Year: 1944

                                                    Nov. 21, 1944
Hello Folks,                                        England
   I hope a Vmail will serve this time. This is my last form so if I don’t get more it’ll be my last letter for a while. I like to use them once in a while but would hate to use them all the time. If you had a little extra space sometime in any sort of package I’d appreciate a few Vmails. We’re rationed on all sorts of stationary so just plain writing paper would also be useful. I’d like more than anything this thin airmail paper I’ve been using or something similar - envelopes too.
   In the last two days I’ve received letters from you dated Oct 25 and 30. The one between telling of the football game hasn’t arrived. It’s plain to be seen it pays to use air mail instead of regular mail. It takes regular mail 20 to 25 days and air mail 10 to 14. That means at least a week saved.
   You asked about my sweater and wristlets and I think it would be good to have them. Warm things will come in handy but as yet don't get anything we don’t already have. I don't know how soon I will be in need of things like this but if I slow up on my writing you’ll know that something has happened.
   About my radio work which you asked of - I seem still to be classed as a radio operator but I have another job too. I went to a radio operations class yesterday afternoon as I might wind up spending some of my time doing that.
   We took a little hike this afternoon and my feet feel the effects of it. It’s been a good while since I have taken a hike and I sure let my feet soften up. A few more like today and they’ll be  tough though.
   Hope everything is OK back there. Let’s keep praying but not let things get the best of us.
      Lots of love,
       Donald

Letter addressed to his brother Richard

                                                   Saturday Evening
                                                   Nov. 18, 1944
Hello Richard,
   I got your letter today that was written two weeks ago this week and so I feel that this letter should be written to you. It’ll be to the whole family, of course, and as soon as I get the first part written it’ll be just to everyone in general.
   You can guess that the student manager job is why I feel that this should be your letter. I read the part of the letter that Daddy had written first and he mentioned something about it but I didn’t comprehend what he meant. He had been talking about his basketball team and I thought he meant you were managing it. But when I read your part of the letter and finally caught on, it struck me as nothing has struck me before. I don’t know whether it was for joy, because of the surprise, because of the memories or what, but I just couldn’t contain my emotions. I actually broke down and had a little cry over it. I can’t explain why but that’s what happened.
   I had been thinking about you going to college and naturally had been making mental pictures of it. This was a surprise almost to the point of shock. I thought Eulen had the job and this never had entered my head. It looks to me like Treesh is keeping one of his managers pretty close in our neighborhood.
   I can’t say that I am sorry that things have turned out this way. I know that you will enjoy the job and get a whole lot of good from it. There is one thing about it though - it’s not a job that receives a whole lot of credit. Most of you pay will be in personal satisfaction.
   I’m going to feel very disappointed if I don’t hear about you wearing my sweater at least once in a while to games. I’ll think about my bright gold sweater sitting there on the bench and imagine I’m in it. Do as you please, of course, but wear it as often as you have the faintest desire to. I don’t think you’ll wear it out.
   I wished hundreds of times last year that I could get back to see one of the basketball games but that won’t compare with the desire now. Why it would be just about like having my old job again! I’d give several of my months pay checks (if I got checks) just to be back for a game or two. I certainly want to wish you all the success and luck in the world.
   By doing it this way you may be able to stay out of the service just a little while longer and at least you’ll be able to finish high school. Get all the good you can from it. I’ve never been sorry for the energy I’ve put into the last months of high school and almost wish I’d done more.
   I hope that another few months will change the picture of war and maybe just finishing high school will be the time you need. Even if it doesn’t keep you entirely out I trust and pray that your fortunes won’t be too bad when you do get in.
   If by some chance things would change enough that you would be assured of enough time after high school is out to make it profitable, I’d like for you to consider seriously entering college.
   Don’t worry about what I have said in previous letters concerning your going to college. I have only been talking just as the situation appeared to me at that particular moment. I know that all things will work out for the best.
   Well I never expected to say this much about it. I expect I’ll talk a good bit about it before this winter’s over. I sure want to hear about your work. So much for that.
   Oh yes, before I forget, I must have missed the letter that told about the last football game. At least I never heard about it. The Oct 23rd letter told about the Wabash game and in the next letter, Nov 4, football seemed to be a thing of the past. Did you write any letters between those two dates? I think that was the only period in which some of my mail might have been lost.
   Just a little while before that (but I think it must have slipped your mind) I didn’t hear the results of Uncle Floy’s accident. Just in case I don’t get some of the missing letters, you might tell me about Teacher’s Institute, the Halloween doings and anything else that happened along about then. I’d appreciate it. Let me know if all my letters seem to be coming through. I have written at least three letters a week and once in a while more.
   Looking over a few old letters I see that mother mentioned something about the Joe Hartwell coming home but didn’t know all about it then. How did it turn out?
   Now I’ll try to tell you a few things you wanted to know in the last letter. I expect though it’ll turn out to be more comments and things you said than answers. I hope you received my letters describing the country here. Let me know if you didn’t.
   I’m anxious to hear more about how Jim makes out with basketball. He too has all my best wishes. I am glad to be getting good reports on the way the principal job is coming. May things continue to be that way. How did the revival at Lilly Creek turn out?
   You didn’t ask me about the Tribunes but you said something about it and brought it to my mind. Those two I received about a week ago are all I have received. I guess they are supposed to be coming, aren’t they?
   About sending me things - I’ll be glad to get anything you can send. I don’t know exactly how strict the rules are but I believe things must almost be requested before they can be sent. Just in case that’s the situation I’ll try to think a little along this line and let you know about it in the near future.
   Of course I’m thinking about Thanksgiving and I’ve thought of something else I have to be thankful about that I haven’t mentioned before. I’ve been fortunate in getting to stay all this time with my buddies and not having to make new acquaintances.
   Well, I’ve said about all I can think of tonight so I’ll close till tomorrow. Goodnight.

