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

January 10, 1945 - Holland

Sgt. Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

APO 339

c/o Post Master

New York  New York

Holland

January 10, 1944

Dearest Mother:

Will get this off to you today and hope it reaches you as soon as it would have if mailed yesterday.

Outside the window this morning there is a beautiful scene of winter.  The large trees and the smaller evergreens are all as they would be seen on a Christmas card and the dormant shrubs are simply beautiful with the ice and snow here and there are a few little birds sitting in little groups of chirping now and then.

We are now through with the inventory and I am rather glad as we have done the same thing about three times previously and it is becoming worn out by inventory.

Received a letter yesterday from Ray Coates in San Antonio.  He had a nice idea for a Christmas card on V-Mail which he made himself.  The design was of two deer holding up a sign entitled Camp Mystic and above “Greetings from”.  In all a very nice block print accompanied by his photo small size.  At the base he wrote his letter.

As to the plants which I want saved I will start at the side bed on the East side of the house.  I want nothing saved from there.  The East front bed you can save the spider lily and the other bulbs to the right of steps (snowflakes and scilla) also the tuberous if they still exist and take a few of the white crocus aloud the border.

In the West bed front and the driveway strip between house and drive I want nothing saved since there is disease in there and should not be transplanted anywhere.  I can think of only the narcissus and the roses along Miners’ fence and would like some double poinsettias.  They should all be pulled up if you leave.  In the rear bed you can save some of the cacti and the red rose.  Along and around the garage I certainly want the gerberas and perhaps samples of the carnations and I would like the grapes.  In the rear bed along the fence I want the yellow Iris and a few of the purple ones.  In the beds along the fence I want the bulbs.  They perhaps are coming up now and you may have to take them up if so merely heal them in somewhere.

And above all the Iris (Dutch) that are at each end of the bed.  The tree should be destroyed.  The cymbidiums of course should be taken up.  That is the two which are in the ground and placed in pots.  The Caladium (elephant ears) should also go along and also the Nile Lily and the ground orchid next to the Belbergia, the one I had stakes around.  Also the Belbergia (Poor man’s orchid) I want some of.  Otherwise I can think of nothing else other than potted plants and of course things you want.  You should prime back everything you move.  If the bulbs have not come up yet and you are going to move.  Take them up and put them in wooden boxes with soil as they very likely will leave started to sprout.  Then tear the box apart and set them in the ground elsewhere.  This is about all for now on the plants so enough of this.

I saw a very interesting any good picture the other day, entitled “Old Acquaintance” [1]with Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins and found it very good for a change.  That is from the old type of silly card, same old story type.

Well this is now about all I can think of for now and will write more later.

Enclosed find some *4) German stamps which you may add to my collection.

All my Love,

Stanley

---

[1] http://www.threemoviebuffs.com/review/oldacquaintance

March 5 - 7, 1943

Notice the Spanish moss on tree in picture of me (poor one)

March 5, 1943

Dear Mother:

Well I think Spring has been stalled off for a while because the cold weather we had has turned all the fresh little green leaves black and the trees are not too wonderful a sight, and it looked so very nice ans spring like from my barracks window. And the little pasture down below in the valley looks so nice and green and one of these days I shall take a nice little walk following the little stream down to where it joins a larger stream and perhaps spend a very enjoyable afternoon or some morning. This morning when I went out it was practically ready to rain but it cleared off and turned very warm this afternoon.
We have done nothing this week in the practice ward but my classes will begin Monday and from what I hear they are a regular bunch of hoodlums but in the army when a person is given authority he can exercise it very freely if he sees it necessary. I have had a chance to read a book since the first of the week, "Fabulous New Orleans" and it was quite interesting.
I sent one roll of films to the photographer store and had them developed and they turned out quite well and I am rather anxious to see the ones that come out of the roll you have there is one or two on that roll that were taken of me at Camp Barkeley. I am rather curious to hear how they have come out and there are some taken at the Alamo that should be very nice and I am going to take more of them at the Governor's Palace, the River, the Missions and the many other beautiful places here.
I received a letter from Muriel today and she answered my questions quite well regarding Nelson. I will send you the letter and perhaps you may be able to read it providing you are able to make out the misspelled words etc and read the handwriting. She should surely improve her hand writing and become more of a grown woman than a child.

