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)

Tuesday Dec. 21, 1943

Dearest Kitten:

Xmas is getting nearer and nearer, the closer it comes the more lonesome I get. It will be a rather sad day for me, and no better for you, I know. How I wish that it were otherwise. Let us both hope and pray, that a year from now, it will be entirely different.

As I sit and write my chest is bursting from love of you. There is a lump in my throat that is not caused from eating. In my own way I am trying to tell you how much I love you, and how much that I miss you. Without you, my life would be a tiresome thing. Just knowing that you love me and are waiting for my return is sufficient to keep my going, and to keep me from getting to disgusted. I do not know what I would do if it were not for the love that we share.

I received your letters of Friday and Saturday. Was very sorry to hear that the babies were sick. You sure are having your hands full with them lately.

In your letter of Saturday, you were worried about me being sick. I am fine so stop worrying. The reason for your not receiving mail is due to the fact that I started sending them "free". Once they get started you will receive them regularly.

I wished that I could be home to see how the babies will act when they see the tree. Last year we sure did have fun putting up the tree. There are other years coming Darling, and we will be able to appreciate them more.

It will be nice for Andrew and Estelle to be together over Xmas. I only wish that you could do the same thing. Never mind Sweetheart, our day will come and everything will be perfect for us.

This afternoon we had to have our Service Records checked. They just made sure that the records are for the right man.

There are big doings going on around here. Just what seems to be a secret. I think that there are a couple more Cadries leaving.

My friend St Jean left Monday. He moved to the main Post and is a First Sergeant now. I hated to see him leave as we used to get along very well together.

I expect to be sent out on Cadry. Just when and to where I do not have the faintest idea. As soon as I find out anything definite, I will let you know. Of course there are rumors and opinions flying around. One thing is sure, that is, that something is going on.

I am enjoying myself in the navigation school. The Lt. I have is a poor speaker but he knows his onions. He lets me do the lecturing and handle most of the training. Whenever I get stuck, he straightens me out on it. I am learning a lot as well as teaching it. In that way I should be able to remember it.

Poor Bobby, when he pee's it sure must hurt. I know what it must feel like.

The officers have something in mind for me. Our Executive Officer wanted to know how much education that I had, how long I had been in the Army, and a lot of stuff like that. I sure wouldlike to know what is in store for me.

Well, Beautiful, all I can say now is that "I love you". It comes from the bottom of my heart. I was never so sincere in all my life as when I say "I love you".

Good night Sweetheart. Take care of yourself.

 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)

Sunday Dec. 19, 1943

Dearest Kitten:

I love you with all my heart. The emptiness in my heart can only be filled by your presence. How I wish that it were possible for me to tease you until you got mad and then I would take you in my arms and all that you would feel is your great love for me. All your madness would melt like ice in a warm spring day.

I have just returned from breakfast. We are not having to stand Reveille on Sunday anymore. About this time, if I were home, I would be teasing you as we got ready to go to church. It may not be too long now before I will be able to do just that. We hope & pray.

Now for some news. A cadry is leaving tomorrow morning without me. My friend Sgt. St. Jean is leaving on it but they are not going far. There are some more Cadries to be sent out and I will probably be on one. There is one that is being sent out to form a new outfit, and I hope that I will be on that one. The Cadry that is going tomorrow is forming a company of all old men that are ready for overseas duty. By old, I mean men who have been in the army a long time.

For the next three weeks I am going to be an assistant instructor in navigation. There are nine officers and thirty men who are to do the instructing. Each week for three weeks we take sixty men from a company and put them through the course.

For the past two days it has been so cold that it has frozen ice down here. There is a small pond across the street from us and it has been frozen across the past two days. We feel the cold more down here than if it was zero and we were north. Maybe in a month or two I will be north, let's hope.

You will have to watch Bobby to keep him from putting stuff into the stove. It could cause a lot of trouble if you are not careful.

