June 4, 1945 - Germany

Sgt. Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

APO 339

c/o Post Master

New York  New York

 

Wiedenbruck, Germany  -  14

June 4, 1945

Dearest Mother :

After another short trip from Bielefeld to here at headquarters which took place on the 31, I will write a few lines this evening.  I wrote an unnumbered letter the day of my departure, since I had already packed my things.

I seem to be missing one of your letters, a number 18.  I have your letters 19, 20, 21 and 22 which I received today.

The other day I mailed home the water color I previously mentioned.  I mailed it between two sheets of plywood with the balance of the portrait pictures.  One of them on the sand colored paper is for you.  Some of them are awful.  The boys on Sgt Ryan X-Ray team made them for me .  Also mailed home was a box containing all my winter clothes with sleeping bag liners (sheeting) etc.  Also enclosed were some pictures you can put away for me.  There is a roll or two of developed film which if you want any of you can have made for yourself.  There is also another roll which is marked and you can have one print made of each for me.

In regards to me being heavier.  I my be some, especially after my recent life of luxury.

The porcelain I am glad to hear of reaching home.

The shoes were bought shortly before leaving San Antonio, and have only been worn over here in Paris.  I like them very much.

The porcelain came from a once beautiful collection.

Yes the Lantana was certainly a mess and I often had a mind to remove it but never did.  I would like very much to have seen the Nile lily in bloom, even tho I have seen them before.  They are quite an attraction.  Did the flies bother them any?

Have here the card in an envelope telling me of the subscription to Readers Digest & Time (Pony Edition) as coming from Dad and yourself.  You really should not do these things for me.  You have already done so very much.

Last Sunday they had here for the first time in eight years the “Corpus Christi” celebration and ceremony in the churches.  A Catholic thing, and as always very elaborate and colorful.  With the bishop under a canopy carried by church dignitaries.  The altar boys in their costumes, the sisters and all the little girls dressed in pure white with garlands in their hair.  The people of the church fell into the procession behind.  Some of the robes and banners were certainly nice.  There was a path of flowers down the street and garlands overhead.  The houses along the way had each one constructed an individual altar on their doorsteps.  Something very new to me and worthwhile seeing.

You are certainly right about the mixed up relations a lot of people are going to have with the return home of the soldiers.  Most of them had no business ever getting married to begin with.

Don Finley is quite lucky to be able to go on to school for the Navy. But it may be indicative of a discharge any or none too soon.

You sending me the picture was alright, but I intended you one for yourself.  I can always send this one to someone.  The picture was taken of myself with my fur jacket while I was still at Neuhaldensleben up near Magdeburg in March or April.

From time to time I will write of things in the past which I think will be of interest to you.

Yes, our group may move on rather soon as you mentioned in letter 20.  But as to the shortage of some, I often wonder.  We could get along very well without all of our nurses tho.  They have been nothing but excess baggage and trouble ever since our departure from the US.  For the good some of them are the rest offsets it.

Aunt Dell tells me in the last letter that Gertrude is back from Florida, but has been none too well.

The Amaryllis would perhaps be better if repotted in a larger pot but no great hurry.  They quite often bloom a little better if pot bound.

Yes the news of the Prentice separation.  As you say “Big Shots”.  Was no great surprise to me.

I wish Jay would say something to me about not writing him.  I always make it a point to answer his letters quite soon.  I could very well drop him and spend all my time on other letters.  He has his nerve.

Very glad to hear of Mrs. Miner hearing of Richard.  She told me in her last letter that she worried so much about it at times that she could not be still.  All of them were marched around away from the Russians.

The Avocado tree perhaps is quite useless and should be replaced by something else of more value.  I always wanted a Jacaranda in the parkway in front.  Why don’t you get a good fruit tree or shade tree for the place behind garage.  Of course it is too late for bare root trees now.

Perhaps sooner than expected I may have the chance of seeing Nelson again.  Distances are not so great for us.

Thanks for the Air Mail stamps enclosed in some of your last letters.  Received the correct number according to each letter.

Find enclosed a couple stamps for my collection.

Hope this find you all well and hope you remain so.  My next letter will follow soon as I have the time.

All my Love,

Stanley

Also enclosed one fifty dollar ($50) money order

20 February 1945 - Holland

Sgt. Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

APO 339

c/o Post Master

New York  New York

2

Holland

20 February 1945

Dearest Mother:

Received today your most welcome letters of January 22 and February 2 and they answered a lot of my questions previously asked.  I am also quite relieved to hear of the $35 money order.  Now you have one more on the way which was mailed yesterday.

You mentioned nothing of the amounts involved etc. in the will I am rather curious although I have no reason to be so.

The weather outside here today is quite muddy since it has rained for the last two days and just the other day it looked like real Spring.  Anyway nature is getting ready as the buds are all swelling and will be ready when Spring does arrive.

