Saturday, March 20, 2010

March 21, 1943

March 21, 1943

My dear Mother,

I am so very much ashamed of myself for not writing you before this. And I really am just bubbling over with loads of things to talk about and the chances are that I will not be able to finish it tonight because I want you to receive this letter sometime soon. Believe it or not I have started two to you already and have abandoned them because I have had to go a day or two before getting them anywhere done and if I finished them then they would not have made any sense. So I am going to finish this one tonight.
Although I did manage to get a letter written to Marshall the first of the week.
I never realized that a person could be so terribly busy and there is no immediate need for it either than the fact that we have two or three sick ones on the list. Cpl Olson has returned now and they have told him that he has a duodenal ulcer which in the end will probably mean a medical discharge for they get their ulcer cases off their hands here as soon as possible that may be good news for Uncle Bill.
Yes you may renew my subscription to the Readers Digest.
How is the older Mr. Blair getting along now after his fall.
Your asking about my putting on of weight? I have put on about ten pounds but I suppose that is nothing exceptional and I bought the belt with the same idea in mind that you speak of about my height and also my coat pulls and looks so bad without it. Yes, I have changed the wearing of my hat also and I think it looks much better also.
Well, Ray and I really had an adventure last night. And also it was the first time that anyone had gone out of their way to entertain me in any way since I have been in the army. Ray and I met at the same place at the St Anthony and as I told you before it is very likely the nicest hotel here, two or three star generals stay there etc.
Well I had noticed this elderly lady sitting across the lobby from me when I was waiting for Ray and she had been looking at me a couple times when I had looked up from my reading the late "Time" magazine and a little later a very attractive young lady joined her. Anyway, time passed us it will and Ray came then all of a sudden this lady excused herself and introduced herself as Mrs. Hoffman and wondered if we had any definite plans for the evening and we told her no. Then she wondered if she could ask us to join her and her daughter for dinner, that they would be more than pleased etc. So we finally accepted under the provision that we be allowed to pay for our own. So in we marched to the main dining room of the hotel which was just full of army officers including a two star general and we were seated at a very nice table and we sat down and began to become fairly well acquainted that is in the respect that I know no more about them personally now than before. The daughter's husband is in the navy stationed at Terminal Island and the daughter has been living in Long Beach for the last few months. And she is here now trying to sell her airplane which she has been using previous to war. And she has been flying for about seven years. The plane has a broken propeller and therefore is hard to sell because of the scarcity of them. Otherwise she said nothing about themselves. We ordered delicious steaks and in all one of the most delicious meats I have ever had since they each ran above $1.50 each but when the bill came she took it and would not let us pay for our own so after talking for awhile longer we parted and thanking them. She said: "I hope someone does the same for my son". I did give them your telephone numbers, telling them that if upon her return to L A she needed any assistance for her to call you.
So on my account will you in case they ever call. I want to show them how much I appreciated them doing this for us. And charge anything to me that it costs you. Although I somewhat doubt if they will call. What do you think?
They did mention where they came from. And in speaking of it to the librarian here she said that there was quite a bit of oil and cattle people down there. So they may be some of them. They perhaps the most charming people I have met since I have been in the army. What do you think of them?
And after that we went adventuring down into Mexican town. Would you have any occasion for the use of whole nutmeg? And some of the things they had there were amazing, including some of those small dried shrimp.
Last Wednesday I started off the Surgical Study class for the month which consists of two hours between 6-8pm, four nights a week. They call me Sir etc. And I also have the position if I want it to lead them back and forth. Then the following night I volunteered for one of my friends, that is to take his place because he had a baseball game to play in. But that night I had the entire class of 150 because they had been noisy that day and what a time I had getting them over. That is practically whole company you know. But believe me they were certainly good after I got them over and threatened them with some GI soap and scrubbing brushes.
Well within a few days I hope to have some very good pictures to distribute if none of them areI will take a few more until I get a good one of myself.
The discussion of Muriel I shall enclose in another letter.
I sure appreciate the clipping you sent alone in one of your envelopes.
And I do enjoy receiving the nice news regarding the dear in-laws and I find them of great amusement.
I am afraid that I shall close now planning on starting another letter tomorrow and answering more of your inquiries. Then Good Night and take care of yourself.
Your son.

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