March 7, 1943
Well here it is Sunday morning and I am here in the service club, writing at one of the tables on the balcony. There is a very beautiful dance floor below and a large stage at one end and on both sides there are two balcony like affairs and there are metal tables and chairs along it. When I started this letter they were having a performance down below. The celebrated Don Cossack chorus was performing and they were very good, that is one of the reasons I failed to finish this letter. So I am going to send this by air mail and you will get it sooner.

Last evening the wind was still blowing and was quite cold so when I went into town to meet Ray Coates I took along my overcoat and it surely came in handy. I sure enjoyed being able to see him and we had a very good time. We had dinner and walked and around town for awhile and visited a very nice Mexican shop and while there I sent Mr. and Mrs. Watson a fairly nice inexpensive hand painted Mexican milk pitcher which she can use for a flower vase. I hope she likes it because she is rather funny about the things she likes. One of these days I would like very much to (?) goredown and go across the border into Mexico and then I could get some fairly nice things much more inexpensive although most of the Mexican things I do not like. Of course there are a few that are very nice. Ray and I are planning on seeing each other again in two weeks.

You mentioning a William Tate. The name sounds familiar but I do not remember him. I have made an impression on a lot of people who remember me but I do not remember them.
T received a letter from Joe and your letter yesterday. Joe's letters as usual are always quite interesting. You mentioning me not answering your questions well quite often I do not bring over your old letters when I write so then I often try and answer them all in one letter so after your reading this letter if there are any unanswered one's you ask me again and I will be sure and answer them.

I wonder what Grandpa will think of the brat? He will very likely be overjoyed since his other grandchildren have failed to notice him very much.
Did you notice on the bottom of the Income Tax form I filled out regarding the exemption of my army pay?
I wrote a letter to Jay sometime ago but he has not answered it as yet and as long as he doesn't I will not have to answer again.
You asking if I had heard from any of the boys. Well I hear from Bob Eyman, whom I owe a letter too. But Herbert S and Charles W both owe me letters from what I hear he is not doing too well in the Navy and Charles is still down. Herbert has spent about half his time in the hospital, because of a fall he made and then no sooner got up then he fell again on some old obstacle course of some kind then he took some kind of shots which count bad for him... They in the army here had some trouble of some of the shots. They were giving the person the disease.
I am very well convinced that some of the doctors I have seen around here don't know everything. They can do quite a lot of experimentation in the army.

You wondering what I would think of being here for the duration, well the more I think of it the more I am convinced that I would not be too fond of the place here. They are very slow when it comes to handing out ratings and in all fairness I should be a corporal now but as long as I remain here unassigned and unattached I will be a PFC because they do not have the power here to grant it to me and that would be their excuse if they are asked.

You are right about a 2nd Lt getting $150.00. I don't know where I got the idea.
I am almost to the conclusion that I am going to turn down the Nursing course so there is one other thing left and I am going to see about applying for that next week and see what comes of it. It takes quite a bit of red tape.

I received a letter from Whitney the other day and they have given them something almost like Barkeley. So he is not ahead any by even coming here. And Ray was up in arms about the Medical Corp around here being hard to get anything out of them. after seeing the way the Hospital here is run I am beginning to wonder if I want any part of the Medic's around here. A person is able to get good ratings etc in the newer posts. I understand they are making one of some kind at Santa Anita.
I am looking forward very much towards getting the peanut butter cookies.
I am very glad you liked the grapefruit. Were they pink enough for you or had you expected different?
You speaking of me going elsewhere: they could send me anywhere in the South and not hurt my feeling too much, New Orleans or something. Conditions are terrible in Florida, poor food etc.
Find out from Mrs Barron what the Matsons think of the vase.
Yes the epidemics will be around with so many doctors in the army. Most of the contagious disease cases go to the old hospital.
After the danger of the frost is over you can if you want to cut the entire bunch of gerberas back and then feeding them good with rabbit manure and you find they will do much better if they are forced to go dormant for awhile. Has the cymbidium bloomed as yet?

You are sure getting a lot of rain, more than usual isn't it? Joe speaks of it in his letter also.

