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 8 Feb 1946 at 1 P.M.]

Feb. 8, 1946

Hello Sweetheart,

     I almost forgot to tell about a little incident on the train.  I found something when I opened up my lunch.  Right in the middle of the box was a twenty dollar bill and a quarter.  I wonder how they got there.

     I took Pete down to the show Wednesday night.  It was a new picture just now showing on Broadway.  It was “Miss Susie Slagle.”  Pretty good show about medical school students in the nineteenth century.

     Today is field day in the ward but I don’t think it will bother me any.  I did my work yesterday.  Four of us washed all the windows in the ward on the outside.  It wasn’t so bad except that your hands got quite cold if they were wet.

     The nurse asked me if I wanted week-end liberty this morning.  That’s a good question.  If you say “yes,” she gives you a detail.  And if you say “no,” no liberty card.  I said “no.”  Oh yes, I hadn’t been in the ward an hour Wednesday morning when a nurse asked me if I had a detail.  I’m not going to have any detail though if I can help it.  I don’t see any sense in it if I’m not going on liberty.  I don’t like to work anyway unless I have to.

     Malcomb is finally leaving today.  They surveyed him over a month ago and now he is going to Brooklyn today.  Turner was supposed to be operated on yesterday morning.  They woke him at 3 A.M. and 8 A.M. yesterday morning and gave him a sleeping pill.  Then at noon they gave him a shot of morphine and took him to the operating room.  They put him on the table, stuck the needle in his arm so they could give him sodium pentathol, and took the bandage off his leg.  Then the doctors looked at him, talked it over, and decided that he didn’t need a skin graft.  Now he’s trying to get back in the ward.  The doctor in 104 won’t talk to him and now he’s seeing the doctor here.

     Did we ever have the entertainment yesterday!  We had 2 short films in the afternoon then from 5:30 to 7:00 there was a 5 piece high school orchestra in here.  As soon as they left, an accordionist came in.  They were all pretty good but that was just too much for one day.

     Field day is in full swing and what an uproar!  I give up ——

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