Spitball Army

[Written to Alice in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Return addressed: Richard, Ward 43, U.S.N.H., St. Albans, L.I., N.Y.  Postmarked at Jamaica, N.Y., on 25 Apr 1946 at 1:30 P.M.]

April 25, 1946

Hello Sweetheart,

     I’m sorry but I couldn’t get a letter in the mail yesterday.  Something new has been added.  There are now just two classes of patients in this hospital – bed patients who can’t make liberty and those who are able to go on liberty.  If you are able to go on liberty, you are able to work for it – they say.  So, everybody had to go to the Caddy House to work yesterday.  I went over and told them I didn’t want the liberty and asked if I still had to work.  Well – I was advised to work.  If I was able to work and just didn’t want to, I would have to go before the Captain.  I’m afraid a Captain’s Mast wouldn’t help me get out of here, so I worked.  You should have seen the guys that had to go over there.  There were about 30 on crutches…guys with one leg off – guys that had to use a cane and then had their other arm in a cast – body casts like I had, and a couple of guys with broken necks in body casts.  They expected those guys to work when about all they could do was get around from their ward to the mess hall.  They picked out 10 guys without casts, canes, or crutches and sent them out to load a truck.  When they got to the truck, it turned out that not a one of them could do the work.  Why – they had just recently been operated on.  I wonder that they will think of next.  A Marine can’t even go out of his ward now unless he has a tie on.  The War is over [printed boldly].

I’m afraid somebody has forgotten that this is a hospital.  I’m glad I’m getting out.  The sooner the better.

     They called for me yesterday and I went over to Ward 125 and filed a claim for my pension.  In about 5 or 6 weeks I’ll know what and if I get a pension.  You don’t have to worry about that any more Sweetheart.  I love you Sweetheart.  Stick around.  I’ll be home one of these days.

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

x x
   (and is she going to collect!)

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