Spitball Army

[Written to Alice in Frankfort, Indiana.  Return addressed: Richard, Co. G, 2nd Bn., 1st Mar., c/o F.P.O., San Francisco, Calif.  Postmarked at U.S. Navy, on 14 Mar 1945 P.M.  Envelope stamped on front, “Passed by Naval Censor,” and initialed by the Censor.]

Mar. 12, 1945

Hello Sweetheart,

     Well, I haven’t received any letters from you since I wrote last.  That’s not why I haven’t though.  I’ve been rather occupied lately.  I haven’t found time to write any one.  I did receive a package from you Friday.  I don’t know when it was mailed.  It contained fudge, boughten cookies, and a carton of Camels.  About half the fudge was moulded, but the rest was very good.  The cookies came at an opportune time.  We had very little dinner that day.

     Ray C—-, the property sgt., is sitting beside me now.  We are both writing to our wife wives, Alice.  Only he spells it Alyce.  We’ve been hanging around together quite a bit lately.  He’s from Chicago, about 30, slightly bald, bushy mustache, and a pretty swell guy.  We have a lot of fun.  He says he doesn’t argue; he just asks questions.  Ever now and then he will think of some question to ask me.  He says he’s just curious and that he really doesn’t know the answer.  Then we argue the question for a half hour or so and it almost always turns out that he knows more about the subject than I do.  We have a lot of fun and both end up laughing about it.  Anybody listening to us would swear that we were mad, but nothing like that has ever happened.  For an example of one of his questions, we were looking around on afternoon and he saw a ship.  Right away, out he comes with a question.  The question was, “How do they raise the anchor?”  It seems that he meant “How do they get it disengaged from the bottom?”  Well, we had a lot of fun and a very foolish arguement.  It passed quite a bit of time also.

     For the last couple of nights we have gone to the show.  Afterwards we found some comfortable seats and just talked.  One night we talked and watched the stars and talked till about 12:30.  We were both talking mostly about certain people we know named Alice and Alyce.  I told about the our little visit in Chicago and then he proceeded to tell me what we should have done.  Some of the places we should have gone and where we should have stayed.  Next time we go, we’re going to have a guide.  We had a lot of fun though, didn’t we Sweetheart?  It seems that Alyce has dragged him all through Marshall Field quite a few times.  There was something we had in common even if I had only been through once.  It seems that our views are the same when it comes to shopping, and you and Alyce seem to have similar views also from what he tells me.  I did enjoy our sight-seeing tour though Sweetheart.  In fact, I did would be very glad to do it all over again right now.  I know I would enjoy it much more at the present.  If I was home though, I would just like to see you get me out amd mess around in a store.  I can’t see that at all.  I love you Sweetheart.  I would give almost anything to be with you now.  The more I think and dream, the more I want you.  It seems like I spend most of my time dreaming.

     Sorry I left you.  I had to go to chow.  Right after chow Ray and I went to the show.  I guess we got there at 5:30 although the show doesn’t start till dark (7:15).  You have to go early to get a decent seat and we did just that.  It is now 7:50 and they still haven’t started the show.  It started raining about 10 minutes ago so I left.  I’m very unhappy.  After hurrying through chow and getting a good seat, I get soaked.  I still don’t know what the show is going to be.  It will probably be a good picture since I decided to leave.  i guess Ray stayed.  I thought he followed me out but he isn’t around.

     Have you received any more news about the apartment?  I’m getting rather anxious about it.  i want you to get moved and settled down.  Have you done any investigating on the employment situation?  Where are you going to try to work?  What do you think of the suggestions I made in one of my letters quite a while back?  Is that the type of work you would like?  What do you want?  I hope I get some word on the subject soon.  In fact, I’d be happy if I just got some mail.  That’s about all for now, Sweetheart.  I love you.

     Good-night Sweetheart
          I love you with all my heart.
               Pleasant Dreams
                    ‘Nite Sweetheart