April 30, 1944

Sgt Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

Dodd Field

Fort Sam Houston

Texas

April 30, 1944

Dear Mother:

Again another week has rolled by and I have not written you a letter.

The weather has been very changeable and therefore everyone but myself seems to have colds etc.  It will be very warm one day and turn very windy and cold in a couple hours time. Yesterday morning it was very cloudy and looked like rain until about noon when it turned hot and sultry, but again today it looked like rain until about lunch when it started to rain and lasted for about a half hour but has not rained since.

I sincerely hope that I never put the idea of my getting married into your heads, so do not worry about any surprise wedding or otherwise as I do not contemplate such a move until the very far distant future if then.  And as for my going with girls, I am not and do not plan on doing so here or anywhere as long as I remain in the army.

I gave the cymbidium to Major Grubin to take home as after it had been here a couple days it looked rather beaten and it got too warm for them.  Mrs. Grubin thought them very nice.

What date is Muriel’s birthday?  I seem to have forgotten just whether it is the 1^st or the 2^nd of June.

In answer to your question regarding the Bond Tour.  The officers and enlisted men put on a surgical demonstration of some kind three or four times a day and someone of them gives a little speech of some kind regarding the work which they are supposed to be doing.  They carry signs telling how many $25 War Bonds such and such cost, example “Surgical Truck – 2000 - $25 War Bonds” and on down the line instruments and all.

Surgical truck

Enclosed you will find some pictures clipped from the Post paper of our Group and the Surgical Tent which is part of the truck.  As you see the tent is actually two tents one white one (floor and all) with a black one over it.  It takes about forty five minutes to set it up.

As you say in your last letter, it begins to look as tho we will be here for some time and I am inclined to think the same with in view of the things which have taken place here lately.

You asking about how a person’s jaw is wired.  Wires are put around each tooth until all teeth from the wisdom tooth out about six teeth upper and lower are wired on each, then elastic bands are placed over the hooks in such a way to apply traction to the desired place.  I may be able to draw you a diagram here which may help.

   

Some day I will send home a clay model of wired teeth which they have quite a few of around here.

The red pullets are really doing quite well when they are laying so young.  Are the hens still as fat as ever when you kill them?

I have always felt that early chickens layed much sooner.  Remember how some of our late ones waited until so late to lay.  Have you heard how the Freemont livestock affair is coming along?  They were building the pens when I was home.

Received a letter from Aunt Dell the other day and she said she does not see Cousin Gertrude very often since Gertrude has so much work and social things to do.

The clippings which you enclosed were very interesting especially the one regarding the Pearl Harbor fraud.

Sgt Rapp the Mess Sgt is getting a place here on the Post for his wife who is coming down about the middle of next month.  I am going to help him clean it up and get it ready.  We are going over to look over the inside tomorrow we saw the outside the other day.

I guess that Marshall figures she should finish her schooling as she only has a short time to go and I don’t believe she is so very young.  He tells me she is about nineteen and very small and barely five feet and a regular spitfire.  He seems to be quite happy and in the best of spirits about the whole affair.  He, I imagine, was quite lonesome and I guess still is.

The saber has no history to my knowledge but it just took my eye.

Yes I can well imagine the junk that has accumulated on the back lot and the great job it has been and will be in getting it cleaned off.  I do not envy the person any.  I am sending in my subscription for the Reader’s Digest tomorrow.  I guess the woman there in LA is not going to call, so will go ahead and send it myself.

Well enough news for now and I close with a tired hand after writing such today.

Always

You son

Stanley

PS – separate page – small

I can just see Jay having a good time making over his will and having a big kick out of it.  What is he doing now disinheriting someone again? I can never put much faith into anything which is so public.

I can just see Marie’s house never a thing out of place and just up to the minute.  I feel the same as you do about her in hoping she has to come down to earth some day.  Imagine her conceit!

April 10, 1944

Sgt Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

Dodd Field

Fort Sam Houston

Texas

April 10, 1944

Dear Mother:

I had better get this letter written off to you or you will begin to wonder if I am ever going to write you.  We are engaged now in the classification of our enlisted men and that is a huge job.  We are also starting a few more carts etc for a forthcoming inspection this weekend.  It seems that we are no sooner done with one when another one comes along.  I get rather tired of the entire mess since a few of us get all the work and the balance of the company lay around with nothing else to do.

The weather here has taken a very sudden change. Where we previously had a lot of cold damp weather we have the beginning of the extreme heat.  Saturday afternoon when I was visiting Sgt Ryan at the hospital a very sudden lightning and thunderstorm started and it started a fire on the other side of the Post.  And it just poured for a while and after it let up it cleared off and it has been nice ever since, in fact too nice.

Sgt Ryan will be in the hospital from 6-8 weeks.  He has t(h)ree fractures of the face and they have his mouth wired shut for traction.  He tells me he is going to take a vacation while he has the chance.

Received the very delicious box of candy and the attractive Easter card.  The candy is all very good and to my opinion you have not lost your touch for candy making.  The card was very nice. Received cards from Miss Mosher, Aunt Dell, the Chipmans and others.

Also received a nice letter from Joe.  I got the pictures off to them about a week ago.  So very glad to have all of that done. Received a nice letter from Mrs. Matson and the picture back from Jay.

He was telling me about the other friends of Nina’s being there.  He seemed to think that “Duke” had been given the seat of honor at the table but said that it did not bother him.  Don’t repeat this or he may hear of it. So I autographed the picture and returned it yesterday.

I received a card I guess from Muriel also.  The envelope had not even been sealed and she had not even signed her name. Where was her head when she mailed that?

