1 June 1944

Sgt Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

Dodd Field

Fort Sam Houston

Texas

1 June 1944

Dearest Mother

I am worse this week than ever before in writing, but I hope that you will understand that we have really been busy here the last few days and there is no sign of it becoming more slack as time goes on.

I am quite glad to hear of you getting the chance to rest a little during Dad’s absence, and you should do it a little more often.  It will do you good.  Give you the chance to rest a little more because I am sure you become more tired every day of the same old thing as I do.

Well we have had our clothing showdown today which means that we turned in a lot of things that are worn and will be issued new for them.  A person never realizes just how many clothes he has until one of these.  I have a huge pile of things to be turned in.  I wonder what type we will be issued?

I received a letter from Jay today or should I say a short note.

I am quite pleased to hear of the grapevine having such an abundant crop of fruit.  Perhaps the Amaryllis could be transplanted into a larger pot for next year.  Had the Cymbidiums shown much growth as yet this season, keep them quite moist.

The weather here has been terribly hot and I just about fall asleep here every afternoon when it gets so warm.

Last night was pay day night and I was kept awake until about thru this morning by the drunks coming in and making their noise.  I hope that will be more quiet tonight.

We have about all of our nurses and are housing them here on the post.  They are as I have predicted already becoming a problem, and will be more of one before we are done with them.

Doc Skinner told me of his plans to retire and from the clippings in the letter he has had quite a long history in the school system.

You mentioning Dad’s teeth reminds me of my teeth and the time I have had from them and about them.  Ever since the OCS examination (last one) I knew I had a couple cavities so asked Major Kuhns to check them and he found one in the upper R3 (will enclose a Dentist form later).  After he got in he found a small one in the next tooth. Neither one of them were very large and can not be seen from the front.  He then took an X-Ray of the lower one and found a small cavity there.  While in Xray I asked him to take a picture of one of my left lower wisdom teeth which ha(ve) become quite slanted.  So he did and the picture was shocking.  The roots of the tooth are almost straight back and the tooth in impacted.  I decided to have it pulled and made the appointment but had to cancel because of the big Service Command Inspection we had the following day.  So will some day have Major Grubin remove it.  He tells me it may mean a couple weeks in the hospital. So when we get over I will have a lot of time for such things since it is not bothering me any.  A picture of it is like the drawing here

Yes, Sgt Rapp’s wife has been here for about three weeks and I am invited over to dinner this Sunday.

I have been going to go up here and play at golf with one of the boys here but have never gotten around to it.  Doubt if I will at this stage.

I am still and was quite surprised to hear of getting the money in from the Income tax.  You may use the money to pay yourself whatever I owe you for telephone stock etc and deposit the rest and buy some more stock when and if it get(s) lower.  You may soon get so much each month from me in an allotment which I will send you the details of later.

One of the new officers we have here is from S F and is about 6’8” and wears a size 14 shoe.  He is certainly a card and tells me that he thinks that he will not make a good soldier.  I asked him what he thought of me as one.  He told me that he thought I was a very good one and was quite the person here. Ha ha.

As for your coming down, I see the same picture as you do regarding the unpracticability of the whole thing.  It of course would be very nice and I would enjoy it so very much. But to my way of thinking it would be more trouble than it would be worth.

Enclosed you will find a few pictures you may like and I will have a few more of them here if you want some of them.  There are also a couple of the Galveston bivouac which may interest you.  Will send more of them later to avoid making this letter too heavy.

 Heard from William Orum, often longed to hear from him.

Well enough for this time and will write again soon.

As ever

Your son

Love,

Stanley

May 9, 1944

Sgt Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

Dodd Field

Fort Sam Houston

Texas

May 9, 1944

My Dear Mother:

I again send a delayed letter and I hope that you receive it before Sunday.  I have had the card for four or five days and it is about time that I was sending it on its way.

Enclosed you will find a money Order for yourself to get whatsoever you wish for yourself as a Mother’s Day gift.  I tried to find something to send but my time is limited and there is not much of value around anyway.

The last few days we have really been busy and I have spent quite a bit of my time in the field with the Major on inspection tours of our three groups which we have in the field every day, and it is rather a change to be outside in the air.

Today after work Kupfer and I played a game of Badminton and then took a shower and feel much better now after the heat has gone away.

We recently got a new fellow in here who can not even read or write and the other fellow in his tent has been writing his letters for him.  That is a good example of the wonderful personnel we have been receiving here lately and we are supposed to be highly specialized, what a laugh.

The Colonel returned from the reconnaissance of Hot Springs, Ark and Marfa, Tx for bivouac sites.  I hope he found a good spot without a lot of fleas etc.

I don’t suppose Mrs. Miner has heard anything as yet from the War Department.  I received a large box of cookies and candy from Aunt Nina today and they are all very good.  I have not yet ever sent her the glassware I promised her and I had better get busy on it.

Tomorrow I am going to head a fifteen mile hike and I am going to try and get the required sleep tonight so as not to be tired tomorrow.