You asking about washing: I send all of it to the laundry except my good socks and good handkerchiefs. The laundry soon ruins them for a person. The same as they do everything else they wash.
That was surely an interesting clipping you sent last time.
Surprising some of the old things like that. That are still being carried on as yet after so many years.
One of these days I am going to go out and see at least one of the missions. I then can say that I have seen about all the important things around San Antonio.
Some of the new boys are coming in today and their class will start around the tenth. And when they start the system of the study after hours for the dumb ones I shall also get my finger in keeping them a night or so as their guardian which will include marching them once, keeping them 2 hours and then marching them back.

Is business still holding up at the garage and how is the desert coming along? Did you get more gasoline for the truck if so how much does that entitle you to?
I had better begin thinking of closing now for it is getting late and I will go to bed a little earlier today than usual for I may need the sleep about tomorrow this time.

How is your arm coming?
What have you done regarding seeing another doctor, Don't put it off. And be sure and take good care of yourself and don't let yourself become sick.

Give my regards to the rest of family. Good night

Your son, Stanley

January 30, 42

January 30, 42

My Dear Mother:

Well I am quite homeless this evening. That is, from our regular barracks. This evening I have my belongings in one of the other barracks across the court. This morning after inspection the Major told us to go in and get our belongings such as shaving articles etc., which we were supposed to have packed and that we did not need much – only 24 hours, and to fall out and we would sleep in the Assembly Hall tonight. Well, that was the first we had heard of it and we had nothing prepared. We had heard that they were going to fumigate but not this soon. So pandemonium broke out and we had to hurry and get our things out and the boys had already left for the hospital some 150 of them from our section and they had no way of getting into their lockers when they came in this evening so some of us took a few of their things for them. I took one of my friends shaving things for him but I could not get into his locker for his coat. And I grabbed my case which I keep packed all the time and out I flew. We had to tear our beds apart etc and before I out they already had the windows and doors partly taped and believe me did the entire barracks look a mess. Like the evacuation of Atlanta. And after being shoved around for a couple hours we were found beds but there is still a few going to sleep in the Assembly Hall tonight without even a mattress, only a sheet and blanket. Some of the boys at the hospital returned to find they had nothing to their name for twenty four hours except what they had on. Some of them had money left in their lockers and other food stuff which of course will be ruined. They are using cyanide and they have a monthly fumigation for cockroaches and bed bugs. The barracks sure need it too. The cockroaches are thick here in Texas.
Well the old bunch has left and we have taken their places in the hospital and believe it or not I have been assigned to the operating room whether I will be able to take it or not I do not know because I have been exceptionally lucky to be able to have the practice ward the first week of the four weeks actual training.
We had quite an experience the other evening that is the evening or night or really morning the other boys left someone or some people came in in the night and went through about 6 of the barracks and stole pants including the money in them of about four on our floor and three of four below or downstairs and the pants they took they left some of them laying on the stairway and around the building. Some of the boys have not found their trousers as yet. And the next morning when it was reported to the First Sgt he made the reply of. A person should know better than to have their money in trousers lay around and that the army would assume no responsibility for it. But I think someone has turned it in to the FBI and they are investigating it because they have been to see a couple of the victims. The belief is that it was one or two of those who were going to leave so decided to make a haul before going.
As for me I leave nothing laying around and put my wallet inside my pillow case so I suffered no loss.
We also had the experience of having a general from the Surgeon General office make an inspection this week and when he arrived he was being chauffeured around by a WAAC and had two or three aides and our colonel showed him the school and sis we go over the place with a fine tooth comb. And when he left our majors and captains told us he approved of the state of the school very much, but today we heard a different story. The colonel and top major called the sergeants in and told them the general disapproved of the conditions of the barracks and that they were the worst he had seen as far as cleanliness goes and that if the sgts didn’t see that they were cleaned up they would have their stripes ripped off them. If you ask me the barracks are in very good order and we have sure worked hard enough to keep them clean, but those generals don’t seem to realize that for what we have that they are doing quite well. The barracks are about five years old and are in good condition and therefore they shouldn’t be run down as he says they are and if they need repair he should see that they are fixed. I wonder what he will think of Barkeley when he sees the mess that exists there. And then let him rave.
