"3 July 1948
My very dearest darling Ellen,
Here I am once again at the start of the long Fourth of July weekend and I'm still sweltering from the heat down here. One of these days it will all subside and we will relish the comparative coolness of autumn. In 71 days I'll be back home with you much to my liking and I'm sweating each and every day hoping that the final day will arrive upon the scene before too long. Out of remorse and loneliness I attempted to get drunk today but I passed it up as a bad job. All I did was fill my gut with brew and stay sober so I gave up and went to chow where I indulged in a little fried chicken to tide me over until tomorrow. Throughout the early afternoon I washed and washed my knuckles down to the nubs but since it's all over now I can sit back and relax for awhile. My laundry has been hung up downtown for over three weeks now so I've given it up as a total loss. I've been intending to buy you a present and if all goes well I'll manage this week some time. Since you deserve nothing but the best I'll buy nothing but the best for you so that you will be definitely happy. I have my eyes on something nice that I think that you will like very very much and it definitely will come in mighty handy after we settle down. You will see when it's delivered to you in toto in the near future. I had planned to answer your mail tonight but two long days remain to I'm going to postpone my answering them till tomorrow and Monday.
From down here I hope that you enjoy yourself tremendously down in Falmouth over the Fourth that is if you sauntered down in that direction. I only regret that my chances to be with you was denied me but time is getting short. I love you with all of my heart and soul and I miss you tremendously.
All of my love to you
God Bless & keep you
Always & Always
John xxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxx"
"4 July 1948
My very dearest darling Ellen,
Another holiday with a long weekend is upon us and its passing will leave just Labor Day for me to surmount in my search for freedom and happiness with you. I guess you're at the beach over the holidays and I sincerely hope that you do have a good time and that the weather turns out ideal for you. It's as hot as blazes down here as is usual and plus the heat my guts are messed up. I fried some chicken last night at the mess and ate it hot and greasy. My stomach feels as though there is a big red brick wedged in it not wanting to come up nor go down. It isn't causing me any noticeable distress but it does make me feel quite uncomfortable. I guess I had better stick to eating instead of cooking and eating. One more such venture on my part will turn me against chicken forever as one escapade turned me against clams if you can remember. I'll learn someday that I'm not a cook. If all had gone well down here for me I would undoubtedly be situated up in a bedroom in Falmouth drinking highballs with Fred and possibly listening to a ball game provided Aunt Nellie was in the proper frame of mind. As it is I'm forced to endure this heat and my only liquid nourishment will probably be a beer or two later on in the evening. Just now I don't think I could stomach it. Next year will be our year to crow honey and crow we will, believe me. In seventy days I'll be free of it all and we then can settle down for a change. From what I've read in your letters you are getting grouchy and ill-tempered but hold out kid this time will pass in nothing flat and then you can get as grouchy as you wish, I won't mind at all. I'll grouch back at you. Picking 19 September will give me time to get home and rested for a day or two after all of these years of isolation and fretfulness. Then we can start out once again on another of our many, many honeymoons. What a life, all honeymoons. Just relax and take it easy for awhile and everything is bound to turn out fine indeed. Right now I'm straining at the leash to get going. Tomorrow is a work day for me and Tuesday I get transferred. It should be a pretty interesting week for me just getting settled etc. Well honey I have very little paper left so I'll sign off for now until tomorrow. I was going to write my mother but I'll forgo it for now. I love you with all of my heart and soul and I do miss you terribly.
All of my love to you
God Bless & keep you
Always & Always
John xxxxxxxxxxxx"
"7 July 1948
My very dearest darling Ellen,
Here is your wondering husband once again and I hope that at long last I'll manage to get back on the ball to stay. I got transferred over here at noon yesterday and as yet I haven't been to work. Just prior to my arrival up(on) the scene the Athletic officer from here called me up at Saufley and told me to rush over to play ball. For the past two days I've been playing ball and losing weight by the ton. I'm going to hang up my spikes as this team is lousy so I'll bid them a fond adieu. No life and spirit to them. They are having a Naval District playoff down here in Pensacola and about ten teams are knocking each other out for the championship of the Naval district. Saufley Field is still in the fray but we lost two in a row to be eliminated right at the outset.