                                            Six PM Sunday Evening
   I see that I wrote enough pages yesterday that I’ll have to write small so I won’t add much weight to the letter.  
   It’s about noon back there and I’d sure give a lot to know what’s going on. Sometimes I can hardly realize that there is so much space between me and home but at another times it seems a long way off. Right now it seems that several years have passed since I was back in Indiana. But I guess thinking about it that way will only make the time seem longer so I better stop.
   I got to go to church again this morning and it certainly did me good. Sunday sure isn’t complete without it. Besides that there is very little I can tell you about the day. I have scarcely budged from the barracks. With the exception of a very short nap I spent the entire afternoon reading. I read about two-thirds of a book between noon and supper time. I started on this immediately after supper so that about takes care of today.
   If I was guessing about what went on or more properly will go on back at home this afternoon, I’d say that Richard and Jim would play some basketball before night. I’ll bet that’s the great thing on both their minds.
   I sure hope you are all well and getting along OK. I’m fine and not figuring on being any other way. God bless you all. 
        Love,
         Donald

                                               Nov. 17, 1944
                                                1:30PM
Hello Family,
   I’m on guard again today so I’ll try to get a letter written between shifts. Last week on whenever it was the guard I was on was only at night but this is from this morning till tomorrow morning. By this time you no doubt know that this means I’ll be on eight hours out of the twenty-four - two on and four off.  I’ve already stood two of my hours and I’ll go on again at four this afternoon.
   I still can’t get used to getting mail only once or at the most twice a week. But maybe it doesn’t bother me quite as bad as it did. I told you about the last letter I got on Tuesday, I believe.
   I was wondering this morning if you’ve heard anything from Duane recently. Has any more news been received about Wendell? The last I heard he was missing in action. I believe that I’ve been in England longer already than either of them were. It seems almost a strange coincidence to that we all came over so close in succession.
   Without any letter to get ideas from I have to think pretty hard to find something I can say. Of course, I think a lot about and wonder how things are coming back there. I even miss just hearing news of what’s going on at school. There’s a little question in my mind that  basketball must be the big thing all about now.
   I hate to think that right now I am due to be home on furlough but that just can’t be helped. It was eight months before I got to be home last time and I expect it’ll be longer than that this time. At least it’s going to be more than six months, I know.
   Whichever one of these letters I write along about this time reaches you nearest Thanksgiving will have to serve as my Thanksgiving greeting. Every one of them carries my best wishes.
   I am getting along OK and, if anything, am better off than I was a little while back. I seem to be getting accustomed to the climate enough that my cold is getting better. Be good and God bless you.
            Love,  
              Donald

This was in the same envelope as the November 21st letter. Since this is Vmail, presumably they were both processed in the US on the same day and mailed together

Hello Folks,                                           Nov. 15, 1944
   Just in case I’m too tired to write tomorrow, I’ll write this little letter tonight. I was very glad to get your letter of Nov. 4 tonight and hear that you have finally started hearing from me. I wonder if the letter you got had been written on the boat or after I got over here.
   I’ve already answered your questions you asked about air mail stamps so I expect they are on the way now. You said something about sending me a can of chili soup and I hardly know what to say. I know that it would be good, especially if I can get it heated. But I expect it would be about like the time you sent a package air mail. It would cost more and take up more space than it would really be worth it. About Richard’s questions concerning the selling of one of the bicycles, it’s a whole lot up to him. If he and Jim don’t feel that they have any more use or desire for both of them, it will be alright to sell one. Of course you will keep the one in the best condition and the best parts off them both. Don’t sell it till you find someone who wants a bicycle bad enough to pay what it’s worth. As long as Jim’s growing up though I think we should hang on to at least one of them. I think that answers all your questions.
   We’ve been doing some pretty hard training and I’m always tired when night comes. I hope that some of these days I’ll feel repaid for this hard work. If it hadn’t been that it will be a week tomorrow since I heard from you I don’t suppose I’d be so quick in answering your letter. I hope that everything is well back there.   Lots of love,  Donald

