Letter 259- December 2, 1945

December 2, 1945
Giessen, Germany

Dear Mudder and Dad,

I know what you are thinking about now. Why hasn’t that no good unfilial brat written a letter in so long? Well, it’s like this. I’ve been working like the very devil for the last week and I’ve hardly had time to shave much less write. They’ve got me acting as Co. clerk as well as drive a truck. Right now I should be hauling some trash but I’ve managed to put it off in order to write this letter. Yesterday I received a whole mess of back mail so I at least have something to write about.

I received the stuff from Matson’s as well as a dozen or so letters and so I spent half a day trying to read them all between runs with the truck. The ribbons look swell on my jacket and there’s been some comment about the Victory ribbon. The only outfit that has had them issued to date is USFET itself. Now if that Bronze Star would only come through I’d look like a blooming Christmas tree.

What really hurt about the letters though was the fact that you were counting so much on the fact that that I might have been able to get home with the Division. Apparently some of my more dampening were slow about getting to you so the situation continued to look quite rosy. That the way it goes in this army, however. I honestly believe that there are a lot of people around here that enjoy letting a person get his hopes up only to dash them down again.

I suppose I have no real reason to complain at that. The work is hard here for the army but on the other hand it’s quite instructive and I’m learning to do a great many new things. Of course, the thing I really want to do is come home as soon as possible.

The way things are shaping up at the present time it’s difficult to tell what’s in store for the immediate future. The way the point system is going to the dogs in a big way at the present time and so we don’t know what comes next. They’re all up in the air at the present time about the way the MG’s are going to the dogs but what the hell can they expect. No officer or EM with any ability at all is going to get himself mixed up with that bunch of 8-balls. The Military Government has for the last six months been stepping on the rest of the army’s toes just to make things easier for themselves with the Krauts over here.

In the next few days I should begin receiving mail from you direct to this address. That’ll be a lot better than not getting any mail for 3 weeks and then getting it all at once.

I ran into a fellow over at one of the giant ordinance depots near here yesterday that comes from North Hollywood. In fact he lives only a few blocks from us. He’s a civilian now but is staying over here in order to take a job with the American Legion in Switzerland. He is quite an automotive expert and he believes that there will be a great amount of American interests there which will mean something for the man that stays over here. As far as I’m concerned he can have it just as long as they send me home. But anyway I became quite chummy with him and he said that he’d gladly work on any of our vehicles at any time. Considering how difficult it is as the present time to get work done that seems a godsend. So now I’m the fair haired boy around here insofar as the Captain is concerned. It never hurts you know to smooth the way a little.

This picture below is an actual representation of what I say recently at Weinheim, Germany. The American love of advertising has not been lost.

Outside of that there’s nothing much else to say so I guess that’s all for tonight.

-30-

(sketch here)



Best Love,
Bill