Tomorrow will probably be my first day of work and then I'll be able to give you all of the details of the new outfit's operations. I'll probably have to wait for about a week until your mail arrives upon the scene. I'll be waiting quite impatiently for it to arrive upon the scene. I guess by now you have returned from the Cape with all of its attractions. I hope that you had a very, very wonderful time while you were down there as you have rated each and every enjoyable time that you can manage to eke out during these summer months. Enjoy yourself to the utmost honey as I'll be home soon and then all you may be forced to endure is miseries and trials and tribulations. Only 67 days remain until my freedom will be on hand and I can get home to you for good at long, long last. It will indeed be a dream come true. I miss you tremendously my pet and I'm longing and pining for you constantly. I'm going to close out now as the lights are due to go out. No privacy here. I love you with all of my heart and soul. Please take good care of yourself.
All of my love to you
God Bless & keep you
Always & Always
John.
P.S. Note new address
CPO Qtrs
Corry field"
"8 July 1948
My very dearest darling Ellen,
Only 66 days to go kid and I'll be home to stay at long last. The time is running out slowly but surely and I'm mighty glad of it all. Well I finally did get around to reporting for work and all I did was walk around and pray for the day to draw to a close. We haven't any tools to work with just the shop itself. All of our equipment is on order and its date of arrival is quite uncertain. I'll probably be discharged before they really get organized around here. It feels good though to be back to normal hours once again but I'm always tired and hungry. I guess the Crash crew with its full days off and lots of spare time to catnap spoiled me. I haven't received any mail from you as yet but it is bound to catch up to me sooner or later. As long as you are all right and in good shape I'll be content. I have one complaint down here, the chow isn't so hot but like any sailor I don't think I'll starve. It all adds up to the fact that I'm too well fed I guess and a little rough treatment won't do me a bit of harm. The station is pretty much regulation and since a lot of recruits are checking in every day it will probably get a little bit more so. I'll get along somehow. They even turn out the lights in our quarters which is really something.
The heat continues to stay with us and as a result of our last two ball games my arms, neck and face are burnt a fiery red. I just can't tan hard as I may try. Maybe one of these fine years I'll make out. It's almost time for lights out so I'm going to sign out for now until tomorrow night. Please take care of yourself. I love you intensely and I miss you desperately.
All of my love to you
God Bless & keep you
Always & Always
John xxxxxxxx"
"9 July 1948
My very dearest darling Ellen,
Hello once again my pet and how goes everything with you today? I put in another day of work today and I have yet to do anything except walk around to keep myself from falling asleep. The situation is desperate down here as we haven't any tools or equipment nor any work to do for that matter. If is doesn't pick up soon I'm afraid I'll just sleep away my whole day. Last night it rained like mad and the overcast continued all day. The sudden relief from the heat is really wonderful and I most sincerely hope that the skies stay cloudy for a few more days or even weeks. My face is burnt almost raw as are my arms from the sun that cooked us as we played ball earlier in the week. This new outfit frowns on anyone playing ball although they do permit it. They have a method of discouragement though, sending all of the messy details along our way. You just can't win no matter how hard you may try. This base is the (most) spread out affair I have seen since I left Corpus Christi. Our barracks is near to the gate but that is where anything accommodating ends. The mess hall ships service and our hangar are about a mile down the road but for some semblance of convenience they are all in the same direction. The Chiefs Club is also down in that general direction. It's similar to the club that we had at Saufley so I won't get lost in it. I'm taking life real easy as I now have only 65 to go and I'll be a free man once again. Each and every time that I write that last sentence I picture myself in a prison counting the days until the jailor will turn me loose. What a life and what an outlook. One of these fine days I'm going to ship home a few of my uniforms to you that you can put away in mothballs. I've been thinking of it now for a week or two but I've never got around to it. Laziness or absent mindedness is my only excuse. In this humidity they will only mildew and rot. My weekend should start tomorrow but a full working day is in order so once again I'll just set around waiting for the clock to hit 4 PM so that I can secure. If there was only something to do the time would pass quickly but idleness drives me nuts. Enough complaints for tonight I'll sign off now until tomorrow when I'll write again. I love you with all of my heart and I miss you an awful lot. Please take care.
