Saturday, February 4, 2012

November 22, 1943


Sgt Stanley W Safford 39539976
5th Auxiliary Surgical Group
Dodd Field
Ft Sam Houston
Texas

November 22, 1943

There are some more pictures but I will send the negatives on later (PS at the top of the message)

Dear Mother:

As you said in your last letter “About time to start on another letter to you”.  The weekend went by quite rapidly and I spent all of it firing up fancy things and schedules for the Colonel who inspected us here today.  He was quite pleased and I stood in on the round table which he had with our Col.  And the other officers here.  He asked quite a few questions and they were all very easily answered as far as I was concerned.  Some of the officers here can stumble once some of the smallest and most simple questions which they should know.  And the laugh comes when they make up some of the excuses.  They are really good.
Well I have just finished trying to build a fire in our little stove so that it will not get too cold in here this evening.  We have had to have fires every morning here lately and always in the evening.  Also the fire keeps the tent from becoming damp and that is when the clothes feel and look awful.
We all went up to the main post this evening or rather afternoon to see another of the War Department Training Films“The Battle of Russia”[1] and this one was very good for a change.  It started out in the same old propaganda way but there are always some good points to even those types of films.  The other day we had one of Walt Disney[2]’s new ones here, on the “Mesquito[3] and it was all very good Technicolor, and amusing as well as educational. And we had another one the other day on colored smoke grenades in Technicolor.  They are something new which the army has developed in warfare, for signals etc.
You asked if you should cut the tops of the Gerberas.  Yes, you can cut them off now and then toward Spring you can put a good mulch of rabbit manure over them and they will then come up nice and green for the next season.
Well after putting enough paper in the fire it is finally beginning to burn.  This wood is all right when it once gets started.
I received a Thanksgiving card and a very delicious piece of fruit cake that Aunt Dell made.  They both came yesterday.  She said that she could not write for very long periods of time.  She said that she has not heard of Leland having a baby in his family as yet.  Don’t any of the Saffords ever write east any more?
Thanksgiving has not really impressed me this year since the army has not declared it a holiday and we of course have at least half a day planned although I don’t know what it will amount to.  I should really have something to be thankful for this year.  I am still here on this side with a reasonably comfortable degree of living quarters and at least wood to keep warm with.  And some very good parents at home.  Excuse the yellow spots on the paper but it is ink eradicator which I had to use on some things which I had scratched on there a couple days ago while still in the box.
They are having quite a fuss here in San Antonio over the German prisoners.  Someone is claiming that they are being mistreated etc.  Well, we have exactly the same kind of quarters and food that they have so they had better start feeling sorry for us first.
I sure hope you folks at home have a grand and wonderfully laden table this Thanksgiving and let’s hope for another one next year when I will be home to share it with you.

All my love,
Your son,

Stanley

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