Juy 2, 1944

Sgt Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

Dodd Field

Fort Sam Houston

Texas

July 2, 1944

Dear Mother

Received your card of “Olvera Street”[1] today as well as a nice long letter from Mr. and Mrs. Matsons.  Yes, I wish that I were there to enjoy the dinner etc with you.

The Laboratory group next door left yesterday afternoon amid a lot of confusion caused by the post in getting them all cleared.  I really will miss them since they were certainly a wonderful group of boys, in fact much better than our own group is.  They were all a little more educated and read the most important magazines etc.  They could always carry on a good conversation where our group is always at a loss for that. Their POE was changed to Seattle, Wash instead of San Francisco.

We as yet have not gotten our Port call, but when we do we will really move.  You see we will go thru three stages.  First the Staging center then from there (to) the Concentration center, from there the actual POE or port. It should take but a few days for the entire affair.  And we will more than likely get about five days notice to get ready and out of here on our way to the port.  We are certainly scheduled to have a long and heavy train.  We are supposed to have Pullmans but we can very well still sit up all the way.  They already have our seats all numbered and everything else all by the numbers.

Well enough for that, and on to other subjects.

I hear that Mrs. Tedesco is going to go up to Denver to see her folks this month and will return next month.

Our officers and nurses are all going out on a bivouac this coming Tuesday and will be gone overnight.

I certainly hope that they like it for a change. We were originally set to go but they changed their minds at the last moment.

Enclosed you will find a picture which was clipped from the post paper.  I(t) was taken a week ago when we had the award of “Good Conduct” medals.  We stood there and listened to the Colonel and our adjutant speak, and neither one of them can speak worth a clam.  When we came n we were all wringing wet. Also you will find pictures of the surgical truck, which were taken on my camera when they were loading it for shipment to Washington. I gave the original negatives to the front office.  Also a picture of a peacock which is not very good.

My new helper is really a grand improvement and is certainly a well educated person and is so much more efficient than the last Texan which I had in here.

I have accomplished so much more here lately and done it much better. Sgt. Ryan is also in here helping me now on some typing etc.  By the last of next week I should have practically everything done and ready.

I am going to send you some maps home that you may be able to use.  They are rather nice.

The weather has been hot as can be up until this afternoon when it started raining, which should cool things off some.  The weather was fine at the pool earlier today and the water ideal.

I have run out of news for this time so will close and I will keep you posted.

Love,

Stanley

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[1] http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r293/VIEWLINER/1004%20VLTD/OLVLA1.jpg

June 6, 1944

Sgt Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

Dodd Field

Fort Sam Houston

Texas

June 6, 1944

Dear Mother:

Well I never thought that I would ever see France but it looks more so every day.  From the looks of the news there will soon be a lot of action over there and a lot of use for us.

I woke up this morning to hear a lot of noise and the papers were all out with “Invasion” all over the front page but not much else…

Our plans here for the future are that an advance party is leaving the tenth of June for POE and we will follow then some time afterwards.  Major Skinner is one of the three officers and we have not received definite instructions as yet but are quite sure it will be New York or at least the East coast.  The Surgeon General’s office has changed their strategy and are not sending this type of group West.  They are sending much smaller more flexible groups out there.  We are being prepared for warm clothing which is a good indication perhaps of our destination.  I can just see an evening in Paris.

You mentioning moving pictures reminds me of the picture I saw the other evening with Sgt Rapp and his wife.  They had invited me over for dinner and I took them to the show afterwards.  It was more for the reason of her wishing to see it than it was mine.  The picture was “Pin Up Girl” with Betty Grable.  As far as she is concerned I do not like her but the picture was quite beautiful and Hollywood in some places.  They had a couple very good seating numbers which were really quite nice.

Well the other day my OCS deal finally bounced back due to our dear unit here.

They were never enthused regarding it so therefore gave me no cooperation.  Major Grubin was quite mad about it and told me that it was practically all their fault in the personnel office and the colonel’s. So I got back the entire affair all under one cover, excepting a couple letters which were removed for some reason or the other.  I, my hands are washed of that for now.

We have been swamped here the last few days with all the 70 nurses coming in and the rest of our officers.  And I have this dope in here that is no good at all.

I am going to soon be rid of him as soon as the Major gets back.  He has been sick for two days and I was up to see him today and done some work with him.  I had lunch with his wife, son and daughter and they are all quite nice.

I have made out a $25 allotment to become effective in August and to be taken from my pay, of course we get 20% increase for overseas so I will then be drawing $41.25 and even then may have too much.  The government will send 100Lbs of things home for me so I will put all of my things into a locker and mail it all home at one time.  I am making out an elaborate will and power of attorney which you should receive in the next couple of days.  The power of attorney is to you.  The will you can put it in the safe deposit box for me and leave it there.  Find out if it is necessary to file a copy there in the courthouse.  I never dreamed there was so much to a will or the other stuff of that kind.  They tell me I should have had one made out at home.

Major Eskin, who is one of our officers who is in LA now to leave his wife and family there writes back and tells us that there writes back and tells us that there is no place like it.

Sgt Ryan is now back in the unit and is feeling quite well, only the doctors tell him he will not be able to have too much bad usage of his jaw for some time.

How is Maibelle getting long these days? Do you know her address?  If so send it to me and I will try and write her soon.

I feel that if they think enough of me to keep me from OCS they can do a few favours for me soon and give me some consideration and take this dope out of here.  It will be more work but rather do it myself than to have him swooping around here and having to be shown how to do everything.  And that is not all they are going to do for me either before they are through with m. I am going to get all I can, I have made up my mind to that.

Well enough for now and I will write again soon.

I remain as ever,

Love,

Stanley