Astral P@ @astralp - Tumblr Blog

1945.12.11

Dec 11, 1945

My dearest darling Bettie & Terry

Here I sit in the office smoking my pipe and thinking of you. A cold wave hit here + we practically froze in our room last night. That room is just like living in an ice box, I was going to write you a letter last night, but it was so darn cold in the room I went to bed + tried to keep warm.

Please don’t tell Jr. that his poppa is a no good gambler + I still say he will get a present.

I should hear if I get that discharge by this Friday, + if I don’t get it I’m going to write my Congressman + Senator.

Dear, if you would ever shack up with anyone I would personally break your pretty little neck. But I trust you, so I’m not going to worry about it.

Well, I’ll close for you + continue after dinner, I may get a letter from you.

Well, darling, here I am back again. I just found out that I have to go down to Chapel #4 after dinner to help them out this afternoon, So I’ll have to work + will not be able to write.

I have been having some terrific dreams about you lately and they make me miss you more than ever. If I don’t get that discharge I think I’ll go nuts.

I only hope that I’ll be home for Xmas this year.

Be good + take good care of yourself + Jr.

With all my love, Johnny

#wwII #wwiiletters

#iographs

1945.12.10

Friday 6:20 Nov 29, 1945

Dear Bettie,

I’m in my hospital bed + my nurse has gone to dinner so I can scribble off a few lines to let you know that I’m still alive. I have three private nurses + they make sure I lay pretty still – they’re swell though. I had my meals whenever I feel like – I ate breakfast at 3 A.M. yesterday morning. Dr. Murray + Dr. Choby performed the operation but Dr. McCloskey diagnosed + so all three come in + look me over every morning + every night. One nurse paints your nails, one puts your hair up, + one combs it.

Gee, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that Johnny’s discharge comes thru. That would be a wonderful Xmas present. Betty Martin said she saw you + Johnny. Gee I’m sorry I missed you.

Haven’t seen Swaney for white some time + don’t care to.

Dec. 10, 1945

Quite a little delay eh, what? I guess I tried to write too son. Now I am home and feel an awful lot better. I was entertaining in Williamsport – 123 miles from here when I got the attack. I did something I shouldn’t have tho. I got the attack Sunday afternoon and went ahead and entertained on Sunday night. I did the first show okay but I stopped in the middle of my last dance in the 2nd show + sat down on the band stand. The saxophone player, 18 yrs old, carried me upstairs to my dressing room. I wouldn’t go to the doctors over there so we went to Altoona by car and got a train out of Altoona by 7 a.m. It was a local so we got home 9:25. I washed and went over to school to tell a few kids to come over home Monday night because I figured to doc would put me in a bed + freeze the appendix. Then I came home laid down went to the docs about 4. I got out of Dr. McCloskey’s at 6:15 and he had made all arrangements for me a the Hospital. I got out there 6:455 and they started getting me ready. They usually give you glucose, sugar water, after the operation but they had to give me mine before because I didn’t have enough stuff in me I got operated on at 9 pm. Bill was out there with me the whole time my family too. Dr. Murray said if I would have waited an hour longer they’d have been ruptured because they found all the blisters + very hot. They put both clamps + buttons on me. I got them off Thursday. There’s an epidemic of flue going around so they didn’t want me to come home until the end of the week but I quit eating so they let me come home. I’m not to go out at all tho until Sat. + then just to Mauays’ but I’m missing too much school so I’m going back Friday.

Pete by now received his discharge + came home Thursday night. He came out to the hospital as soon as he saw his mother. He stayed until 11:45pm we shut the door + turned the little light on + they thought all the visitors were gone. He looks swell.

Mitzie + Snookie are living with Oppermans. He started working in Gauties part of the mill.

Betty Cogle’s dad died out at the Mercy Hospital while I was there. Boy she feels bad.

I don’t know how true this is but the kids who came to see me told me Betty Strayer has venereal disease. It’s only in the first stage + they said fi you ask her if she does she says yes. She said some sailor kissed her + gave it to her. None of the kids are suppose to bathing with her. Boy that’s really awful.

I was talking to Art before I went to the hospital. Boy does he think he’s it. He was wondering who should take to Jr. Pitts Xmas dance. I told him none of the girls at Jr. Pitt are hard up enough that they’d have to go with a married man. Boy he’s an A-1 stinker.

