to sweat some beer out of me and toughen up a little. I usually start at 10:30 and quit at 11:30. An hour each day should do the trick. Right now my legs are a bit stiff from running though.

As I write this letter, I am dragging on my pipe that I bought on the ship. Hard as I try, I still can not get used to a pipe.

The proper way to paint is with a brush. You’re not supposed to daub it on with your fingers or feet. You must have been a cute looking sight with paint all over you.

It was always my impression that it was men who never grow up, but I guess that women are very little different from men. Did you enjoy your Halloween party?

Neglecting your husband, huh? Letter #135 was supposed to be a long one, and what do I get? Just two pages. Keep on neglecting me like that and I will go home and beat you up. I understand how things are. You have your day all planned and what happens. Something unforeseen comes along and, phit, goes your plans.

So Bobby is trying to learn to swim in the bath tub. He must have been funny looking when he swallowed the water.

It is hard to tell how much longer this war is going to continue. If all hostilities would stop tomorrow it would be twenty four hours too long. The way things look at present, it will be some time yet before we can write finis to this mess.

Hate to hear about anyone like the girl that you were telling me about. A great many times it is not the fault of the person. Circumstances and everything has to be taken into consideration. Without a doubt she is better off.

It made me happy to hear that Bea & Paul’s youngster is walking. I often wondered if he ever would. Let’s hope that the next one does not give her as much trouble as this one did.

Paul has been fortunate to be stationed in N.Y.C. for as long as he has. It is about time that he went over. Mercenary, aren’t I?

Stop worrying about Roland & Marion. It is their life to live as they see fit. Nothing we could do would make any difference to them.

If you keep buying things for the house, I will not recognize my own home when I return. It makes me happy to know that you take pride in keeping our home up to date.

Well Sweetheart I must leave you for now so: Regards to everyone and kiss the babies for me. I love you my Darling Wife.

Your Loving Devoted & Faithful Husband,

Bob

Tuesday 7 Nov. 1944

Dearest Kitten:

It is a marvelous day out and it makes me feel slightly lazy. Spring fever or something I guess. What I feel like doing is to stretch out on a beach in the sun. That would be ideal if you could be with me.

I do not understand how it can be possible for me to love you anymore than I do, but from day to day my love for you is getting bigger. If I stay over here very long I am sure to explode from love of you.

Sunday we went to a baseball game between the Army & Navy. The Engineers furnished a whole team for half of the game and the other half was made up of a team from other units around here. We got the pants trimmed off of us by the Navy. It was mostly due to the fact that they had six major league players in their lineup.

Tell Roland Thurber that they pitched Charlie Wagner - Benny McCoy FstB - Phil Rizzuto SS - Rocco English 3rd B - Don Padgett LF & Dom Dimaggio CF. The Army lost 17-0. The Engineers held them to five runs in the first half of the game. I was like a kid at his first circus and enjoyed the game very much. It was played at the Exhibition Grounds in Brisbane and a goodly crowd was there.

http://blog.nola.com/entertainment/2007/11/new_world_war_ii_museum_exhibi.html

From letter #131 you sure are raising H--- around the house. Getting very ambitious lately, aren’t you? Expecting your husband home? Or maybe it is the milk man. Anyhow I am glad to see that you are keeping my workshops in order.

Yes they are Xmas gifts if you must know so stop being so curious. You will get what is coming to you eventually.

There are some very nice beaches around but due to transportation it is a bit hart to get out to them.

By golly, Arthur & Lorraine certainly have something to be proud of. Their son is a very nice looking youngster. I feel sorry for Arthur that he has never seen his son. He is not the only one that is that way though. There are a great many men in the Army today who have never seen their youngsters.

The youngsters did alright for their birthdays. They should have toys enough to last them for awhile. Too many toys is apt to spoil them though.

Well Sweetheart I must close as I have run out of words.

I told Mother about getting out more and not to center her life around the youngsters. A trip to Hartford will do her a world of good and I kind of hope she gets a job and stays there for awhile.

Darling, I love you with all my heart. Regards to everyone and kiss the babies for me.