                                                  Nov. 14, 1944
Dear Folks,
   Yesterday I thought of about a half dozen things that I wanted to tell you so I can see now that I should have written you then. I find it hard to even think now at all. The main thing I believe was that my Tribunes have started arriving. I was really glad to get them even though they were dated the 12th and 13th of October. They were still addressed in the old manner but as I remember they wouldn’t even have had my new address at that time.
   At home you wouldn’t even consider reading a month old paper but here its really a different story. When we are lucky we can get the most important news every few days from the army’s overseas newspaper, “The Stars and Stripes.” If the Tribunes keep coming I shouldn’t lose out altogether on either the headline news or news of local happenings.
   I hardly know what to think about the slowness with which our mail travels. I hate to use Vmail but I think I’ll use it the next letter I write. I haven’t received any of them yet and I just wonder how fast they do travel.
   There’s one phase of being overseas that I haven’t said anything about and I wouldn’t even mention it now if I weren’t in need of talking to someone about it. That is the way the morals of the fellows drop when they feel they are so far from home that no one knows them. It was bad enough back in the States but some few had their wives with them and whatever other influences there were just held them in check a little. It’s just like the bottom had dropped out of everything and things just go wild. I’ve enough determination to continue to do as I have done in the past but it does take courage. I want you to pray for my strength along this line as well as any other.
   I’m pretty tired and since I couldn’t possibly fill another page I’ll sign off. God bless you all.
         Love
          Donald

                                                        Saturday
                                                        Nov 11, 1944
Dear Family,
   There’s a pretty strong chance that I’ll have to spend at least part of tomorrow on duty so I better get a little written to you tonight. I sure do hope that we’ll be able to rest tomorrow but if we can’t, I guess it can be survived.
   As you can see this was written on Armistice Day and I wonder what sort of celebrations were held at home. Since this is Saturday and there was no school, I expect that there may have been fewer programs than usual.
   Just before eleven we marched as an organization up to the town square and witnessed the program they held here. Over here you often hear it called Remembrance Day instead of Armistice Day.
   The program was very simple but it was sincere and impressed me greatly. There is a small monument in the square (which is nothing more than an open place in the center of town more or less like an enlarged street intersection) dedicated to the veterans of the World War. We were lined up along one side of it and the citizens grouped around the other three.
   The program consisted of the singing of two or three hymns, a couple of short speeches by the minister here (or at least that is who I took them to be), and the presentation of wreathes by different organizations which were laid at the base of the monument.
   We were especially impressed  by the feeling with which the wreaths were presented. It was presented by a veteran, a little man who walked with a decided limp. He saluted the monument two or three times in his presentation and he put so much energy into it that you could see his whole body quiver.
   I am pretty tired tonight from putting in a harder day than usual but outside of that I am quite alright. Just to fill up a little space I might tell you a strange little accident that happened to me the other day. When I was on KP I was scrubbing off a meat block and you know that from knives and cleavers cutting into them they can be pretty rough. Well I ran a splinter about a sixteenth of an inch wide clear down the whole length of the nail to the root. Of course it was very painful and as soon as I could I took it  to the medics who cut down into the nail far enough to pull the sliver out. That was a couple of days ago and now I hardly know it happened. About a forth of the nail area was torn loose and is discolored but the rest of it has regained the normal color and I  don’t think I’ll even lose the nail. It’s still tender but there is no pain at all now. I’m very thankful that it turned out as well as it did.
   I don’t think there’ll be services here tomorrow and I’ll certainly be glad when I can start attending regularly again. I’ll sign off now and hope I’ll be able to write more tomorrow.

                                               3:30 Sunday Afternoon
   It gives me great pleasure to tell you that I have been able to spend this day in a fairly usual manner. We have had the day off but the unusual part was that there wasn’t one of our church services to attend. I slept till about eleven o’clock and so got a little rest stored  up. I feel  that I need the extra rest I can get on Sunday mornings now but I hope that sometime I’ll get to the place that I won’t have to sleep half of my Sunday away. In civilian life it is often possible to do part of this on Saturday and Sunday can be used for something else.
   After I finally did get awake, I started reading and since then I’ve finished “Mutiny on the Bounty.” I very seriously doubt if it will always be possible to do as much reading as I’ve done in the last few weeks but I’m taking all possible advantage of it while it lasts.
   I wonder what you are doing today and no doubt you are thinking the same about me. It’ll sure be good to talk to people directly again and know what’s going on at that time instead of two or three weeks previously. I guess Thursday was the last time I got mail so it’ll be good to get some again. I’m trying to get myself to a place that I’ll be glad to get mail but not to expect it too often.
   It’s a cool damp day today and I can’t help from feeling a longing to spend the day at home. Some crisp warm popcorn would certainly go good. Your last few letters have mentioned nice fall days and I hope today is one of that kind instead of like it is here. A Sunday School paper would be a pleasant amusement for me for the rest of the afternoon. 
   If I were back in the States I know that I would be counting the hours till I would be leaving on furlough. Just thinking back over the time as a whole it hardly seems like six months since I was home before. For all the time I spent in the United States I feel bad that I only got to be home once.
   By the time you get this I expect that it will be within a week of Thanksgiving. We certainly have many things to be thankful for so let’s not fail to be thankful. I certainly want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.
            Love,
              Donald