All of my love to you
God Bless & keep you
Always & Always
John xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxx"
"13 July 1948
My very dearest darling Ellen,
Once again I'm at it writing to you as usual. I received a letter from you today so I guess it has caught up with me at long last. I'm very very glad of it because I felt completely lost being out of contact with you. I'll do my best to stay in the groove and keep you completely posted. I went over to Main side this morning to buy a few things and see if I could possibly dig up a present for you but no luck as yet. I'll keep trying though and one of these days I'll make out as you do most certainly rate the very best of anything that I can do for you. I did manage to buy to buy a pair of brown shoes for myself as my others are pretty well beaten up now. These should do me for quite awhile as they seem to be really rugged. Time alone can tell. Outside of my shopping sojourn the day was another one of complete inactivity much to my disgust. We are slowly but surely rounding into form and if all goes well Monday may see us a little busier than usual. I most certainly hope so as this inactivity is beginning to drive me nuts. It won't be too long for me as only 61 days remain for me down here and then I'll be on my way back to God's country to stay. I hope that it will be cool when I do get home as it is quite hot down here and pleasant cool clear weather would do wonders for me. The heat was a very contributing factor for me to quit playing ball as it was leaving me as limp as a rag after each game. I'm down to about 170 now which is my usual weight anyway. I see that you are having trouble with the heat also. Consider yourself lucky as it only lasts a short while up there. The heat will remain with us down here until November but by then I'll be long gone from this place. It was only lukewarm while you were here, now it's really broiling. Well honey it's time for lights out so I'm going to close before I get half finished. I miss you terribly and I'm counting the days and hours. I love you will all of my heart.
All of my love to you
God Bless & keep you
Always & Always
John xxxxxxx
xxxxxxxx"
" 14 July 1948
My very dearest darling Ellen,
Hi honey, how goes everything with you? My time goes on and on the same as usual but the days are going by at a fair rate. I'm doing my very best to make the time go by a little faster so that I can hurry home to you but I'm forced to wait for old father Time to pick up his feet to help me out. I received two letters from you today one a few days old that was sent over from Saufley and the other a letter that was sent here direct. I thank you very very much my dearest as they give my morale quite a tremendous boost. All day long I've been picking up patches of the Democratic Convention and from down here they are really having a wild time up there. These rebels down here hate Truman due to his Civil Liberties program. The wind and gas will really fill the air between now and November but it will create quite a bit of excitement for all concerned. Tonight they are really whooping it up.
Well kid only 60 days remain for me to remain down here in this heat saturated area. With this month already half gone it should really start rolling along for us. Just about now I'm sweating out Labor Day as then I'll be about set to pick up my papers. Oh happy day! I see that the heat is getting you down but after a few more weeks of it you will grow accustomed to it. If I were butter I would have melted a long time ago. I'm still looking forward to spending the rest of my days in a cool pleasant climate, namely in Watertown and beautiful New England. What a life! Well I see that your prediction of schedule around the holidays came true. Nevertheless it wouldn't have caused me any discomfort as just to be with you would have been pleasure enough. Since the Navy and misfortune prevented my being home I'll have to wait until September to take up my marital obligations. The pleasure will be all mine I can assure you. Getting along to Mae I guess she must have had a crush on somebody at work from the way she dressed to kill with all of the latest styles and costume jewelry. She'll get over it in time I imagine. I most certainly hope so anyway. Well I'm getting to the bottom of the paper now so I'll close out for now. I miss you with all of my heart and soul and I love you dearly.
All of my love to you
God Bless & keep you
Always & Always
John xxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx"
"15 July 1948
My very dearest darling Ellen,
Another hot blistering muggy day is passing us by and I'm relaxing in my shorts as I write to you. I just took a shower and shave but I'm still as hot and sticky as ever. I just can't win no matter how hard I try. I'm afraid I'll sit here and sweat and keep smelling like an old goat for a while longer. I'd love to be enjoying a little cool clear New England weather instead of all of this sticky heat. Well I have only 59 more days of it and I'll do my very best to stand up under the strain of it all. Our outfit is beginning to get some work to do now that we have some planes in the air. It's not enough to keep us all busy but it's a starter at least. It will probably take another few weeks or a month maybe so that we can possibly all be busy. I'm getting in a rut of inactivity what with that Crash crew duty and now a lack of work in this outfit. I guess I definitely will have to wait until I get home before I can knuckle down to something to do. Paperhanging painting and the like.