I hope you have received the money orders by now.  I am out on a campaign to save money.

Does Aunt Maibelle have any chickens of any kind now?  She, as you say, will not have patience to keep from working.  She has to keep busy.

I should hear from Marshall soon as he should have received the picture by now.  I suppose George does get very lonesome all by himself down there.  It certainly surprised me to hear of Marshall’s marriage.  I just never thought of him as getting married so soon.  But he of course is old enough.  I am no longer so very young myself.  I guess I judge others by myself and there are a lot of people getting married younger than myself.  Do not let this worry you and make you think I am contemplating marriage now.  Ha! Ha! About half the company here is married and more of them engaged every day.  And the families are quite numerous.

Have Marie and Leland gotten moved into their house as yet?

While mentioning Leland reminds me to ask if the tennis racket of his is still there at the house?  I may want to use one if I can get a hold of one.

Part of our unit is in Fort Worth on a Bond selling mission and I would have liked to have gone but no suck luck for me.  I remain here.  I would like to see Fort Worth.

I imagine that the company will be all gone by the time you get this letter and you will be rather tired.

Not to change the subject but I really like the tie which you sent and it will be a nice one for summer wear.  We are going to start wearing khaki tomorrow, although the wool has not been quite as hot as it was prior to going into khaki last year.  The tie is almost an officer’s color but will go well with my own shirt.

Major Skinner flew to Chicago in the middle of the week and he will be back in two weeks.  He is flying both ways and has a good priority.  He was able to save so much time with the slow and poor trains.

Major Kuhns is back on Detached Service now and most of the others are also gone.  So I guess that we will sit here for a while this summer and enjoy Dodd Field.  Most of us (officers & em) would much rather be here than in India or elsewhere of that type.

Well enough for tonight and thanks again for all the nice things and I will write again soon.

All my love,

Stanley

October 28, 1943

Sgt Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

Dodd Field

Ft Sam Houston

Texas

October 28, 1943

My dear Mother:

A whole week has gone since last I wrote you and I decided that since it was Saturday and the work is all done, anyway, as far as I am concerned for the week-end.  I spent the entire afternoon running around and working while everyone else got the afternoon off as usual on Saturday.

I received the box of cookies and candy today and I want to thank you for them.  From what I gather Muriel had something to do with it also. Thank her for me. And I shall have to write her very soon.

This morning we got up to a very cloudy and dismal looking atmosphere, but this afternoon it turned out quite nice and warm, and it was quite nice up on the post when I was riding around and everything was all the nice and new and bright colors of autumn, which of course is something new around here for a change.  The country around here is so very beautiful this time of year.  The other day we went out on a short one day excursion into the surrounding countryside where there are some very beautiful oaks and above all some very large and old Wild Pecan trees which are just beginning to shed the largest fruit of the year and we spent the largest part of our time out there hunting and knocking out of the trees, after which time we would sit down and crack and eat them and were they delicious and they certainly have a fresh and good flavor.  Those which have fallen on the ground are never any good for the squirrels or field mice and worms always get them first.

How have the Pea seed which I got for Dad doing or has he as yet planted any of them. They should be very good for this time of year.  Let me know how they are coming along.  Also how are the Cymbidiums coming along.  Did the new leaves ever come up where the one was broken out when I was home.

I suppose Richard Miner is really painting the town red while he is home. He very likely will spend very little time at home and they very likely see very little of him.

I was so glad upon receiving your Air Mail today to hear of how well Aunt Nina is getting along.  It would be awful for Uncle Bill to go real bad now along with the rest of the trouble that they have now.  I would really like to see them settle down and get a home of their own and take things easier.

Tomorrow I am planning on going to the post Chapel to hear some more organ music and a soloist of some kind which should be very good.

Have you as yet seen the pictures which were taken while out at Miss Mosher’s.  She said that she was going to send you some copies and I was just wondering.  They really turned out very good.

The other evening I did take time out to go to Mrs. Tedesco’s house and help them make some masks and mine turned out quite well.  Gladys is staying there with her now until she moves into her own home again.  You asked regarding Lt Tedesco’s grade.  He is a 1^st Lt and awaiting to become a Captain.  He is in the Chemical Warfare Service and is Chemical Officer for Tarran(?)t Field, at Fort Worth, Texas.

Yes, I received a very nice letter from Nelson and he writes quite nice letters.

Also while there she showed me the new additions to her set of silver (Sterling) which she recently got.  She now has a complete set for twelve and it is the “Chantilly” pattern which I think is very pretty.  Have you ever seen any of it?

Were the guavas (feijoa sellowiana) the same kind which I brought home from school a couple of times?  They always make very good jelly.

Well the news which I have has just about run out so will close for now and will write again very soon.

So good night for now.

As always,

Your son

Separate sheet inserted in the envelope:

Here is one of those separate sheets.  Your mentioning the letters of Florence.  As always she knows more than anyone else about someone else’s affairs and why she is told by her father is more than I can see.  He certainly puts up with a lot from his other two children.  And of course as you stated Marie and Leland buying an $8000 home.  Of course as you say they still have to keep up a front.  And I am beginning to think that he is just as bad as she is.

Maybe they can take care of Grandpa for awhile now and take him off your hands for awhile as well as some of their junk which you have had for years.  And when the git moved in you be sure and stop in for Sunday sinner a couple times and make sure you are very tired when dish washing time comes.

Of course she will very likely have to have a maid along with the rest of the things.  When they get through they will have quite an expensive affair out of it.  Well I could go on all night on this topic so will close.

What do you think of the Blue lining?