Do not let your family get you down. The main trouble is that you see them too much. When I return for good, we are going to move to where you will not be able to see them very often. In that way you will not be hurt by them and when they visit us or we visit them, it will be an occasion and not the regular thing to do.

Of course you can not help thinking of me. I am your husband who loves you with all the affection in his body. Sweetheart, it makes me proud to even write that, I am the father of your two beautiful children.

Just keep praying that the telephone call that you are hoping for will soon come through. It will not be for at least a month, and then again you never can tell.

I would have liked to see Barby standing by her bed. She is getting to be quite a girl now. It will be a tough job for you to watch the both of them. They will both be getting into trouble now.

Do you mean to tell me that you are going to start rationing your pieces to me, when I get home? I am only kidding, Sweetheart. It will be a good idea.

As far as I know, I do not have any black mark against me. Please stop worrying about me. I am sure that I am old enough to take care of myself by now.

Sgt. St Jean told me that I may be given a platoon and it would mean another stripe. I am not planning on it though. If I am sent out on Cadry it would probably mean another stripe.

I was glad to hear that Bobby has been taken care of. It is a job that should have been done a long time ago. And thank goodness Barby is all set now.

Last night I received your letter of Wednesday and I knew then that Bobby was OK. Your new pen sure writes lousy.

I can go into town anytime now as the men do not care to go out. There is nothing to do when they do get to town and a lot of men are saving their money for furloughs. Some of the men will not get their furloughs due to the cadries that are going out. If they are on cadry they lose their furlough. I was very fortunate to get mine.

By the time that you receive this letter you will know what I bought. Xmas cards. How did you like yours?

You must have been ambitious to wash and wax the floor. I only wish that I could have been home to help you out.

I am going to go into the main camp to cash the two money orders that I received from your mother and Eva. $2.00 each. I wish they had not done it.

Please send me Pat's and Andrew's address. I can not find Pat's. I thought that I had it entered in my address book but it is not there.

Well, Beautiful, I have to close now. I love you with all my heart. Regards to everyone & kiss the babies for me.

Your Loving, Devoted, & Faithful Husband

Bob

(xx)

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

Thursday Dec. 16, 1943

Dearest Kitten:

Did I ever tell you how much that [you are] really loved? I did? Well never the less I am going to tell you again, and again.

I love you so much that at times it is hard for me to breathe. My love for you fills me up so much that there is not enough room left in my chest to take a breath. It is a wonderful feeling, to love a person as much as I love you, and to know that my love for you is returned by you.

There should be a letter or two waiting for me tonight.

This morning I had to go to the dental clinic. They cleaned my teeth and filled one. My teeth are in perfect order now. The dental clinic is in the main camp and I had to dress in O.D.'s. They got through with me at 10:30 so I decided to gold-brick for the rest of the day. That is the reason that I am at the Service club. About the middle of this afternoon I will start back for my company area.

This was a good day to take off because there were two hikes scheduled for today.

There is something in the wind down here. Last night the furloughs were cancelled. About forty men were all set to leave and then to have that pulled on them is rather rough. They were very disgusted to say the least.

The rumors are flying thick and fast. When something happens, I will let you know. There are always rumors in the Army and I have reached the point where I listen to them and then just wait to see what will happen.

You have noticed by this time that I am all out of airmail stamps. Do not bother to send me any more as it costs too much over the period of a month and you have to be careful of your money.

We signed the payroll yesterday, rather last night. Another partial payment. $50.00 again.

The men and myself are having quite a bitching session. We are talking shop and giving everything a going over.

Day before yesterday the men had a chance to go to the inspector general. Some of his staff were in the area to listen to any bitches that the men might have. There were sixty two men from our company that went over. We are all hoping that it will do some good.

Well, Sweetheart, the men want to go over to the P.X. for something to eat.

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

I love you, my Beautiful Wife, and am always praying that the day is not too far distant when we will be together again for good.

Your Loving, Devoted, Faithful, & Affectionate Husband

Bob