How’s my honey, Terry? Did you get his picture taken yet? Remember I’m still waiting foro ne.

Well now my arm’s getting tired I’m in bed so I’ll close for now hoping to hear from you in very near future.

Love, Kaye

P.S tell your mum + everyone hello. Are you coming home for Christmas? I just received a letter from Few Daily – he’s in Kyoto, Japan.

#wwII #wwiiletters

#iographs

1945.12.10

Mon. Dec. 10, 1945

My dearest darling Bettie + Terry,

I received a letter from you yesterday and I’m sorry I didn’t write yesterday but 2 other fellows + I took a ride up thru the mountains. We came to an airport + they took an airplane ride, the pilot stunted with them, he did loops, rolls, etc. It was 1 of the fellows first time up + we thought he would get sick, but he loved it.

I should know by this Friday if my papers for discharge are approved or not, I sure hope they are because if they aren’t It looks like another year in the army.

The flu is going around here + I sure hope I don’t get it. Gee, Terry must really be cute now, he’ll probably start to creep soon. I hope I’m home when he starts.

I hope you come around soon dear but it may be at least another month before you do. I still say that nothing happened the last time. Yes, dear I wouldn’t blame you if you would tell me you were pregnant again. I love Terry but no more for at least 5 yrs, if then.

You better not hang one on Xmas unless I’m there to take care of you. There are too many wolves around now days.

If I don’t get my discharge I stand a good chance of being sent to camp Hood, Texas in about 1 month.

I am going to see Bing Crosby in “The Bells of St. Mary”, tonight it is here at the camp theater.

Everything here at camp is gradually closing, we only have 2 theaters open now + we used to have 4.

Well, darling, I guess that I’ll say good-bye for now.

With all my love, Johnny

Be good + take good care of yourself + Jr.

#wwII #wwiiletters

Analog vs. Digital

In today’s installment of Analog vs. Digital I plan on espousing my belief in letter writing. This one is very important to me because I’m of the generation that remembers what it was like before the advent of email. Maybe deep down it is because I long for the days of yore or it could be something else. As with the previous installments of this I feel the need to point out that I’m not opposed to email or electronic means of communication. I just feel that there are some benefits of having some of it on hard copy over the soft copy of a computer file.

Without further ado let’s get this started shall we!

Reason 1 – Time Spent.

This is another theme that is going to show up time and time again, the longer it takes to do something makes it that much more important. Sitting down and writing a letter takes a bit of time. You could type up multiple pages of junk to send in an email in the amount of time that it takes to write a few pages to someone. Although, ask yourself, what would they cherish more. The letter that shows up in their mailbox or the email they got. Of those two can you pick the one that they are more likely to read more than once? If you guessed letter then you are spot on. It is the time you spent writing and sending the letter that makes it special.

Reason 2 – Personal vs. Impersonal

For all that I’m concerned at letter is personal and an email is impersonal. The email is today what the work memo was before widespread interconnected offices. They are cold and formal. Most of us spend a lot of time at work crafting and sending emails to exchange information about work. Why should it be the same when it comes to personal stuff? I think that if we spent more time sending letters to each other we could maybe know more about ourselves and the other person in return.

Reason 3 – NSA

With the ability for the NSA to capture all data traffic and store it, do you really want them to know all about your day? Think about it! How about would you like some analyst at the NSA reading you profess your love to someone over email? I would hope not. While we still wait for congress to make sure our right to privacy not be infringed in the electronic world, we can be sure that the NSA is not capturing all mail. Feel the need to tweet something @yourfriend use the old fashion way of sending quick messages, the post card. Want to write a love poem? Write it down and send it.

Reason 4 – Potential for Destruction

What we were all waiting for. Now, this one worth reading all the way through. You see, you don’t have to destroy your letters even if you break up. You can keep them, sure you can keep your emails as well, but think of having boxes and boxes of letters that will allow you to travel back in time to see what people said to you. If you follow this blag regularly, mom, you by now have noticed the love letters that I post up on Sunday or Monday. I found these letters between a husband and his wife during World War II. It was a fun way to be a virtual voyeur into their lives, at least for a little bit. If you are not ok with keeping your letters, then by all means destroy them. Because it is paper all you need to do is put a flame to it, burn it, mix the ashes with your tears, and you have good concrete to build your next relation on. You can gaze upon the lies they said in those letters professing their love for you right before they stepped on your heart go up in flames. Although, my personal favorite option would be to make sure that others can see them. You can always donate your letters to The Museum Of Broken Relationships. That way others can see how much the other person loved you.

