Cpl Stanley W Safford
5th Auxiliary
Surgical Group
Dodd Field
Ft Sam Houston
Texas
June 2, 1943
My dear Mother:
Well
this evening I am writing on the Adjutants desk here in the main office. I am at present taking the CQ’s place while
he is away getting a haircut. The CQ
means Charge of Quarters and they are in charge at all times when the officers
etc are away, in other words after the business day is over with. For some reason the new Colonel is here in
the office tonight but he has not said a word so I guess he is getting along
alright. I talk with them all day and in
a way am rather glad when the time comes when the day is done and the officers
have all gone home or elsewhere. They
parade in and out of my office all day and I meet them all, Majors on
down. And they all either call me
Safford or Cpl Safford. And there are a
couple of captains that I am quite fond of.
I
can hear the talking and music from the outdoor theater way down here this
evening because the air is quite clear.
Yesterday
and today have been quite warm and sultry.
We marched up to the theater both yesterday and today to see some
pictures. And believe me it was quite a
jaunt for some of them, but both the pictures were very good. One of them was a picture on Service of Supply and the other one
today was Battle of Britain showing
the actual picture of the German bombing of England.
Yesterday
I mailed you $95 which I want you to take $75 of and buy me a $100 War Bond with you made out as the
co-owner on it for me. The reason for
wiring the money was to get if off my hands as that is too much to be carrying
around here. I was the highest paid
enlisted man in the Group this time and the clerks didn’t have sense enough to
keep it quiet as they should have done.
The post office closes at 5 o’clock and we don’t get through until
five. It will cause you trouble of going
and getting it but it will be much better.
With the balance you can save it for me and you can take what I owe you
out of it.
Most
of my day is spent in a maze of figures dashes between them etc and then I have
a class or two also. And today it caused
quite a commotion when I went before the class with my stripes. You know I never wore my PFC stripes on my
shirt because they weren’t worth it.
These if I do say so myself are quite nice looking anyway, a
change. The class is now quite a group,
and the new additions which they have made, have been no better than the
previous ones as far as mentality goes.
And in instruction a person can not use more than a two syllable word
for fear of them not understanding it.
The other day the Major and myself were interviewing and I asked him
(the boy) what he majored in, in High School and he answered that he had only
gone to the 3rd grade and was I shocked after that.
They
at the Service School were quite surprised to hear of my promotion. The little figures at the bottom with the
twos meant to whom 2 copies were to be sent. 2 commanding general 8th
Service command, 2 Com Office FSH, 2 Co Gen Brooke Gen. etc
Enclosed
you will find some pictures which you may be interested in. Later I will send you the negative and you
can have some copies made for me. They
are none too good either as none of mine have as none of mine have been. But there are some rather nice views of the
river in the background.
Well
I believe that I will be closing now for the night and more tomorrow. Good night.
How
time does fly and again it is raining. It
has rained every weekend since my arrival here. And above all else this morning
we were scheduled to have an inspection by three generals. Nelson,
post commander; Yoohoo General Leahr and General
McNair
but I guess they have put if off because of the rain. I have seen Generals here and there around
the post but I have never had one inspect me before.
You
asked once before if they gave a diploma at MSC. No they don’t – just a mimeograph
sheet. I do not know about birth
certificate or OCS. But I suppose that they will tell me in time if I make
it. You mentioning fresh pineapple makes
me think of our evening up town last week-end.
They had bananas and pineapples in abundance. That is down in the Mexican
quarters. Anyway I am very fond of
them. One evening I bought a fresh
coconut when I went to Mrs. Tedesco’s
and it was sure good. Her informed
parties are certainly enjoyable. I want
you to meet her someday. I have seen
pictures of her husband and he does not look very woppish.
It
may be a good idea to build an arbor from the garage to the house to cover the
back porch to protest it from the heat of the sun.
I
received the pictures all right and they look as tho they had a better job
developing than I can get here or had you noticed.
I
think you are quite right about the relatives taking advantage of you and they
should have been put in their place some time ago.
The
pictures of myself at the Convent are not much good but he only had one of
those cheap pocket cameras and you know them.
As
for myself wondering why I don’t get a letter from you, I do not worry too much
because I know that you are all busy.
But I am more ashamed of myself for not writing.
Your
question of how far I am from the Service
School. We are about four, or perhaps
a little over, miles away. You know,
this fort is the largest of its kind in (the) US. Camp
Barkeley is 40 square miles but this is of a different type.
I
never heard of any law prohibiting the wearing of the caduceus, as long as you
don’t wear two of them and on a uniform. The type which I sent is quite difficult to
wear on most thing, is it not.
Your
questions as my group. Yes, the group is
new and there is one such group as ours for each Army. We are the Fifth Army’s group from what I gather
and we shall work in the 4th Echelon when in the Combat zone and we
rush from one heavy casualty area to another.
No, they don’t have jacarandas down
here. It gets too cold here for
them. The Oleanders here even freeze but
they are quite pretty now. The Gardenias
have just about finished blooming but they lasted. The Zinnias are all in bloom now but I
suppose they do not bloom later on when the weather gets warmer when I suppose
the heat kills everything else.
Well
just received your box of walnuts cupcakes and the roll of film. The cupcakes are delicious and I want to
thank you for them.
I
have not as yet gotten the shirt, but will get it today if it stops raining but
if it is more you need not worry.
I
am beginning to have quite a time of trying to remember the various officers
names but I will I suppose will never remember all 132 of them when they all
get here. But know them all now so far. And the more that come the better they seem
to get.
We
now have a new Colonel. The old one bid
us goodbye yesterday and has now gone to New York. He will soon be a Brigadier General (Beach). He shook hands with me when in the tent
bidding the officers goodbye.
Well
my list of things to write about (is) running quite low. So I had better bring this letter to a
close. Goodbye for now and thanks for
everything,
Your son,
Stanley
New York New York
