Category: Letters

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
England

Hello Family,
   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

Nov. 7,1944
7 PM

Hello Folks,
   It may not be very good to start  a letter in such a manner but this is uppermost in my mind. My problem concerns the mail situation. It has been a week now since I have received any mail at all and I am getting more anxious every day. It looks to me very much like there must be a bottle neck somewhere between here and home. Likely I’ll get several letters at once one of these days and it may even be tomorrow but you can see how I feel till then. I sure hope the mail going in the other direction is not meeting up with a similar fate 
   Just to be truthful about the matter it is just a little hard for me to get started writing tonight. I guess the main reason is that as yet I haven’t thought of much to tell you. There’s not much more I know to talk about concerning things around here.
   The work we have been doing lately is more of a manual nature than military training and it is very easy work at that. Things have been in a pretty bad mess and we spend a lot of time just straightening up, repairing, etc. It almost seems like we’ve been on a vacation for about a week now.
   I don’t know why but thoughts of home have been running through my mind a good bit for the last couple of days. I wish that I was up to date enough on the news to know what to ask about. It’s sort of hard to write letters getting ideas for a whole week from just one letter.
   Just guessing, I suppose that the weather must be looking like Fall is really here back in Indiana. If you had heavy frosts three weeks ago likely things are pretty brown by now.
   Football is over and I suspect that basketball is either started or very close to starting. I wonder how the prospects look for that this year. If Eulen stuck to his job, I guess he is senior manager this year. I wanted all last year to see a basketball game and of course I want to no less now but I doubt if it’ll be possible this time.
   I’ve been intending for a good while now to ask what Richard is intending to do the last part of this school term. I have wished often enough that I had got a little college work that I wonder how he feels about it now. I wonder how much time he could get in before he would be drafted. I still am anxious to go back to school and if I had got started in college I expect that I would have been just that much more eager.
   I also wonder what consideration Richard has given the different services. No bigger kick than I have got out of the army, I just wonder if he has thought of the navy. If he didn’t like it I’d hate to think I’d influenced his decision but I believe it’s worth thinking over. Don’t think I’m trying to rub it in or anything else. I just want to let you know how I feel about the matter.
   Likely I won’t think of anything else and I’ve got just enough paper to quit on. I’m getting along OK. God take care of you. 
       Love,
        Donald

Nov 3,1944

Hello Family, 
   We finally have been able to get some air mail stamps so I’ll try to get a fairly decent letter written. I don’t know if we’ll get mail tonight but of course I hope so. Before I forget it I’ll tell you what I did tonight and then it will be off my chest. I told you that I was going to increase my war bond allotment but I decided to do it just a little differently. I made an allotment of twenty dollars to be sent home in cash every month. It’ll save me the costs of trading it for British money and sending it home and will be just a little more flexible than bonds. Most of the time I’ll want it put immediately into a bond and the extra dollar and a quarter can sort of be held as a reserve for incidentals. The bonds will also be as an addition to the school sales or any other drives in the community. Or if for some reason you don’t want to buy them in Orestes you can always get them in Alexandria. I had my allotment made out in Mother’s name because some of my other things, insurance, etc. are made out like this and I figured that this will be a more permanent  address than if I made it out to Richard. Any bonds can be made out just like my others with Richard’s name on them.
   This way if at any time I either need money or something bought it can be used for this. Then if I am ever stationed in the U.S. again I won’t have to change any of my allotments but can just cancel this one altogether. All in all I hope and believe that this will work out OK.
   For the first two times it comes home, without any back talk I want it to go for the payment of my watch. With this, what I sent the other time, and what is left after a bond is bought a third month, I should be just about square. Now I want it this way and don’t try to argue me out of it. Let me know when it starts arriving. Well so much for that.
   They have finally got an exchange system set up here but it is sure operated differently than I ever thought of. There is a regular rationing system to it. We each have a ration card and can only buy a certain ration of anything each week or periodic weeks. For instance: one bar of soap a week, a box of razor blades every two weeks, tooth powder once a month, 3 or 4 bars of candy a week. etc. I guess that makes it fair so that everyone will get his share but there may be times when I want you to send me things to sort of supplement this. I expect, to start with, that any time you want to drop a stick of gum in a letter, it’ll be appreciated.
   We’ve not been able to get Vmail yet but I’m definitely getting to the place where I don’t care much for it anyway. I have a harder time writing one of these than I do writing a big letter. I guess I worry too much about getting in the important points that I forget everything I was going to say.
   The last few days we’ve been sure lazying around. I just wonder how long this easy life will last. I’m still feeling well and doing OK.
   Oh yes. Your last letter mentioned about the number of letters you had sent up till that time and I think I’ve received them all. I would be very glad to get the Sunday School papers if they allow you to send them. If newspapers can be sent overseas it’s worth a chance to try this. They might be a long time getting here but they’ll be good when they do arrive. 
   I’m sure anxious to hear about Uncle Floy’s accident. I just hope I get a letter tonight or tomorrow morning.
   I’m about run down and if I hear from you before morning I’ll have room to let you know about it. If not - Good night and God bless you.  
          Donald
   If you think I’m cutting myself short of money, I’m getting about as much as ever. I’m not paying for laundry now, am getting 20% extra for overseas and four dollars for Pfc. Just figure it up for yourself and see.