#avd #letters

1945.12.10

8 Dec 1945 Post Chaplain’s Office

My dearest darling Betty & Terry,

Well, darling just think today we have been married one whole year, does it seem that long to you, it doesn’t to me. I’ll never forget this time last year when we were getting ready, and the Roosevelt Hotel and all the swell things we did together, The Harrisburger Hotel and how you acted when I got sick, the peanuts and all the other little things. A lot has happened to us since then.

Last night around 11 o’clock a fellow came over to my barracks and said I was to call Operator45, Pittsburgh. Well, after 11 there is only 1 Phone on which you can make outside phone calls and that is the one up at the hospital. Well, I walked up to the hospital and it was 11:30 by the time I got there and got the Pittsburgh Operator on the line and she told me the call had been canceled. Gee, I was afraid that something might have happened to Jr. or you I hope nothing has. I thought all kinds of things, that Jrs. cold might have gotten worse or that you might be sick.

I was reading a book yesterday and it said that your period after being pregnant should occur 3 months after the baby is born, but it differs in certain cases and that it occurs in 80% of the cases while they are still nursing the baby. So you should have yours soon.

I wish that I was home with you today and that we could celebrate our anniversary in a big way but maybe we can do that next year.

The have a radio downstairs here and they are now playing “I Don’t Want to be Loved by Anyone Else But You” and that expresses just the way I feel about you. No one could ever mean as much to me as you do, and then Jr. means almost that much

I’ll say good-bye for now darling and I’ll write again tonight, I think that my typing is getting worse instead of better.

They are now playing “Waiting For the Train To Come In”. and I hope I’m soon on that train and coming to Pitts. For good.

“I’LL BE LOVING YOU ALWAYS”

ALLMY LOVE FOREVER AND EVER,

Johnny

#wwII #wwiiletters

#iographs

1945.12.07

Friday. Morn Post Chap Office

My dearest darling Bettie + Terry,

It is now 1 o’clock, I was going to start this letter this morning but I had a little work to do and didn’t get the letter started.

I got you letter yesterday + put them in this morning, all I can do now is pray that they approve them. I thought you did a very good job in getting those letters + they were all good. I also had another letter from you this noon.

Yes, dear time will tell and it should tell the right way because I tested those before + after every time.

I was sorry to hear that Jr. has been sick and I sure hope he is better by now and that his cold has all cleared up. I bet he has changed a lot since I saw him last.

Dear the way you talk I think you want me to stay in the army, do you? I know I have it easy, I don’t do a think but loaf but I think I might was well try + get out now because sooner or later I have to go to work anyway.

I guess we will not have much more than my $200 mustering out pay. Also, I wish I knew where we could live. Has uncle John said anything more about being crowded. Anyway, tell him thanks for writing the letter.

Well, darling, I’ll say good-by for now + I hope you + Jr. are O.K. be good and (no humpies) tell your mother I said hello.

All my love, Johnny

#wwII #wwiiletters

1945.12.05

Dec. 5, 1945 Wed. Morning

My dearest Betty & Terry,

Guess what it is snowing in South Carolina. This is the first time it has snowed since I have been down here and it really is cold. I almost from to death last night + I withed 100 times that I was home sleeping with you.

I got a letter from my mother + dad yesterday, 1 from you, + 1 from Mammy. My dad sent me 3 letters, so now when I get yours I’ll put in my application. My dad is on the verge of nervous collapse + the Dr. says he as to get at least 10 hrs of sleep a day.

Two more fellows that I know leave for home today on dependency discharges. They put in their discharges in when we were in the 6th Regt. + I wish I would have put mine in then too. Because I am now in the 7th Regt. + they say they are a little tougher on giving out dependency discharges. However, I can’t loose anything by trying.

