Tuesday Dec. 28, 1943

Dearest Kitten:

My love for you is getting greater and deeper as the days roll by. How happy I will be when I will be able to take you in my arms and tell you of the great love that I have for you. Were it only possible for me to take you in my arms and lay quietly by your side. How heavenly that would be. Just to be able to touch you, hear you, and smell the sweetness of you, would send my heart into a tail spin.

Oh! well. Instead, I have to be a father to a group of men. They are nothing more than children really. Each with his own little problems, and each presenting a problem in itself. My job is to listen to all that the platoon sergeants allow to see me, and that is by no means a small number.

Life was comparatively simple before I took over the job of 1st Sgt. Now I have to think in terms of a Company of men, instead of a mere handful of men. It is a twenty four hour a day job. In the morning, I arise at 6:00 A.M. and my job is never through. I started this letter at 10:00 P.M. and I am rather tired.

"In the absence of the Company Commander, the First Sergeant shall take charge etc etc" so says the Army regulations. From that angle, you can draw your own conclusions. I never knew just how much trouble a group of men could keep themselves into, especially when the C.O. is away.

A First Sergeant is one of the most heartedly disliked men in the Company, but, he is the first man that the men run to whenever they have troubles or want a favor.

The Company Commander was giving me the works for about a month to see just how I would stack up. He evidently was satisfied.

Well, Beautiful, I must say good night and hope that I may dream of you.

Regards to everyone & kiss the babies for me.

I love you, Darling.

Your Loving, Devoted, and Faithful Husband

Bob       

(xx)

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Saturday, December 25, 1943

Dearest Kitten:

How I miss you tonight. I say tonight because I have been busy all day long. It has been a long day for me. It seemed that everybody was wanting something all day long. A very busy day, all in all.

My heart is aching for you. How I wash that I were home so that I could take you in my arms and tell you of my great love for you.

There is a saying "out of sight out of mind" but it does not apply to us. The one that applies to us is "absence makes the heart grow fonder." Believe me, Sweetheart, you are always with me. Even in my dreams. Such lovely dreams to have.

Never mind though. In a short while we will be together again for keeps, and all of our heart aches and pains will be forgotten, in our new-found happiness of just being together.

When I get home again there will be a lot of loving that we will have to catch up on. Just being near you will give me a certain feeling of contentment and satisfaction.

Sweetheart, from now on my letters will be short and it will be impossible for me to answer your letters. I get a big kick out of all the things that you write about. So please forgive me if I fail to answer all of your questions.

Enclosed you will find a greetings card with the menu and the staff of NonComs. These were at each plate. Also is a card from our old Company Commander who is now Battalion Executive Officer Captain C. W. Ward.

It is late and I must close.

You have all my love and devotion.

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

I love you, Beautiful.

Your Loving, Devoted, and Faithful Husband

Bob             

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

(xx)

Friday Dec. 24, 1943

Dearest Kitten:

How can I express my great feelings toward you on a sheet of cold white paper, when my love for you is so warm?

My feelings are not too bad as I sit down to write this letter as I have been so darn busy. It is all new to me and I am doing my best to work it out properly. The responsibility of every man in the Company is on my shoulders. It is my job to run the Company. You will imagine what it would be like to see that three hundred people were clothed, fed, and quartered. Besides knowing just where they are at all times.

That old feeling of emptiness is creeping upon me again as I think of you. How I love you, Sweetheart. There is nothing in this world that I would rather have, than to be with you now and forever. You are so sweet, tender, beautiful, and desirable, how could I help myself from loving you. My heart is so full of love for you that it would not surprise me if it should burst.

I just happen to think. This letter will probably reach you before yesterday's.

[Due to airmail stamp on it - Dec 23 letter was sent "free" therefore was slower.]

Yesterday's was very short and explained about my new job. Hold onto your bonnet. I am acting First Sergeant. As soon as I can be promoted, I will be. In other words I have the position but not the pay as yet. My base pay will be $138.00 a month.

Night before last our old 1st Sgt. went to town with two other non Coms and they were A.W.O.L. [absent without official leave]. One of the NonComs was in line for the job as well as myself. So being A.W.O.L. it left me as the only logical man for the job. Anyway, that is the way that the Company Commander put it. He left me very little choice in the matter yesterday afternoon when he gave me the job. So here I am, with 11 months' service in the Army and a 1st Sgt. "Speed personified" that is me.

Tonight I am going to midnight Mass and I am going to communion. I will dedicate the mass to you and the babies. There is a lot that has to be taken care of tonight. So I am forced to close this letter.

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year Sweetheart.

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

I love you, Beautiful.

Your Loving, Devoted, and Faithful Husband

Bob

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

(xx)

Thursday Dec. 23, 1943

Dearest Kitten:

Are you sitting down? If you are not, you had better. Your husband has just been given a new job. You will be very surprised when you find out about it.

First I must tell just how much I love. From now on you will wonder a great many times whether I do or not. You will be fortunate to receive a letter a week from me. My new duties are such that all my time will be practically taken up. I will write as often as it is possible for me to from now on, or until they find that I can not handle the job well enough.

My love for you is so great that I will always try to write whenever I can.

Just thinking of you makes me have goose pimples all over. See what you do to me.

The suspense has been long enough - I am the new First Sgt. Acting at present but I will soon have my promotion as soon as it is possible.

Remember, I told you about one of the Officers asking me all kinds of questions. Well it was all leading up to my taking over as First Sgt. It came sooner than what it was supposed to. The old 1st Sgt. was AWOL this morning so they had me take right over.

Sorry that I have to close so soon, but duty calls.

Regards to everyone & kiss the babies for me.

Your Loving, Devoted, and Faithful Husband

Bob

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

(xx)

Wednesday Dec. 22, 1943

Dearest Kitten:

This letter has to be short as I am going to be a very busy man tonight. Among other things that I have to do is to go to Confession. I am planning on going to Communion at a Midnight Mass.

I must tell you how much I love you though. I love you so much that at times I can hardly believe that it is possible. You are so much a part of me that I do not know what I would do without you.

Thanks for the wonderful card. It is a real nice one. I have not seen any that will compare with it as yet.

I was wondering if my card to you would ever get there. It has been eleven days since I mailed it. I am glad that you like it.

Your letter arrived and I know just how you feel about Xmas this year, because I feel the same way. It does not seem no more like Xmas than anything at all. The weather has been nice the past couple of days and it does not seem like winter time at all, least of all the Holiday season.

We are going to have a very good feed Xmas day. It will be turkey with all the fixings, nuts, fruits, and all.

It must have been funny to see Barby all ink. She is getting to be quite a gal. It will not be long now before she will be walking by herself without hanging onto something.

You will probably find a big difference in the way Bobby acts. It must have been bothering him quite a bit.

Well, Sweetheart, I have to close because of all the things that have to be taken care of.

I love you with all my heart & soul and pray only for the day when we will be together again.

Regards to everyone & kiss the babies for me.

Your Loving, Devoted, and Faithful Husband

Bob

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

(xx)