Nov 1,1944

Hello Family,
   Well another day, another dollar. I sure wish I could have a whole string of days as easy as this one. I suppose we did about an hour’s work apiece all day today. There’s some mail on the way tonight but as yet it hasn’t arrived so I don’t know whether I got any or not. I’ll leave enough space at the bottom to let you know. It may reach you before this does but I started my extra money home today. Rather than carry it around in British money I just traded it for a money order. By the time the costs are taken out there ought to be about $25 of it. I want it to go to whoever footed the bill on my watch. Don’t let me ever see any part of it again.
   If and when I get a chance I think I’ll increase my war bond allotment. It’ll save me money to do this rather than always having to send it home. That’ll also be less to trade into English money and that costs about four percent so it’ll be an extra saving.
9:30 I’m happy to say I received your letter of the 17th. Am anxious to hear more about Uncle Floy’s accident. God bless you all.
Love,  Donald

Oct 31,1944

Dear Family,
   Well I guess this is Halloween and it just about passed without my knowing it. I don’t know whether or not they celebrate it here but I haven’t seen one thing to remind me of it. In fact, I didn’t realize what day it was till I started writing tonight and noticed the date.
   I don’t know how regular my letters arrive but I wonder if you wonder about receiving a greater number of letters than usual. I can’t get very much on these Vmails and it only takes a few minutes to write them. If they ever start coming very much less often don’t be alarmed but just be thankful for the letters you get now. I didn’t receive any mail from you yesterday.
  I noticed on one of your last letters you used a six cent air-mail stamp. Several of the other fellows have received letters with these stamps too. Have they reduced the cost so soon after raising it?
   I’m still faring OK. I just wonder how many Halloween pranks have been played in the last few days and weeks. I’m out of space. Hope to hear from you soon.    Love,  Donald

Oct. 30,1944

Hello Folks,
   We were cleaning up a building today that had been used before by American troops and found a few Vmail forms. And since I was able to borrow a pen full of ink, I’ll write you a little letter tonight. By getting mail yesterday, of course, I couldn't expect any today but tomorrow I’ll be looking again. How have my letters been coming through to you? How do you like receiving these letters that I have to think twice on before I write because of censorship. I hope none of my letters have been ruined by anything cut out. I guess I can be thankful that the ones I received aren’t censored. I never have to worry about anything being missing from them. I’ll be glad to get a Vmail letter or two so that I can see how big to write so that it can be read after it is photographed. I just wonder if those that I wrote in pencil could be read.
   You can easily see that I had nothing to tell you tonight but just wanted to let you hear from me. As anxious as I am to hear from you, I know that you might feel the same way. I’m still here and am OK.
            Love,  Donald

Note: this is written on much thinner paper than previous. That may reflect the availability of paper pulp in England at the time.