I am writing in the library which is upstairs in the service club and they are having a show downstairs and when ever I think that it will be something good I go out onto the balcony. Nigel Bruce was just out and they had some very good acrobatics, some of the best I have ever seen and one very beautiful violin solo otherwise nothing of importance.
I received your letter today and was glad to hear you had been to see the doctor, you had not mentioned it before. But do not let things of your health go too long. Maybe someday I will be the doctor or surgeon of the family. Who knows?
To give you something amusing and an idea of some of the well trained technicians wonderful tricks they pull.
A major about three months ago had a 10 day leave. He had ingrown toenails so he decided to have them taken care of over here and they told him it would take about six days so he entered and the toes were getting along well until a nurse told one of the well trained technicians to put two hot water bottles on his legs so the technician did and he put water which was much hotter than 120F and then to top it he didn’t wrap them well. So the next day the doctor in making the rounds noticed the major’s legs were seriously burned. Well anyway the major was in the hospital three months getting skin grafts etc. I can just hear him raving about the wonderful nurse. Another of the patients asked this friend of mine to hold his cigarette while he was not smoking it. He was only a Sgt, some nerve. Believe me some of the stories that come from there are both of the stories that come from there are both amusing and very interesting.
The civilians that are in the hospital are the ones that are in some way connected with a soldier. And believe me there are enough of them over there.
The teaching I spoke of merely consists of staying here from one to three months teaching in the practice ward or in class.
No. a gang does not mob me when I get a package and on top of that I am the mail clerk for the barracks which merely consists of going over and getting the mail and calling it out and of reading all other notices etc.
The reason I believe Marshall may have written in such a way me be they have gotten word that they might return home after duration. Any way I shall write him a letter and mail it in San Antonio with the house address on it.
Yes Joe is always complaining that his things do not belong there etc.
The sights I speak of in San Antonio I hope you will soon see some of them via post card. The Alamo I speak of and I always thought along with everybody else was a fort is only a church which was built in the early 1700s and the settlers took refuge there when Santa Ana advanced on them and after a while he finally broke in and only three people remained alive to tell the story of the Alamo. It is in a good state of repair in fact a little too much so. It is right in the center of town at Houston street and North Alamo, the town has been built around it and the Alamo river runs through town and the WPA has made a very good and attractive job out of what I suppose was a mess before large retaining walls and nice stairways leading down to the river and boating on it in the evening. I suppose it is quite a resemblance of Venice. You shall also see some pictures of that also and of some Spanish moss hanging over the water from trees in Breckenridge Park which I took while there.
Muriel has never mentioned nelson in any of her letters to me. Only once she mentioned going to the park with him. And her letters are quite short but I do enjoy her sending me letters and shall have to write now that I have more time.
I want you to call up Frank Wiggins and ask them where my diploma is and just give them the devil if they don’t seem to know and if they don’t get in touch with Mrs. Vosberg or have them to do. They are not too busy their student roll has decreased. SO don’t let them tell you they have been too busy.
Joseph has not as yet answered my letter. I am beginning to wonder if he ever received packages from home that were sent and also letters and more yet have sent letters which never seemed to reach their destination. There was quite a rumpus at Barkeley about some of the letters laying around somewhere or other I will write him again today and ask him about it.
I see where Rosy has had his nose over in Africa seeing all and telling how we are going to win the war. I am writing in pencil for the library is not open as yet and I left my ink in my foot locker and my writing is awful along with it also my letter is getting heavy also. So I shall close and will write again soon. The pictures are being made I think but they are slow. I am going in tomorrow to see about them. Perhaps too many soldiers pictures.

