March 2, 1945 - Germany

Sgt. Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

APO 339

c/o Post Master

New York  New York

Germany

March 2, 1945

Dearest Mother:

Have here your letter of February 9, the last I have from you, and am looking forward to the next ones.

The day outside is indeed a funny one.  The weather seems to be the type that just can’t make up its mind whether Spring is here or whether it wants to return to Winter.  Every time I go outside here I get a feeling of tragedy or something as thee are buildings all around here full of holes and things are so desolate and forlorn.   I saw the first bird in some time outside a few minutes ago.  The trees are coming out in buds, that is the ones still standing and the bulbs are coming up thru the rubbish piles.  The garden in the rear of the house is again coming to life.  The rhubarb and strawberries are coming to life again along with all the other things.  The street out in front is knee deep with mud and everywhere else there is vehicles we have mud.  Quite a place we are in or can you imagine it? It does seem strange tho that matters is still showing thru even after all the destruction caused by man.

Near us here is a church which has been quite nice when new.  Built quite recently of quite modern design.  It is deserted now but still beautiful in a way.  Some of the windows are still hanging in sections by the lead work.  No, I never caught a car in the subway terminal.  It is quite a place tho.

Yes, I had thought of being home a year ago when the date rolled by and I wish I were home again, but I suppose it will be some time before I get home again, as the things look to me now.

The Knotts Berry Farm story is quite interesting and is quite unusual.  Rather interested to know why it was started.

We are living of the Germans here and find them quite comfortable, considering the time and place.  They of course had to leave everything behind so a lot of furniture is being used by us.  Some of it is quite nice and other is just a lot of junk.  And a lot of course was ruined.

Enclosed you will find some more pictures which you may seeing.  You can put them away for me or keep them yourself.  I will send the negatives later. 

Will close for this time.  Hoping this first you well , I remain with

All my Love

Stanley

April 17, 1944

Sgt Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

Dodd Field

Fort Sam Houston

Texas

April 17, 1944

Dear Mother:

Again the week end has gone by and I did not write you.  In fact I am quite a few days behind in writing.

I laid in bed yesterday until late and barely got up in time for lunch.  Received your nice long letter of the 12, yesterday along with a three page typewritten one from Joe.  His letter of course was very interesting.  I have been worn out here lately more of the sudden heat which we have had the three or four day.  We are getting the heat from now on I suppose.  The heat has not been so very hard or anything, only we have had a lot of cross checking etc to do.

You mentioned going to church or rather liking to go Easter.  I did go Friday but laid in bed Sunday as usual.  I enjoyed the sermon very much but liked to have fallen asleep while or before the evening was over.

Did I mention to you previously that I had bought a new fountain pen, a Parker lifetime.  I think that it is a very nice one and have put it away for a while.  I am still looking for a Parker “51” for Dad. They of course are a little more expensive than mine.

We sent off 25 of our enlisted men today on a two months Bond selling tour, they may be gone even for a longer period of time.  And from what I hear the balance will go to Detached Service about the First of May.

Enclosed you will find a clipping which I saved from our storm of a couple of weeks ago.  You may be interested in it.  A couple of the boys got letters from New York with some of the pictures which had appeared in the papers there.  They all gave a nice flowery story of all the damage.

A lot of the boys arrived back from furlough over the week end. And two of them got married while home.  One of them I know fairly well.

I was up to see Sgt Ryan yesterday and I think he is really enjoying the hospital.  He is feeling much better and they have still got his jaws wired which makes it very hard to talk clearly.  He is making all kinds of yarn rugs etc.

I will get all of my Income tax material home to you provided I can get a hold of a blank short form to put this year’s figures on.  By rights you should pay on the amount of interest which you could received as part of the interest on my bank account.  Had you thought of it as yet?

How is Aunt Nina enjoying her freedom now that she is no longer working?

Yes, I want to go to Knotts Berry Farm[1] again for I sure enjoyed it there the once we were out.

The hoodlums are just now coming in from the baseball game.  They have baseball games(s) on the brain now and don’t seem to think of anything else.  They all can spend more money running all the way across town than any outfit I know of.

Well enough for now as I have no more news.

Good Night,

Love,

Stanley

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[1] In 1928, Cordelia Knott's tea room and berry market, named Knott's Berry Place, opened on their family farm.  In 1932, Walter Knott created a new berry, a cross between the red raspberry, blackberry and loganberry. He named it the boysenberry, in honor of his friend Rudolph Boysen..  Two years later, Mrs. Knott began serving her famous chicken dinners.  Since then, more than 200 million guests have visited the park.  The park was acquired by Cedar Fair, L.P. in 1997.  Knott's Soak City, USA, a 13-acre water park adjacent to the amusement park, opened in June of 2000. http://www.coastergallery.com/GA/knotts.html

Dodd Field, Ft Sam Houston

soldiers holding baseball sized hail

ized hail