                                                   Nov. 10, 1944
Hello,
   Well I feel pretty happy tonight about the mail situation. In two days I have received two letters. Yesterday I got your letter of Oct 20th and today the 23rd. I also heard today something about a shipment of our mail being sent somewhere else and should be coming in about Sunday. So if you sent any letters between the 17th and 20th they should come then. It might explain part of the week and a half I was without mail.
   I was especially happy to get that letter today because it contained the first news I have had about yourselves in the last couple weeks. The one before that being more in mid week letter. I hope to hear the results of Uncle Floy’s accident in one of the delayed letter or letters.
   You just about guessed it when you said that I was somewhere traveling while you were writing the letter. I can just about imagine how Richard felt about the football game with Wabash. I hope that the Ben Davis game came out better.
   If I had known that things were going to turn out like they did, I expect I would have done as Richard did and got a Senior ring. I thought that it would be only a very short time till I could be getting something else and a High School ring wouldn’t mean anything to me. But I feel that no longer than I have been in the service now, I would have gotten its value from it. There are so very few things that you can keep to remind you just a little of the outside that what you do have are worth a lot. My pen is about the only thing I can think of that I still have that I brought with me. I sure would hate to lose it. I guess that’s the reason why I hated to lose my little pearl handled knife so badly. By the way the knife Uncle Floy gave me last Christmas is just about shot and I wonder how the knife situation looks back there. It’s a wonder I haven’t lost this one and I suppose I would if I had one that was worth anything. I’m not even in need but that’s just something you can remember when you want to tickle me.
   When I got the letter today I was afraid you had spent an extra air mail stamp just to send me a stick or two of gum. Please don’t ever do that. I was glad that it turned out to be clippings instead of gum. But even that isn’t necessary. I would be just as happy to receive clippings by regular mail. Of course unless it’s something that just can’t keep. I was glad to get the poem by Mr. Robinson. The poem was pretty good but I felt that just hearing from him meant as much to me as the poem. I was just a little surprised though that something written by him should be printed in the Observer.
   I believe that this is just about all I intended to say to you so unless more comes to my mind I’ll sign off. I have to think all day so that I’ll have something to write and then naturally I forgot about half of it. I’m doing OK and hope you are the same. Take care of yourselves.
                Love,
                  Donald
  
Sidenote: I’ll bet Grandpa Carver got a great kick out of that pronunciation joke in the Observer if he read it.

                                                            10 PM
   I was out a while ago washing some clothes and taking a shower and thought of something else I want to tell you. I know I have intended to tell you this several times so if I’ve said it before, please excuse me.
   If you read anything about the post-war benefits to the service men you know doubt know that we are supposed to get some help getting an education. But there is supposed to be proof of our education being interrupted.
   I believe that my scholarship from Purdue would be a valuable aid in this so I would like to be sure that it is preserved. If you don’t mind I’d like for it to be put in the safe deposit box at Alex.
   When I was home on furlough I tried to get things like this straightened up. I am pretty sure it is in a frame with my National Honor Card, Magna Cum Laude award, etc. But that’s as near as I can tell you  where it is because things are bound to be moved in six months. Thanks a lot.
            Donald

                                                    Nov 8, 1944
Hello Family,                                       England
   I sure hope that no news is good news. Pretty soon it's going to be to the places where most any news is good news. I still am trying to blame our lack of mail on the fact that things aren’t set up completely as yet. At least I hope that’s the reason.
   I’ll have a little change of work tomorrow even if it isn’t for the best. I’ve got KP so you can about guess how anxiously I am awaiting morning. I’ve not had it for a long while so I guess there’s no need to feel hard about it. It’s not supposed to be as hard here anyway.
   As yet since we’ve been here, I’ve not worked even hard enough to even earn my pay. Maybe doing a day’s work will help my conscience a little. I’ve had more time to read the last few weeks than I did the whole year previously. I’ve already gone through two books and am well into the third. Now I’m making up for a little reading I should have done somewhere back in school by reading “Mutiny on the Bounty”. Let’s keep trusting that all things will work out for the best. 
                Love,
                 Donald