I received another letter from you today forwarded to me from Saufley Field. I was glad to hear from you as usual and your confession ~ well! I won't say anything except that I'm a little psychic. It's all over with now though so all is forgiven. I'm on another prolonged beer fast which I will attempt to keep until I get home. I was drowning a few beers a night but my stomach has been acting up as of late and I don't want to wind up with a case of ulcers so very early in my life. As for when I get home, well, that will be another matter. As for my cooking all that I can suggest is that you learn but fast or we shall both suffer from chronic indigestion. I can visualize Norman and the Keohanes clambering up over the ladder and the roof at Aunt Nellie's. What are his reactions to the whole set-up down there? I guess they drank the Scotch that was to be set aside for my homecoming. Such is my luck! Once I get my discharge I should be home in a day if all goes well or two days if I get hung up in travel. I'll keep you posted. Well I'll have to close out for now until this same time tomorrow. I love you & miss you terribly. please take care of yourself and avoid those big beer parties -.
All of my love to you
God Bless & keep you
Always & Always
John xxxxxxxx
xxxxxx"
"26 July 1948
My very dearest darling Ellen,
Another weekend has passed us by and I'm back to work once again. This week or I should say today turned out to be a real work day for a change but we cleared up everything that had to be done so tomorrow presents few problems as of now. Time will tell though. It's still sickenly hot down here although once in a while we do get a short reprieve when a cloud blots out the sun and a breeze comes up. That is our only relief though. If I suddenly went on a food and liquid diet I'd be dehydrated in a matter of days. Your heat spells last for usually three days or a week at the most but this heat has been persistent since your departure in April without a letup of any kind in sight. I'll really appreciate going home in the Fall as it should be pleasingly cool for me even on a hot day. I'm sweating out each and every day in more ways than one. With only 49 days to go it shouldn't take too long in passing.
Last night after I wrote to you two other chiefs and I went downtown and saw 'Easter Parade' with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire. Being a musical I enjoyed it quite a bit but La Garland's pouting and emoting got me down at times. After the show we drove out of town a short way to one of these juke joints and had a couple of beers. They came in mighty handy as we were dying from the heat and thirst. It wasn't a bad joint for down here and it had a nice band, surprisingly enough not a hill-billy affair. In a side room could also be found a nice gaming layout with dice table et al. Since I spend my money fast enough without tossing it away on a dice table.
I received two letters from you today and I was really glad to receive them as it seemed like an age since I had heard from you. From the snapshot you sent me you look quite nice and Kathleen looks like the well-fed cherub that she is. Why must her good looks be hampered by a dutch clip hair do?
That moonlight sail must have been quite an affair and I really would have enjoyed going along. Just another event in our lists of postponements. As for your few beers I'll leave that strictly up to you for the time being. When I get home to stay changes are due in a lot of things. Anxiety is getting the better of me I guess. If I keep sweating out these days I'll be nervous wreck soon but getting home will be well worth it. I'll close for now honey and please take care.
All of my love to you
God Bless & keep you
Always
John xxxxx"
I wonder if this is the snapshot of herself and my cousin Kathleen that my mother sent to my father? It may be from her trip to Falmouth that my father had mentioned in a previous letter. I'm including the other pictures of the beach that have no date on the back of them.
Norman, Hannie, Bertha, Kathleen, and Ellen
"27 July 1948
My very dearest darling Ellen,
Please excuse the pencil but some low degraded character made off with my fountain pen so I'll have to resort to purchasing a new one in the morning. I had managed to hang onto it for quite a while but these lighted fingered people are pretty difficult to cope with down here. The heat persists and persists but since only 48 days remain I think I'll be able to survive it all. My anxiety grows day by day and I can almost see myself at the ball games and strolling along the leaf filled sidewalks with you. The imagination of it all cools me off for a while but when I return to reality the sticky heat only seems to increase in intensity so I just can't win no matter how hard I try, or dream for that matter. This month is drawing rapidly to a close, thank God, and then only one month will remain before me to circumvent, and then, sweet sweet peace and repose which all adds up to complete happiness for both of us. Things are finally getting organized in our new outfit but it will still take a couple of more weeks. I imagine they will be in full swing about the time of my discharge. My most appealling advice to you now is to plead and pray to God for peace and no war this year if ever again. It will (be) all that is needed to completely defeat my whole life if Russia gets uppity. So please pray pray pray. I didn't receive any mail from you so I imagine that the heat has you down once again. I don't blame you at all. Write as often as you can honey that's all that I ask. I've been promising to send home some of my belongings but as yet I haven't got around to it. Bear with me for a while longer and you will have a storage problem on your hands. Well honey nothing at all is happening so I haven't much more to say except that I love you with all of my heart and soul and I miss you tremendously. Please take care of yourself my pet.
