Sgt
Stanley W Safford 39539976
5th
Auxiliary Surgical Group
Dodd
Field
Ft
Sam Houston
Texas
December
13, 1943
My Dear Mother:
As
you say it is “about time I was getting another letter to you”. The past week was a very busy one for me and
I am still that way so therefore have not had so very much time for writing
anyone.
Received
a couple very beautiful Christmas card last week. One of which was from Aunt Dell and the other from Mr.
and Mrs. Chipman in Momence[1].
Just what relation are they to me[2]. They addressed the letter PFC so they must
have had it for some time. I shall have
to write them quite soon. You asked
about Marshall’s address once. As far as I know it is the same. In care of Mr. L Mangum there in Provo Utah.
Mrs. Tedesco left last Monday and they had a nice write up in the
paper about her going etc. I am going to
miss her. My friends here on the Post
are dwindling quite fast. They come and
go and I still remain.
I
also received a letter today from Nelson
with two dollars enclosed. I did not
want the money and had intended on giving him the blades as a present so I will
get some more and send them to him to make up for it.
I
do not know the name of the Silver
Pattern I asked but they did not know.
How
are the small chicks? I sure wish I were
home taking care of them.
Has anything ever turned up
on the Fulton Lewis Jr. case[3]? It sure sounded to me as tho that were all it
was “a put up job”.
Well more power to him! And
say! The political situation sure looks very good from here. What do you think
of it?
And
speaking of Christmas shopping, I am certainly very tired of it all by
now. And you should see the mobs of
soldiers downtown over the counters etc.
I did get another elephant mailed to Aunt Maibelle and one piece of blue glass and I am going to send
another one very soon like the one you have.
And am going to get the piggy banks off to the Chapin children very
soon. And then that will be just about
all.
We
are also having no Christmas leaves around here because of the general traffic
conditions etc.
I
want to thank you for the Xmas seals. I
was thinking of buying some the other day and the last few jokes have been
exceptionally good.
Yes
the plant you speak of will very likely lose its leaves when it gets cold. I can not think of the name just at the present
time but will in the future.
Why
don’t get some cut-worm control. I think that there was some there. A green powder in a round can. The vegetables I guess will do quite well
then. Did the pea seed which I got ever
do any good?
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It
rained here for the last few days of last week and everything was quite muddy
and Friday I undertook the job of scrubbing out the office here and the floor s
really white and clean now. And the first
person that tracks in mud will be told in very short order about it including
the officers. Of course the Major is always
in the next tent playing cards so they very seldom come in here for
anything. I just finished there
typewritten pages as a kindness for one of the Dental Majors. I spent Saturday evening and all day Sunday
compiling the information for him. But
they never appreciate what a person does for them.
We
have also had a nice little cold spell or two here and it became quite chilly,
let me tell you. And we have one of the
wonderful brilliant people here that chops wood practically all day, that is
when he is on his feet; over by the colonel’s office and then the stove has to
be cleaned out every evening by the Charge of Quarters. They are afraid of the Colonel freezing I
guess. And there he sits with a big silly grin across his face. And in and out they run fanning the door in
his face. I heard the other day that he
said that I was rather efficient etc.
But he never has anything much to say to me outside business and that is
quite often. I am in there about five
times a day about one thing or another.
I
saw a very good show the other day “HappyLand” which I thought very good. We
go to the Main Post Theater and het in for fifteen cents and see one main
feature and usually a couple short subject with News. In all it lasts about two and a half
hours. Makes a good afternoon
entertainment and not too long. Of
course all the theaters here have only one feature.
Well
outside it is clear and chilly and I had better begin thinking of going to bed
and getting some sleep. Altho I have had
quite a bit of sleep here lately which is also good for me.
Received a rather large
package from the Matsons today with
the regular “Do not open” seal and the word “Book” written on the package. I have not yet finished the look which Miss
Mosher sent me. You can read it when I
am through with it.
Well good night for now and
take good care of yourself.
All my love,
Your son,
Stanley
December 20, 1943
My Dear Mother:
I
will get this letter off to you before Christmas is here and gone.