Also received the Air Mail stamps which were enclosed in both letters.

Also very glad to hear of the allotment and Bonds finally getting all straightened out and in order.  Any of the money orders sent I want you to use them or deposit them to my account and use them for the purchase of stock or such things.  I am glad to hear of you thinking of buying more.  They are for me money better than the bank or War Bonds.

We were playing cards here at the house with the people the other evening.  We had a very enjoyable time topped off with some very good wine with cherries etc in it.  The wine was currant.  You remember how I liked the currant wine Clarence[1] brought down with him a few years ago.

We are going to work tonight and without a doubt will be up all night as we are First Call.  Last night we were Third Call, so slept.

We have been issued new sleeping bags and they are rather nice if a person can prevent himself from being entangled in it as it has a habit of becoming trusted around the sleeper.  We have just laid our sleeping bags on the matters which is on the bed in our room.  So we are quite comfortable.

Dad taking the fruit trees etc to the desert is a very good idea.  They should do alright if they are not eaten up, and have a mild winter the first year.  Were they not rather expensive?  Did you get any kind of a discount?

In looking over Gertrude’s last letter she tells me he was in England and expecting to be sent over here.  Did you know he was here?

I met a nurse here who knows Gaylord Hess[2] in Chicago.  She says he has a special incubator that they were using at St Luke’s where she worked.

Yes, I remember the Camillia “Franciscus.  Very beautiful.  Also very expensive variety.

Well can think of not much more tonight so will close for now.

I heard from Susanna Ingram.  Their three are really doing well.  Funny about those kids.

Well good bye for now.  Take care of yourself and the same for the rest of the family.

All my Love,

Stanley

PS:

Yes, I think you are right about the desert trip you should be the one to take a vacation once in a while.  Very hard for me to understand why she should care so much about going up there is more than I know.

Very amusing about the chick from Florence.  You are perhaps right about it.

Enclosed find four notes

 – 3 Luxembourg

-          1 – 10 francs

-          1-20 francs

-          1-50 francs

- 1 German

-          1-100 marks 1908

Signing off.

Note from the Transcriber:

CODE: SITTARD

---

[1] Clarence WILDE

[2] Gaylord HESS, son of Charles Hess and Bertha Safford, b Mar 1890, Newton Co. IN.  Bertha Safford was Stanley’s paternal GreatAunt, making Gaylord and Stanley 1^st cousins once removed.

January 10, 1944

Sgt Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

Dodd Field

Fort Sam Houston

Texas

January 10, 1944

Dear Mother:

I am writing you from the tent where I sleep, an the surrounding here are much different than they would be at the office.

I would rather come down here with the fire going in here than to try and build a fire in the office.

The weather here has been very changeable of late.  We had some very cold weather here, in fact it froze ice and did not warm up the next two days.  I wore my sweater both days around the office.  Now this evening it looks very much like rain and very likely will be tomorrow morning.

Received your letter of the 6^th today and I really like the “Blue Hour” perfume scent.  Mrs. Tedesco had some which was called “Blue Carnation”. Someday I will get a small bottle of it for you.  It is very nice.

Say, did Marshall mention his forthcoming marriage to you in his letter? I received a letter from him a couple days after my last letter to you was posted.  It really took me by surprise, and especially him.  From what I gather she is from Utah and he hopes to have her out on the coast before long.  Well, how time does fly, and things happen!

The cymbidium you speak of “Trexie” is supposed to be pink and a rather rare variety.

Well the 5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group is falling to pieces by slow degrees.  We just had ten officers (of our 29) taken away from us, and the Col. Still sits there and thinks he is all ready to go, what a laugh.

All I have done all day is work on charts of one kind or another and how I get tired of them as well as have the arm ache after writing so much.

Received a letter from Lottie today in answer to my New Year’s card.

Yes those drain tubes you speak of being used in Ed Smith are really a mess, there is always something happening to them.  We even had a couple drain tubes in a couple of the dogs here.  I never had the occasion to help Maj Skinner since something has always come up to prevent him from coming down.

Yes, the last pictures were taken on Kupfer’s camera.  He has a German made Zeiss which is very good as far as cameras go.

I think they are getting ready for the big push since the units are leaving the country by the dozens.  That was where the officers were going that left here, to fill up units where they are needed now.

I guess Muriel can give my address to her sailor friend if she wishes to, it may be interesting.

Well my bed time is very near so I shall close for now and more tomorrow morning.  Good night.

Jan 13, 44

Maybe eventually I will get this letter done and on its way.  It rained all night and then froze this morning and everything is frozen stiff.  Right now outside it is snowing very nicely and everything has a very thin coating of white over it.  I can look out thru the crack and see it beginning to fall a little heavier.

Received a letter from Miss Mosher today and her family has been having quite a bit of sickness, flu etc.