Lots of love

Your son

January 16, 1943

My dear Mother:
I suppose you have been looking in the mail box every day and in hopes of finding a letter there from me. But I think I am in the same boat as you are as far as having a lot of time to write in, because we sure have not had too much in the past week and they have really meant a lot of study for me. I brought my grades up on my Anatomy and Physiology test, as I told you in my brief letter of last week. I got 89 on my first test which did not phase me too much although there is a lot of them leave here with an average of lower than that. So on my Anatomy test which we had for two hours and were graded two times, one for each hour and I got a ‘Xs’, which stands for excellent and is the highest a person may get. How I made out on the other ones I do not know for the grades have not been given out yet.
I received your letter of Jan 11 Friday and was sure glad to receive it as I am all of your letters, for I sure like to receive letters though I am not able to write much myself.
Yes I will receive the large sum of 54 dollars a month now but when they get through hacking at it for insurance which comes to $6.50 and the bond a month at 418.75, and $1.50 for laundry, these deductions will lessen it $26.75 and here at school we only get half or two thirds pay for some very silly reason of which no person has been able to explain as yet, not even the company commander. The only excuse is that this is not our permanent camp or something of that type. So if I find myself running short I will cancel my bonds and if that bond is not there by the fifteenth of February, you let me know and I can cancel it in short order because of they take it from your pay they will present the bond very shortly thereafter or they will hear about it. Some of the boys have been in four and five months and made out family allotments and have had the $22 taken from their pay each month and the family has not received a cent yet. That is very poor management, in my opinion and they treat me better or I will take care of my own money.
The Brooke hospital is strictly an Army hospital but they do have a few civilians there but the head of the hospital is an army man. I have as yet not been once but hope to next month. One of my acquaintances is in the officers ward and says some of them are very easy to care for but there is one Col there who is quite a problem and is always fighting with the nurses and ward attendants all the time. There was a Col. Over there that died last week. Most of the army hospitals are named after Medical Corps generals etc such as the Letterman in San Francisco and the Fitzsimmons in Denver. They practically established the Medical Branch and there is the Walter Reid in Washington DC.
I also received the box of letters and the handkerchiefs and sox for which I want to thank you for as you say they come in handy and also the letters. The one from Camp Cooke I do not even know the person although he knows me. He speaks of Mr. Vosbery and school and of Carl Hamilton but do not think I will even answer it for I cannot even read his name. If it comes to me who he is I may but I already have too much writing. I also sent a short note to Ray Coates telling him I was here, perhaps I will see him soon and Marshall’s letter was quite peculiar and he did not state why he wrote to me instead of here. One of his statements was: “I am saying these things because I realize now, more than ever that I may never see you personally again” and he refers to Dec 7, 41 a year ago and also refers that he may go overseas or that I might. What do you think of that?
I sure appreciate your sending me the newspaper clippings from home, although San Antonio has newspapers but they do not compare with L.A. papers.
What did you think of the inside of Joe’s house and the Chinese rug etc. Quite nice of Mrs Scheltina to call on you. She is quite sociable that way and her curiosity was probably getting the best of her and if I know them they have discussed us pro and con, and both of them are good at flattery. She never gets much company from Mr. Scheltina. You know he is 80y old and that is quite a bit older than she.
Do not forget my s----(?) is in the chest in my room, so watch it once in a while. Do this Nelson’s parents have money?
The reason I asked about the church is that there is one of those religious fanatics here who’s always talking about his church but since I have learned to stay away from these religious fanatics. You wouldn’t want to meet a much lazier bunch or a worst bunch. There was a 7-day Adventist and he would not do a thing on Saturday until the company commander let him go into town on Saturday and then he had Sunday off with us also. The whole bunch of them give me a pain.
Cameras are prohibited here on the post.
You speaking of chauffeurs: all the colonels, majors etc here have negro chauffeurs in uniforms. In fact this school is quite the style. But most captains etc have not had any real military experience and it gives me a laugh to try and carry on a military display of any kind.
One of them who we call Dr. IQ because he has a fifteen minute question period every day at the beginning of class and he talks just like the Dr IQ of the radio. His real name is Dr. Rosenbaum. Guess what? He can not stay in step with our platoon so he changes cadence to match his about every 30 steps. He came out yesterday morning for inspection with a lovely pair of nice brown shoes and we had quite a heavy fog and the ground was quite moist and the soil quite sticky. Only the soil is black here and in digging a place to stand (he can’t see as the others can where to stand so he has to step it of and mark it so when he comes back he won’t lose his place). He got mud or soil all over his shoes and if he wasn’t a sight standing there at attention trying to scrape off the mud. Of course they are all like that here, because they were given their commission upon entering the army.
And then we have the cute little major who comes in for inspection Saturday morning in a large overcoat and nice kid gloves with which he rubs his finger things to find dust and he is quite agile for he climbs up on beds so that he may his fingers on the rafters to see if there is dust there also, all the time moving very quickly.
You would enjoy seeing some of the beautiful spots here. The big shod(?) houses and there is quite a few of them have huge ancient houses here on the post. The houses are a cross between true southern and probably little French. Some of them 2 or 3 stories high. I would sure like to have some pictures of them.


