July 4, 1945 - France

Sgt. Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

APO 339

c/o Post Master

New York  New York

Marseille Area, France - 17

July 4, 1945

Dearest Mother:

Again this afternoon I will write you a few lines and let you know I am still here, and have not been blown away or covered with dust, which the air has been full of the last three days.  Everything from fine sand to particles of gravel have been in the air making everything miserable.

In regards to your questions about my preference of directions.  I think as you do that it would be better to go direct there than home.  It would be much harder the way home first.

Our unit is changing quite rapidly.  Major Grubin is gone.  Major Kuhns is leaving and a good many of the other familiar faces are going.  It will not be the same.

The candy covered walnuts are certainly good.  They have kept when all else has melted.

Received a letter from Muriel telling me of our recent school etc.  One today from Frances and a couple days ago one from Miss Mosher’s niece.

Yes, you are right about us seeing planes in abundance over here.  They have gone over for hours at times in the past, especially when we were near Eindhoven.

Tales are rampant over here whenever Patton is mentioned.  A couple o my friends here worked on teams with the 3^rd Army Hospitals.  He is quite a character.

Have heard no further from Ed Pfan(?) or Herbert Shaffer.  They both owe me letters.  One which I wrote while still at Ft Sam and Herbert was sent a Xmas card last Xmas.  I can no longer be bothered with that type of people.  So busy themselves.  And Jay is another one.  He can just wait.  I am in no mood to write most of the time recently.  Condition here are not at all favorable for writing.

I again giving lectures.  My first one was Tuesday, entitled “History of China”, others will follow later on Japan etc.

Muriel also tells me of Blair’s house being sold and to whom . Witzel really has his nerve.

I want you to send me my brown swimming trunks (short style) and a good pair of sunglasses, which you may have trouble getting.  You will have to pay a good price for them but you can charge to my account.  Polaroid are good ones. Use your own judgment of course.  Do not send until I ask again.

You should have received the 1 June money order by now.

I am going to make plans to see Lloyd Whelchel soon if possible.  I wonder is I will recognize him.  Tell you the details later.  Don’t you have his last address.

Enclosed you will find some negatives which you can have prints of each made and send them to me when I ask for them.  There will be more to follow these.  They are some taken at Bad Salzuflen and Bielefeld.

I am looking forward to getting another letter from you today, as I have not received one from you for some time.

I suppose Richard has reached home by now.  Give him my regards.

Well all for now.  Hope this reaches you all in good health and happy.

All my Love,

Your son

Stanley

10(ten) negatives enclosed.

July 15, 1943

Cpl Stanley W Safford

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

Dodd Field

Ft Sam Houston

Texas

July 15, 1943

My dear Mother:

Here I am on CQ tonight and tonight is the night that I would be leaving for home if things had worked out as planned. But instead I am here  Tonight I am going to have the job of handing the others who are going on furlough their furlough papers and that can not be done until twelve o’clock tonight.

This stationary here that I am using is some that someone has left in some of our supplies so I decided to use it to a good advantage.

You perhaps are right in the last paragraph of your last letter in trying to think that it is for the best which I am in a way beginning to think that it is really for the best since the last few days things have been really happening around here for me and I am in a way very glad that it is happening now instead later when my furlough is supposed to arrive.  Well what is happening is that my OCS application which was turned in a week ago last Monday has gotten into action and it has really surprised me because of its suddenness.  Well Tuesday this sent me notice to appear before the Reviewing Board on Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 so up I went yesterday and after the board I went up for a physical examination and am going to finish it up tomorrow morning so it does look promising for me for awhile anyway.  So I am in high hopes for awhile anyway.

That is about all that I have done the last few days is chasing that business down and will not be done with it very soon either.

 And then this afternoon I recorded three sets of grades in the little black books which are supposed to contain everything when they are completed and they are certainly a big lot of work and quite difficult to understand very well.  And the Major has other ideas that are just as bad if not worse and the more complicated the better.  All we can set and do is sweat and worry about how to straighten out some other mess of the day before and then the next minute I am on the run down to the New School room where there is always confusion and a bigger mess.  And then the next minute I spend going once Training Film material with some dope office or trying to read some terrible hand writing which most of them have here and the next time I am trying to start the clerk off on something.  I received a letter from Miss Mosher today and enclosed were a couple pictures which she took of the tulips and roses.

You mentioning Ed Pfare does remind me that I do owe him a letter but when it comes right down to it I really don’t care if I do answer his letter very soon.  He took his time about answering my last one to him and when he did he had some sarcastic remarks about my PFC which I then had and then he goes on to tell how terribly busy he is and then in the next paragraph all about all the shows, stage and screen and of the concerts and operas so he can’t be more busy than myself and he never writes any more than a page.

Outside there are some troops going out on a night march of some type and it is now ten o’clock so I believe that I will close for the evening and write some more tomorrow when I feel a little more rested and quiet.  Good night.

Here it is again the end of another day and almost the end of another week.

After coming home from the hospital this afternoon I went to the mess hall and ate supper after which I went to my tent and layed down and dosed off to sleep and woke up just a few minutes ago to find that the boy who lives in the tent with us who has been on furlough to Santa Paula, Calif. had just gotten in and he was quite pleased with his trip home.

Well, the news certainly sounds very good now and I hope that it will continue that way and be all over in a short time and then I can forget OCS and return home to the things that I really like.

I have been recently doing nothing other than running an office and that work is far distant from anything that I ever thought I would be doing but it is good experience for me I suppose.

What is Richard Miners grade now that he has graduated?

I sure hope that Nelson is still around when I do get my furlough for I also would like very much to meet him.

The trip to Big Bear would do you good, why don’t you go along?

I can well imagine that the corn is very delicious and perhaps we can have some boughten(?) corn when I get home because we have had corn on the cob here only once or twice and you know how fond of it I am.  We get so few things of that type here and sometimes what we do get the cooks always manage to ruin.  We have a good baker or two.  But I guess that we are lucky to have even them with the mess everything else is in,

Well had better close now and go to bed so take care of yourself and don’t worry.

Love as always,

Stanley