I went to church last evening with one of the boys here who belongs to the “First Free Methodist” church and listened to a sermon by a pastor who has been all over the world, and his home is Los Angeles.  He had snow white hair and goatee which made him look very distinguished.

We spent all day yesterday, moving, taking out and bringing in of furniture for the office here.

After another break of going over and tangling with one of the Jew Lts. Up on the Post.  I will go one with this. Why they have those kikes around is more than I know.  This one has been a 2^nd Lt ever since I have been here and from the way people here speak of him he will be one for some time yet to come.

I am very glad to hear that the cymbidiums are beginning to show signs of life and really amount to something.

I just finished running thru a letter for the construction of a gate to keep the animals we have around here from bothering our neighbors in their classroom.  Sgt Ryan has asked for it several times and the 1^st Sgt seems not to take heed so I write out a letter and take it to the major in Headquarters and we will see the 1^st Sgt then.  The signature will go over them all.  I get tired in a way of all these things having to be done over other people’s heads, but that is the only way sometimes and I can get them done quite easily that way.

The blotter of “Blue Hour” is places in one of my boxes of stationary and I hope will leave a nice fragrance.

The balance of this letter has been written on company time, but I have put in so much time over time for them that it does not make much difference.

Closing now, I remain as always your loving son,

Stanley

Additional sheet of paper as a “PS”

In the letter from Lottie C, the other day which I never expected to receive since I only sent a New Year’s card with my name.

Yes, she writes a lot like Florence (does) with all the “Dear Mom” and “Dear Mother Gertrude” etc.  She seems quite pleased that Virgil[1] was able to be there with you folks for Christmas, and as always she wants me to write.

Will you tell Muriel that the word “powder” is not spelled “power”?  Her last letter was a fright as far as spelling etc go.  And all she talks about is this boy or the other.

What is coming of her and Frances and a few others like them?

---

[1] Virgil Chipman, pictured here with Muriel

April 1, 1943

PFC Stanley W Safford
Co "B" Med Serv Sch.
Barracks No 3
Ft Sam houston
Texas

April 1, 1943

My dear Mother:

Here I am again in the Service Club library again starting a letter to you which I should have started a couple days ago, but we again have been so very busy in the Ward that when I finally get all done and get home and cleaned up.  I do not have so very much time for writing and getting proper amount of sleep although I am not far behind on my letters.  I wrote one to Muriel last night and will enclose this letter the last one I received from her. All our of a clear blue sky she mentioned Nelson saying that he would get her an engagement ring his next pay day which is today I believe.  I wonder how she happened to tell me about it without mentioning it to you also or maybe she has since she last wrote me.  She more than likely will not show you my letter to her. But let me know the results if any.  Anyway I will keep it up.

We had an open house last Monday celebrating the Second Anniversary of the Medical Service School.

We had competitive field drill and a baseball game between the officers and the attached men of Co “A”.  The Co “A” men won by a large margin.  We also had open house in the ward and I did not get out of there until about eight because of the mess that had to be cleaned up and for some reason I was all alone.  Everyone else except the Sgt suddenly were taken down with a headache etc.  The same old story whenever there is work of any kind around.  In the cleaning up I missed a very good chicken dinner so I hear but the other two seemed to get there all right and eat. Then one of them wonders why one of the boys that came here with him is now a Sgt and he still a Pfc.

You mentioning the spinal meningitis going around, well we have had some of it here also, but none of late. For awhile they sent everybody with even a temp to the hospital which of course is a very good idea.  Altho we were not quarantined but we were in danger of it for a while.

That was quite a comic article in your last letter about the dog.

The second bunch of bulbs you speak of our very likely Twink, they are one of my favorite.

Is the pigeon still coming back.  And are you feeding it.  You know here the army has one of the largest pigeon lofts that I have ever seen.  They are all in movable trailers with outdoor cages which may be set up.  They certainly have a pretty bunch of birds.

I was told by the nurse today that I would be here another month but I shall wait and see, you know a person can never tell about the army.

Today we had a dress parade for a Colonel who is head of the General hospital in Atlanta Georgia and before that he and Captain Rosenbaum stood in on my class for a minute or two asking questions.  We sure have enough visiting ranks around here.  They are in and out all the time.

I think your decision about a suit is a wise one for as you say they may be hard to get later.

You mentioning letters from them in the East. Aunt Dell said in her last letter that Cousin Gertrude was a society lady therefore she did not see her very often which may be quite true.  I shall have to very soon write her again and also Aunt Mai Belle. Perhaps send them an Easter card also.

There is sure an interesting article in this week’s Time about how Hoover (ex president) is telling what and how the agriculture of the country has been treated. Quite good in my opinion.

We are going to have the class we are having this week to fill out the term for this group and I will be more than glad to get rid of them.  Some of them are excellent while there are two jews there that will turn anyone’s hair grey.  I had better close now and hoping this finds you well, dear mother. Give my regards to dad and rust.

Your son,

Stanley