Last Sunday I went to Brackenridge park where they have an enormous zoo with loads of animals and birds of all descriptions.
I also saw my first Texas longhorn steers there and also a cross between the steers and one of the Burmese animals. With the hump on their back. I can’t think of their name now and what a huge animal it made.
I just turned around and there stood the colonel with an elaborately dressed captain and two women one of them has on a gorgeous mink coat. I suppose she is the colonel’s wife. Quite a show here all the time.


Also at Breckenridge park I went to the Sunken Gardens which is an abandoned rock quarry which has been made into a sunken garden with water in the bottom and little planks. I will send you post cards of it. I am sure you would like it.
The reason I asked about Camp Young was that there is a boy in the barracks who is attached to a tank destroyer outfit who has moved there and he will join them there the end of the month after he is finished here with his schooling here.
I shall go into town one of these evenings and have some pictures taken to send to you.
I asked Mr. Matson if he would send me a copy of his rose list so that I could order some for Miss Mosher and asked if he could mail them to Alhambra, but he in his letter to me said he did not as yet have one made up but he didn’t mention sending them for me. So I am in a state of wonderment. I had intended them for a Xmas gift and told her they would be later. Although I suppose he will send it later and I hope not too late, for he is that way.
The weather here was quite warm until today the coldest wind came up and it made everybody want to go inside and I decided to stay in also and not go into town, instead write letters and got caught up on them.
I have seen one show since leaving home and that was “Once Upon a Honeymoon”. I think Cary Grant and Ginger Rodgers and it was quite good but I would just as well spend my time when I do go into town in seeing the beauty spots. The Alamo is quite interesting and quite pretty in the Spring time. I suppose you know that it is directly in the center of town, quite an unusual place for something of that type.
I had the other evening or that is Friday evening while I was in town for the third time since I have been here. My hair cut and the stripe sewed on my coat – one on each sleeve, but I would like it much better if it were about three of them but I can wait a while.
You had better go see a doctor about your arm because do not take chances with it. Did you ever get both Blairs’ addresses. I might send him a card sometime.
I had better be closing now for this letter is becoming quite bulky and will save some to write later.
With lots of love,
Stanley
Insurance receipt enclosed.

Legacy

The past couple of years we have experienced something rather unique.
Bruce’s uncle Stanley died and Bruce has been serving as Administrator of his estate.
We almost didn’t know there was an estate and that is a whole story by itself but serendipity lined things up so we were able to discover a treasure trove of family documents, photos, letters and artifacts that we are grateful to have been able to recover.
Bruce’s uncle lived in Los Angeles. He was 84y old, never married and was definitely a pack rat.

One treasure I want to share is the near 180 letters he wrote his mother during the time he was in the service between November 1942 and August 1945.

I have made phone calls to several places including to the Legacy Project http://www.warletters.com/mission/index.html
Andy was very nice and suggested reading the whole lot of them and finding one letter that was more outstanding than the rest and posting it to their site.
That is how I learned a little more about the man behind the boxes of things we had brought back from Los Angeles.

I discovered someone who must not have been very happy and had learned to keep to ‘safe’ subjects in his letters although at times the wall does come down but he would not let the guards down long.
Maybe I can start typing the letters here… one at a time… create a webpage for him in his memory before we ship the whole thing to Fort Sam Houston where they will keep his letters in the museum. Odd to think a person’s things could end up in a museum… and the only reason we are opting for Fort Sam Houston, in San Antonio, TX rather than Los Angeles is that Stanley was part of that first group of trained technicians that came out of Brooke General Hospital, now the Brooke Army Medical Center.

He later became a landscaper and would have rather been in the Fort’s green houses than doing what they had him trained and training others to do but he was there for more than 18 months and tells his experience through his letters.

I would like to eventually publish the whole thing and so reserve the right to do this.
The timing may not be right and there may be more psychology involved here than little ole me can handle. When the time is right, maybe… we’ll see… right now… the tedious task of transcribing is daunting and I am not looking forward to it…
So here goes nothing…