Received a card from Joe today and he tells me as always ahead of time when he is writing me a letter.

Well good night for more and take care of yourself and enjoy your “Mother’s Day” more than ever.

All my love,

Your son,

Stanley

May 16, 1944

My dear Mother:

I am at least going to write you a few lines tonight and let you know that I am still here and alright.  I just do not seem to get much done of my own any more.  All of my time is spent doing something for someone else.

I went over to the pool today or rather this evening and tried to do a little swimming, I do not think I am getting very far with it.

Received a card from Dad the other day and I am very glad to hear of him getting the chance to get a rest.  The desert will do him good and you should do the same thing for I am sure you could stand some rest also.

They are talking quite seriously of going to Carlstadt Caverns, New Mexico on the bivouac and that would mean taking eighteen airplanes and about 75 or 80 Air corps men with us for messing and all, so you can see what I see for us in the future, a lot of work and a lot of trouble.  It would of course be a very nice trip tho and we would all enjoy it as far as the sightseeing part of it goes.  We are waiting for the approval of Major General Donovan on the whole affair.

I received a box of cookies and candy from Aunt Nina the other day and they are really good.

Enclosed you will find a piece of Mrs. Roosevelt poetry which I though rather cute.  You may enjoy it also.

I finally got all of my ballot and registration material off and let me tell you that was certainly a pain in the neck.  The questionnaire had to be made out in duplicate and there were two LA county ballots about the length of my arm also with a lot of names which I had never heard of before.  How did you vote on the “Taxation of Federal Property” ballots?

I wish that I was able to do more for you on Mother’s Day but I am not at home and am not able to do too much but do whatever you wish with the money and if you need more let me know and I will send it to you.

I imagine that you will look real nice in your new dress and hat so send me a picture of yourself the first chance you get.

Yes they have one party of some kind before I graduated but I never paid much attention to it as I usually did not think you were much interested in the whole affair parties or otherwise.

The groups I speak of in the field have about two officers and 10-12 enlisted men on them and they go out to the field as tho under the actual conditions of surgical teams and set up their installations and perform Animal Surgery and camouflage their tents etc.  They spend the entire day out there.

The fifteen mile hike was not had at all, but I have as you know always liked hiking and walking.  I can out walk practically anyone here and they all marvel at it because I spend so much of my time inside.

Well the night grows on and I had better be thinking of getting to bed.

So good night for now and for now and take care of yourself.

As ever

All my love,

Stanley

April 4, 1944

Sgt Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

Dodd Field

Fort Sam Houston

Texas

April 4, 1944 (enveloped stamped May5)

Dear Mother:

I decided to try and write you a few lines this evening and perhaps catch up again to my two letters per week at last. 

For the past three days I have been going up and helping Sgt Rapp clean out his house on the post and get it ready for his wife who is coming down in a couple of weeks.

We are cleaning all the floors and wood work and are going to hang curtains etc.  He tells me he is quite glad to have my knowledge of home making with me.  He tells me he has never had anything to do with that sort of thing before.  I will go into details of the house at a later time.

I received your letter of the 28^th telling me of Richard’s missing over Austria and I shall have to write Mrs. Miner a letter soon.  It is certainly too bad and I am sorry to hear of it.  It very likely hit Mrs. Miner quite hard as she has already been quite sick of his being over there, let alone the fighting.  I hope there is the chance that he may be in enemy hands as a prisoner.  I am the same as you regarding the control of emotions when it comes to subjects of this kind.

We have heard nothing but bivouac for the last few weeks here in the offices and they have talked of flying both going and returning by air to such places as Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Great Lakes, etc.  But we will very likely end up by going up here to Marfa, Texas or Hot Springs, Arkansas, at least I hope so.

The other day we had a very nice hike with a swim afterwards during which time one of the Majors helped me with my swimming.  I often wonder if I will ever be able to swim.

Received a letter from Jay the other day and I will have to return him a short note.  I send him short ones in answer to his short ones.  He tells me that Aunt Nina and Uncle Bill are just his friends.

I am going to go to Fort Worth one of these weekends on a three day pass to see the Botanical Gardens there which should be very nice now.  Mrs. Tedesco tells me that the roses are very nice there now.

It would make a nice trip for me and some relaxation.

The weather here has been none too good the last couple days.  A cold wind combined with rain all day today and rain all day yesterday and the day before.  And this office was like a barn all day and I had to wear my field jacket all day and my raincoat when I did not have the jacket on outside.  We have been having some spectacular lightning storm here also and the tent would be as bright as day at times during the night.  The frogs are really coming out and they are making their noise all night.

The Medical Laboratory next door (is) giving out blanket furloughs so they will very likely be on their way soon.  A person would really be surprised to see the great number of fellows which I have known in the posy, back here at Ft.Sam Houston in the reassignment antic who have already been overseas and back already for some reason or the other.

Well I am tired now so will close send you my love and asking you to take care of yourself.

What is Maibelle’s sons name?  Jerry what?

Love,

Stanley

Hope you can read this…