The series continues. I recently came across a bunch of old letters my dad wrote to his family while in the service from 1943-1945. It’s incredible to go through letters that were written more than 70 years ago. It’s also interesting to see my dad talk to his parents as a young man. He passed away 13 days after my 14th birthday so I never got to know him as an adult. Anyway, I’m turning this into an ongoing series, although it’s hard to keep the dates straight. Some he has no dates or puts the date and year and others just the date and from what I can tell, the days or dates are incorrect. Some letters are missing the last page. Anyway, I hope you continue to enjoy this little journey, I’m finding it fascinating!
In this letter my dad seems obsessed with sleep and food. I don’t think he did much traveling in his life outside of maybe going to New York or Philly for track meets. The George, Jean and Pat he mentions are his siblings.
May 2, 1943
Hi Folks,
Well here I am in Miami Beach, FLA. Who had ever thought that when I joined the army that I’d get sent down here. Why we’re living like kings, there are four of us in a room at the Beach Plaza Hotel, boy what a place. And the food, it’s the grandest food that I’ve had in a long time. Well, I applied for aerial gunner and I think that once I complete the training for it I’ll get a staff sergeant’s rating although I’m not sure about it.
Well so far we’ve had very little drilling and for the first weeks we are restricted to our barracks. We traveled in an old Boston & Maine Day Coach for 48 hours of steady riding, we left Devens about 4 o’clock Thursday afternoon and reached here about 5 o’clock Saturday night. Boy, was it tiresome traveling and we had the latest thing in sleeping. We put our heads on one seat and our feet on another and tried to sleep that way. Well the first night I slept about two hours and the second night I slept about seven. We reached Miami about five o’clock and we reached the hotel about quarter of seven. We had “chow” or dinner, then we went to our rooms and went to bed to have the first comfortable sleep in the last couple of days.
They told us we are going to get our GI haircuts tomorrow. Boy I can hardly wait to see this funny head shaved down to an inch.
Well, I’ll be here for eight weeks of basic training then I’ll be sent to whatever school they think that I’ll be better qualified to serve the army in. Well I’ve met some pretty nice fellows since I’ve been in the army and also some pains in the neck. Up at Devens there were a couple of wise guys stationed there and they took advantage of us all they could. Well, there’s a lot more to tell but I’m writing this in my spare time, of which I have very little. Give my regards to George, Jean & Pat.
Loads of Love,
Fran
P.S. I’ll write again as soon as I get a little more extra time. Give my regards to all the folks.
Duke of Dead Air 