I really was sorry to hear about you having those pains and that Jr. has a cold. Gee, I’ll bet he really is irritable since he is cutting teeth + he probably keeps you plenty busy.

With Uncle John around there moaning about things I guess you are really having some time.

Yes, dear I know that I have a responsibility now and I’ll have to go to work for once in my life.

I’ll probably get those letters from you today or tomorrow + then I’ll put them all in at once. I pray every night that they will get me out of the darn army and home to you + Jr.

I had another dream about you last night. I guess it’s because I think about you all the time.

I hope you + Jr. are both feeling better + tell your mother thanks for helping to get those letters + be good.

All My Love, Johnny

#wwII #wwiiletters

1945.12.04

Mon. Night. 9:00

My dearest darling Bettie + Terry,

Well, I have finally got settled down in my new room and I’m sorry I didn’t get around to writing you the past 2 or 3 days + will do better.

I really have a nice room here, I am rooming with a Srg. that I ran around with in our old barracks. We have a big lounge chair + desk here, you picture is up on the wall right here in front of the desk. Oh! Yes! And we have Petty pictures from esquire up all over the room.

I went in town + got your present the other day + I hope that you like it. Spartanburg is not a good town to buy a nightgown in. Honest I went to every store in town + the one I sent you was the best I could find. It really isn’t very much but I’ll make it up next Xmas by buying you a real nice watch. JR. will be getting his present a little later.

Jack Teagarden + his orch are here tonight but I’m not going to even bother to go over + see him because I worked hard today + right now I have a terrific headache. We cleaned the chapel out today loaded everything on a truck + sent it to the quartermaster. I had 2 German prisoners working for me + had to talk to them in German all day. The 1 was in the German army 6 yrs + has a wife in Essen, his home was bombed out and he really was interesting to talk to.

I hope you have those letters for dependency discharge on the way because I really want to get out of this army in a bad way!

Yes, my pajama size is A.

I really miss Terry + you more every day + can’t wait until I’m home with you again. I love to hold you + kiss you. Also, have you lying beside me in bed.

Well dear you can really give me hell + I deserve it. I got into a big poker game last night + right now I have $3 to my name. I’m glad I had my resents bought so I didn’t have too much money to lose but I lost enough. I’ll never gamble again because I learned my lesson this time. I don’t want you to send me any money now but if you can me it send me $1.00 on Dec. 14 or 15th + that will do me until Xmas or until I get my discharge. Don’t tell you mother about this.

They are now playing “Love Letters on the radio + darling I love you so darn much that all I do all day is hope + dream that I’ll soon be holding you in my arms again.

Well, I guess I’ll say good night for now + go to bed early. I had a terrific dream about you last night.

With all my love forever,

Johnny

Tell your mother + Barbara I said hello. Tell <blank space> I’ll write her a letter.

#wwII #wwiiletters

#iographs

1945.12.04

Tues. Morning Post Chaplain Office

My dearest darling Bettie + Terry,

Here I sit in this office with nothing to do at present so I’ll start a letter to you. It is a pouring down rain outside and I got soaked from the knees down coming to work, also my feet are still wet so I hope I get dried out soon or my cold will probably get worse.

I am really getting tired of this army life and hope that I can get out soon, the sooner the better it suits me.

Has Terry cut anymore teeth lately?

I haven’t had any letters from you since last Thurs. So I hope that my mail soon catches up to me.

I am almost positive that I won’t be able to get home for Xmas unless I get my discharge in + approved then I would probably be sent to Indiantown Gap for discharge.

Also, dear have you come around yet or haven’t you. You should have by now. When do you go and see the Dr. again?

This camp is really starting to get empty since they are shipping men out + closing buildings up every day.

1:00 o’clock

Well here I am back from dinner. It was raining too hard for me to go over to the mess hall for dinner, so I bought my dinner at the Service Club.

Yes, dear I know that I could have to go to work very shortly after I got out of the army. Because we will not have much more than the $200.00 mustering out pay that I get which isn’t much. How do they work your allotment + do you get Dec. the 1st of Jan etc. or not. Excuse the etcs we are going to have to learn to be a little more economical for a while.

Well, darling I guess that I’ll say good-bye for now + be good + take good care of yourself + Terry.

With all my love,

Johnny

#wwII #wwiiletters