Your Loving Devoted & Faithful Husband,

Bob

Sat. 4 Nov. 1944

Dearest Kitten:

This is only a hold over until I can get more time to write to you. I am doing my best to write every other day but there are times that it is impossible to do so. A couple of my men have taken pictures of me and if I can pull a little rank on them I will send you a print of them.

You would get a kick out of seeing me iron my suntans. You see I wear suntans all the time now and I am lucky if they last the day out. Laundry facilities are such that I have one of the men do them for me and then I was ironing them myself. I have gotten so that I can do a good job on them. The only trouble is that we can not get starch. They do not look to bad never the less.

Last night at the theatre they were showing “High Sierra” and I wanted to see it. It never fails to happen, it stated to rain and the power went off. Oh well, I may get to see it some day. The lights were off all over camp so I went to bed early for a change.

I can picture the youngsters during their party. They certainly must have enjoyed themselves. Too bad that I could not be there. I would have loved to be there to watch them. It must have been funny to see them opening their presents.

If Roland wants to have some of the letter published that I sent to him I do not care. My memory is bad and I do not recall exactly what I did write. He must have gotten a boot out of it anyhow.

Well Sweetheart give my regards to all the folks and kiss the babies for me.

Your Loving Devoted & Faithful Husband,

Bob

Thursday 2 Nov. 1944

Dearest Kitten:

As the holidays draw closer, my thoughts are ever wandering back to the hustle and rush of past years and I seem to fail to warm up with the expectations that these future events used to arouse in me. It perhaps is mainly due to the fact that I will be so far from the ones that I desire to be with during these times.

Gosh but I love you Sweetheart. It is a sad fact that I am afflicted with that fatal disease called love. It is fatal because I will have to go through all my life with love in my heart. Funny but I do not mind it a bit. In fact seeing as you are the cause, I like it very much.

From now on please do not send your manuscripts to me. I am not a publisher. Just kidding you about the long letter that you wrote to me. Boy what a pip. Eighteen pages long is a very large letter. Thanks I enjoyed it very much.

Your husband has been busy as a little beaver. Everything seems to happen at once. You know that saying, it never rains but what it pours. Same way in the army. Everything goes along O.K. and then all at once there are a thousand and one things that have to be done.

Getting real ambitious lately aren’t you?

Have you gotten Bobby to wash his own hands and face? He certainly is growing up fast. Remember when I used to give him his exercise on the bathenette. How he used to laugh. And Barby, that little flirt, just like her mother. Gosh but I miss them. I am missing the fun of watching my children grow up. When this is all over, I hope to make up for it though.

You want to take advantage of every day possible. Whenever it is nice out, go out and enjoy the day. Soon it will be too cold for you to go out and stay very long, so at every opportunity enjoy the outdoors.

I hope that we may be able to live in the country after this as it will be better for the youngsters. They will be healthier and better off all around in the country.

Say who is this heel that you lost? Oh pardon me, I see now that it was the heel of your shoe.

Just like her mother, Barby is starting young isn’t she. David had better watch out or he will be henpecked like me.

The next time that you see Charlie, tell him that I had nothing to do with it, even if Tess does want to give a boy my name.

Roger is lucky to be put in the Navy. He will be a lot better off than in the Army with his sight.

I will send another ring for Barby. So do not feel too bad about it.

Was sorry to hear about Paul Couture. From now on you will be hearing more and more about casualties as our men are really in the thick of it now. I would like to write Mrs. Gagnon a letter but I do not have her address. If you can find it for me, please send it.

What do you mean that through Barby you will be living your childhood over again? When did you grow up?

How many times must I tell you not to jump at conclusions. When my mail stops for a while then you can give it a few thoughts, but every time that something happens, stop thinking that I am right in the middle of it.

You are very fortunate that there are a few honest people left in the world. You had better get a new catch on your bracelet as soon as possible.

Well Sweetheart I must close now as duty calls. I love you Beautiful Wife. Regards to everyone and kiss the babies for me.

Your Loving Devoted & Faithful Husband,

Bob