I
hope you get all the little boxes and packages before them also. Sure hated to send them that way with now
wrapping or at least not all in one box but I do not have the facilities for
doing such here. And I do hope that the
stores wrapped theirs nicely and above all that you like the things. I sent Muriel one of those filigree silver
pins, butterfly shaped and she can wear in her hair or on her dress. They are quite the rage down here, also a box
of rather nice PX stationary. She really
should improve her writing and also the type of thing she writes. Her last letters have all been devoted to the
Marine or that sailor with blond hair etc.
I wonder if she thinks I am so very much interested in them.
My
Christmas card circulation this year reached to about 40 cards, and my hand
like to have given out on me in the middle of all the writing. The return address is so long and it has to be
written. I sent a card to Herbert Shaffer to be forwarded,
perhaps he will come to and answer it. I
sent it to his home address and they will forward it to him. I received a very beautiful card from Vera
and Val H also the other day.
We
have had some very cold weather here of late and we keep the fires going all
the time. And the wood it takes is surprising, armload after armload. There has been a lot of ice every morning and
the poinsettias are all frozen black.
And they were starting to be so pretty.
All the leaves are gone from the trees now and the Post looks just like
it did when I came here a year ago January.
I
have decided to stay out of town until after Christmas since the mobs are terrific and getting any place is a
slow business.
You
ask what I intend doing Christmas Day. Well, perhaps I will sleep rather late
and then get up and get dressed for dinner, which should be very good. Thanksgiving dinner was quite nice, after
which I may go to a show and then come home and end the day by writing a few
letters including one to you, although all the time I will be thinking of you
and hoping you are having a good and joyous time. Do not let my being gone effect your
enjoyment any, for you have well earned all the enjoyment you are able to get.
The
German prisoners the other day moved
in a(n) enormous big tree and planted it out in their area. They are also going to put on a German opera
for Xmas. One of the Captains here is
the doctor for them and the other day he showed me a water color portrait which
one of them had painted for him of himself.
It was excellent work. And good
ones are hard to get or make. The man
was a professor of Art prior to the war.
They have them working all over the Post now and doing everything from
driving trucks in the Motor Pool
down to raking the leaves off the Generals’ lawn and when they see an American
Officer they usually salute him our way.
They all seem to be getting along quite well and they all like it here
and the cigarettes.
I
am going to work some on the sand table next week.
You
asked about it once. I am trying to
display in miniature the four echelons in the sand table. All done with sand, paper, paint, greenery,
etc, quite a job. I may take a picture
of it when done and let you see what it is like.
And
by the way they have changed Plans & Training officers again. Major
Kuhns is back again. Maj, Skinner got quite a kick of
telling me that I seemed to be the only one to see them all thru and weather
the storm. I may also help Maj. Skinner
with a dog operation this coming week.
He did not operate this past week when he had planned on it.
How
old are the checks by now, they should be pretty good sized by this time, hadn’t
they?
I
ran into Gladys up town last evening and she is just now getting settled down
in a new house.
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My
Plans & Training history is coming right along and you will get a copy of
it when it is completed you might find it interesting only it will have the
Major’s name on it.
Do
you remember me mentioning the very spoiled rich little girl who used to come
into the nursery? She used to live there
on Arbor Vitae. Well Mrs. Matson wrote the other day and
said that she was giving me fair warning that Dorothy Kingfather and her father were going to be here in San
Antonio for the holidays and that he said she was going to be sure and look me
up when she got here. It seems that her
boyfriend is at Randolph Field[5]. They are staying at the ritzy Gunter Hotel[6].
What
shall I do about my Income Tax and where and when do I get the forms etc. I suppose that will have to be taken care of
soon,
Well, the day draws on and I
am running out of news to write about so in closing I wish with all my Love for
you, Mother to have a very happy and wonderful Holiday season and do not work
so hard and take care of yourself. Give
my love to the family.
As ever with love,
Your son,
Stanley
[1] Momence,
Kankakee, IL
[2] Virgil
(Ellis) Chipman and Stanley Wayne Safford are 2nd cousins. Their common ancestors are Rufus G. Safford
and Matilda Peters.
[4]The
Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubaiyat_of_Omar_Khayyam
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a6/Rubaiyat_cover.JPG
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