June 28, 1943

Cpl Stanley W Safford

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

Dodd Field

Ft Sam Houston

Texas

June 28, 1943

My dear Mother:

Here it is several days after our return from bivouac where we were any way about everybody … was chewed up by wood ticks and chiggers and put up with the peculiarities of the various officers who didn’t seem to realize that they were away from camp.

Some of them didn’t know how to put their tents up and they wondered why they didn’t have a table for them to eat off etc. And one of them took along a very pretty pair of blue pajamas. And about all that I done was run my head off running down one thing first then another.  After seeing how long all the officers had their fingers in the pie of trying to run things I sure hope that we don’t have another one very soon.

My Captain Skinner left today for a special course at Mayo’s and he is going to be gone for 6 weeks and I am quite sure that I am not going to like it very much far again there were be everybody’s fingers in the pie again.

Then of course there is my furlough coming up.  The fifteenth and I am looking forward to that as you can well imagine and I am afraid that I shall have to get some money from you since my money is all tied up in bonds but after I come back here I will send you what I owe you then.

The days here recently have been the warmest that I have ever seen and sultryness that I have never seen the likes of.  And these tents here certainly hold the heat.  I sit in ours and just sweat all day just setting there.  This evening it is much cooler here in this old hanger than I thought it would be.  I represent our outfit tonight by having charge of the day room from 4 till 11.  It seems that they keep all of us non coms busy on some kind of duty or another all the time on something.  There are only thirteen of us here.  It seems that I had so much to say and now when I get around to writing this delayed letter.  Did I tell you that Miss Mosher sent me a very delicious box of Sees candy.  Also while on bivouac.  I received a letter from Mrs. Matson and the pictures of Jonny and they were certainly good ones of him, he looks quite grown up.  Well my time is about up here this evening so will write some more tomorrow.

I have returned from town this evening and for a change it was quite easy to get into town and out again because since the 95^th has gone there no longer is the crowd to contend with but I hear that there is another division coming in soon.

I am going to begin angling for a transfer from here to another more agreeable place where peace and quiet will reside again.  The other evening they had a nice fight which ended up in a stabbing out here in the company street and they sit around here and put him only on seven days restrictions for it.  But that follows their old way of doing nothing about the discipline around here.  And the Sgts here don’t know any better to begin with.

There is one of the boys that is going with me on my furlough here, talking it over about how and when etc.,  Of course that is the main topic of decision write is four that are going that way.

They are having a dance over at the Recreation Hall tonight and they are having quite so I had better go to my tent and try and get some sleep.  Sorry my letter is so late and confusing.  Take care of yourself.

Love, your son

June 20, 1943

Cpl Stanley W Safford

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

Dodd Field

Ft Sam Houston

Texas

June 20, 1943

My dear Mother:

Here I am again on Sunday and again on CQ.  It seems that my every nine days comes around quite frequently but time does fly. And it has been quite a mad house here this last week.

My captain has been in the hospital this last week and instead of him or his usual two hands there has been about twenty in everything that we have attempted to do and what a mess.

We as I have told you before are going on the three days bivouac tomorrow and they all have their own individual impractical ideas on how it should be run.  And the lieutenants here who have been on them have nothing to say per usual.

I am not going to even try and write while out for it will be too much trouble. But will write as soon as I return.

The other day the entire 95^th Division had perhaps their final review anyway here at Fort Sam Houston and I had half a notion to go up on the post and see it because it is something which a person if possible should see.  I think that there were about fifteen generals present.  I will try and send you a picture of some of them in this letter.  You know that the Division should have about 15,000 in it and with all their equipment and trucks they would make quite a show.

I went in a grand style to the post several days last week.  Went in four times in one day.  I had to go to the Post Surgeon office, Hospital, Post Headquarters, Service School, Finance Office and then here.  And what amuses me is the fact that I am saluted time and time again, because it is usually only officers that use a command with a white star painted on the car in four places: doors, top and rear deck.

The picture of the Amaryllis was very good although they both could have been a little more developed or something wrong with them.

Yes, we have heard of the Zoot Suit gangs in LA.  Pictures in the papers etc showing in the jails etc the various members of the gang.

Your question on the Group here are perhaps some that nobody knows much about.  There is already one of this kind of Group in Africa, one in England.  We only have one of these for each army and some tell us that we will be the fifth and others tell us different.

In the Medical Army there are 6 echelons: 1 Battalion Aid Station, 2 Collecting Co., 3 Clearing company, 4. Evacuation Hospital, 6 Receiving hospitals (ex Brooke Gen).

The Aid station is from 3-800 yards from the front.  The collecting is from 12-2000 yards from front.  The Clearing Company is about five to seven miles while the evacuation hospital on where the nearest port or anything of that type is.  There is one clearing station for each Division. There is a collecting Co for each Regiment.

I received a letter from Cousin Gertrude the other day and she tells me that Dad’s Aunt Edith’s husband in Chicago died.  I wonder what she will do now?  Altho I suppose she is quite tired after so many years of worrying.

Will you have some more of the pictures printed of myself on the porch, also you will find enclosed some negatives which you can have five made of each for me.

I received a very nice letter of recommendation the other day from Miss Mosher, which I am going to submit after my return and then hope that it goes thru and is over with before my furlough, because I would hate to have that mess come up when I am not here.

I hope to have another surprise for you upon my arrival home

… seemingly one missing page…

port is etc.

Well it is getting quite late and I must be thinking of going to bed so that I may be able to get up in the morning and awaken the rest of the Co.

I just tried to fix out a letter recommending Capt Skinner for appointment to a Majority but I gave up those letters are a mess so I gave it up and decided to get one of the clerks to do it.  They are all so complicated and I am no typist anyway.

Sgt Ryan my friend here is having quite a time with his application for OCS too.

Well good night and good bye for now.  Will write you upon my return to the camp here.

Love,

Your son,

Stanley