Spitball Army

[Written to Alice in Acton, Indiana.  Return addressed: Richard, Ward 11, U.S.N.H., St. Albans, L.I., N.Y.  Postmarked at Jamaica, N.Y., on 7 Feb 1946 at 6 P.M.]

Feb. 7, 1946

Hello Sweetheart,

     Do you remember what that “Hello” is supposed to mean?  Well, thank goodness there weren’t many letters that I had to use it and now it doesn’t mean the same thing.  It just means that here I go writing my second letter to you in 24 hrs.  Amazing, isn’t it?  I got to the PX in time last night and this is the stationery I got.  You know, this is a U.S. NAVAL hospital and as far as they are concerned, there isn’t anything but NAVY here.  Anyway, all their stationery says so.  Maybe I’m not supposed to be here ——

     I doubt if you would remember or if you even noticed at the time, but when you got on the train, did you notice that most of the passengers were men?  Well, the reason for that was that there was a hockey team in my car.  I have been watching the papers up here but I can’t find out anything about them.  I thing it was the Ind’p’l’s. Caps.  Two of them sat right behind me and I could hear parts of their conversation.  Anyway, they had 2 games of rum and a cribbage game going all the way to Buffalo.  That’s where they were supposed to play last night.

     You know, Hyde Park and West Point are really beautiful, I hear.  I never did know when I passed either one of them.  West Point is on the west side and the train was on the east side of the Hudson River.  Don’t ask me what the west side of the river looks like, I didn’t even see it.  It was so foggy that you couldn’t see half-way across the river.  It finally quit drizzling and raining sometime after I went to bed last night.  From the looks of things, if it isn’t real careful, the sun is going to come out and this is going to be a fairly nice day.

     Do you remember I told you about my coming back to the hosp. in my dream and finding that Jerry had finally been transfered to California and he had taken his bed with him.  Well, he didn’t get transferred.  When I came in yesterday, he, Malcomb, and another guy (John) were playing Anagrams.  No, in stead of Jerry leaving, Turner did.  He was transfered to Ward 104 for some plastic surgery.  I saw him yesterday afternoon and he said they were going to operate this morning.  So he’ll be back before very long.  They think that the infection is finally all gone and he is now running all over the place on his crutches.

     Well, we have one new nurse and a new doctor.  The doctor is a pretty good guy.  He slept in the ward last night.  Gambling isn’t allowed in the hospital; but the navy got payed this week and so they had a poker game.  It’s all right to play as long as there isn’t any money showing.  Well, the new nurse (a full Lt.) saw the corner of a dollar bill and she almost put all the players on report.  The boys didn’t stop and a little latter, the new doctor came along. (He is a Lt. j.g.)  Welllll – – it wasn’t long before he had to go back to the office. – –  (He lost all his money)  He’s a pretty good guy and does he like to play cards!!  He’s a funny looking guy.  He’s in his twenties I would guess.  he’s big and heavy set – looks like he would make an excellent football player; and he has a black, handle-bar mostachio.

     Oh yes – O.B. is still here.

     I love you Sweetheart.  Now I’d better leave something to say the next time I write.

     Good-night Sweetheart
          I love you with all my heart
               Pleasant dreams
                    Good-night Sweetheart
                              x x
                                   ‘Nite