Spitball Army

[Letter postmarked on 22 October 1942 at 5:30 p.m. at Alton, Illinois. Addressed to Miss Crystal K., Berwyn, Illinois. Return addressed to Richard N., Portage Des Sioux, Mo. On the back of the one-page letter is a handwritten list titled “Answers to Examination Questions.”]

Oct 22, 42
Below Dam
Alton Ill. 1:20 A.M.

Hello Honey,

Here I go again, darling, I don’t have anything to say but I am going to write to you anyway. How is that?

First, please excuse the paper, darling, we used up all of that other and this was the only stuff I could find. Do you recognize the back of this piece? Take a look and tell me, darling.

When I looked at the back it brought to my mind the wonderful, wonderful trip we had down here and then in thinking about you it made me want to be up there with you so very much, darling. I think I will swim up there if they would just let me out of this place for a while.

Darling, as I was driving back from St. Louis the other night, I had the radio on. They played a song that really gave me goose pimples when I heard the words. The name of the song was “I See Heaven When I Look at You.” That expresses my feelings exactly, honey. If I am not mistaken, I think I said that to you once a long time ago, honey. Now some artist had put it to music. He just beat me to it, honey. With you as an inspiration, I know I would have done it.

I went to that Hollywood thrill show in L. the other night but I just couldn’t get interested in it, honey. All I could see in front of my eyes was you. That was all the thrill show I needed, hon, I could have saved the trouble of going to the show.

There was
[letter ends abruptly here]