Sunday
October 29,1944

Hello Family,
   The situation of my writing materials is still in a state of shortage but I’ll do the best I can. This can’t be V mail or airmail but I hope you’ll be glad to get it when it does arrive. I’m even all but out of ink and am writing with about 2 ½  inches of pencil so you can see that if a PX doesn’t open soon I’ll have to get something in a civilian store. I’d appreciate it very much (if you’ve not already done so) if you’d put a few airmail stamps in one of your letters.
   As yet we’ve not received any mail so it’ll really be a treat when it does get here. One night last week about a half dozen letters came in for the whole company but outside of that, its been almost two weeks now since any of us has got mail. We were almost promised a mall-call tonight so just in case that does happen, I’ll not put this letter in the box ‘till after that time.
   At last we have a Sunday off again. The last few Sunday were spent on the move so its good to have a free one again. I was hungry at breakfast time so I crawled out of bed this morning to go eat. When I got back I hit the hay again and slept so hard that I almost didn’t wake up in time for church. (By the way: that hitting the hay is almost a true statement now because we are sleeping on straw mattresses.)
   Outside of a couple services on the boat, the church service this morning was the first one I’ve got to attend since we started moving. Our own chaplain held the services but it was in one of the churches here. It was a Methodist church so that made it sound not too different from home. The church was old fashioned but it was so neat and well kept that you could really call it beautiful. The seats were very square and the wood work had all sorts of carving and fancy work on it. Everything was well varnished but the floor, and that was bare almost entirely. But it looked as if it had been scrubbed ‘till it fairly shone. There was a large pipe organ high up in a balcony and it was played  by an old man with very gray hair. Like a lot of other things here you can really say it was picturesque.
   Since our meals consisted of all dehydrated foods at first, they are becoming more tasty now that a little variety is being added. I think our Sunday dinner today was fixed mostly from frozen foods and it was the first really appealing meal we’ve had here. We had chicken (I think it was boiled but I had two good pieces, a leg & a thigh, so that made up for the flavor), green peas, potatoes and gravy, apple sauce and a vegetable salad. You can see that even though we grumble a lot about the food we are by no means going hungry.
   I sure do wonder how things are coming back there but I don’t even know enough about the recent happenings to ask you any questions. You think a lot about home over here and I’m very glad that I have a few pictures with me. It does me a lot of good to look at them once in a while. I’m also happy that I got my watch before I left. It’s a good feeling to have such a dependable timekeeper and it’s just like always having a good friend with you. 
   Did I ever tell you why I never sent my civilian shoes home? A little while before we left they said we could bring them with us and since I got them to wear while I’m in the army I took a chance & brought them along. At least while we’re here its possible to get some good from them and it gives you just a little more dressed up feeling to look down below your OD’s and see nice shiny shoes that aren’t quite so crude as your GI’s.
   As usual I wonder how you are spending your Sunday. It’s about the middle of the afternoon now so I expect it’s just about church time back there. At noon today just after church was over I was trying to think what you would be doing and six hours from noon made it about 6AM. No doubt you were just getting up and maybe Daddy was going down to milk. It’s really very confusing to try to think in differences of time. I guess about the best way to do it would be to think of what you would be doing if it were 3PM back there.
   I think I’ll write a couple more letters this afternoon so I’ll sign off now till evening.

 19:30
   Hurrah!! At least this will have a happy ending. We got mail at last this evening. I got two letters from you and one from Uncle Floy. I could almost shout for joy. The letters you wrote were the ones dated the 16th and 13th. That was the night before the Elwood football game and the weekend after. It sure tickled me the way the game turned out.
   Time has gone so fast lately that I have to try to figure out just where I was in order to see how long ago things that you mention happened. I hope it doesn’t take two weeks to get all your mail but even if it does, I should get letters regularly but they will just not be quite as fresh as they were back in the States. Boy it is good to hear from you though. Thanks too for the clippings. Maybe I oughtn’t say this but I read both your letters through twice before I even stopped. God bless you. 
         Love, 
          Donald