All of my love to you
God Bless & keep you
Always & Always
John xxxxxxx
xxxxxxx"
"28 July 1948
My very dearest darling Ellen,
Here I am once again my pet as some broken down politician, a Republican at that, keeps droning in my ear via the medium of radio. I guess the political campaign is underway at long last. Oh our poor ears from now on in! I received a letter from you today so my day had at least one bright spot. It was another dull dreary day but it's just about over now. Only 47 days remain until I get my discharge allowing me to be on my way home to you for good. I'm still sweating and straining as each and every day goes by. I'll keep hoping though and maybe a few extra days will pass by unknown to me. I'm sweating out the end of this month so that I'll be able to concentrate on the last rung of the ladder.
I just finished washing my clothes and doing a bit of ironing to boot. We are blessed with an old washing machine plus a quick hot air dryer that dries our clothes in about a half an hour. What a convenience! With the heat of the water and the drier plus the hot iron and the heat of the weather I perspired quite freely but I held up through it all. I'm just staying in shape so that I'll be able to do my own housework once I get home to stay. Maybe I'll be able to give you a little relief in your ironing except for a few of your very quite unmentionables. Don't hold me to it though. Well I see that you have paid my folks a visit at long last. I'm very glad kid as I haven't written to them for so very long. I just can't think up anything to say but maybe I'll manage to drop them a line this weekend just to let them know that I haven't forgotten them nor passed into eternity. From all indications they are in the best of health and spirits. If Joe (Walsh) and Sis are going to get married I guess I'll have at least one wedding to look forward to in the future. It's about time as they have been going together for almost a century now but I guess the housing situation is rugged now for everyone. I agree with you concerning long engagements but I must confess that if we had married before I went overseas at about this time you would be the wife of a maniac as it was bad enough being single without being married. I'm at wit's end now just waiting to get home to you and I'm in the states. But our case was different than their's seems to be. Good luck to them anyway. Well honey this is the first letter with my new pen so I'll close out now before I wear it out. I miss you tremendously and I love you with all of my heart and soul. Please take good care of yourself.
All of my love to you
God Bless & keep you
Always & Always
John xxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx"
"29 July 1948
My very dearest darling Ellen,
Your lil 'ol' husband is now only 46 days away my pet so time is moving right along for us and it won't be too long until I'll be seeing you once again. I'm still sweating out each and every day but they manage to move along at their own leisurely pace much to my regret. You can't hurry nature I guess. Today turned to be comparatively cool and it was rainy and overcast throughout the day. As usual there wasn't very much to do but business is beginning to pick up slowly but surely. One of these days something will turn up to keep us occupied all day. At about that time I'll commence moaning about the excessive work and the heat. Such is life! Tonight they are having a party at the Chief's Club with free beer and chow so I'm going to saunter down and partake of a morsel of each out of comradeship, purely. It's the first shindig that they have had since I've been here. I'll let you know the results in a following letter if all goes well. After all of our days of doing nothing we are now scheduled for night flying every fourth night so it will be 16 hours of nothing to do instead of eight a day. With only month and a half to do I can contend with almost anything that they push in my direction. I have broad, strong shoulders. I got another letter from you today and it as usual boosted my poor morale quite a bit. I see that your stretch of hot weather has broken at last and cool weather is now upon you. You are indeed very lucky and instead of my sending you some hot weather you can send me some of your cool weather. That ride up the Charles (River) must have been quite the deal. I have always wanted to see one of those Esplanade concerts especially with you but something always sidetracked me upon each occasion. Maybe in the future we can finally get there at long last. I hope so anyway.
I have to rush through a shave and shower now honey so I'll sign off until tomorrow night. While I'm thinking of it honey let me know what weekend you won't be going anywhere and I'll give you a buzz. Okay? Well honey please take care as I love you with all of my heart and soul and I miss you tremendously.
All of my love to you
God Bless & keep you
Always & Always
John xxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx"
All right, only August and part of September to go!
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