Dear Ma, Pa, Barb, Ann & Ele Letter No. 137

7/17/44
Monday
#137

Dear Mom, Pa, Barb, Ann & Ele,

Well here it is Monday already and I'm sort of getting use[d] to the old routine again.  Since I last wrote on Thursday things are seeming pretty smooth.  Sat. I had K.P. but K.P. over the weekend is always easy & I got done about 5:30.  I went to the show Sat. night & also last night.  Sat. I saw "Manpower" with Ed. G. Robinson & George Raft & Marlene Dietrich.  It was an old picture and after seeing about 5 minutes of it I recalled I [saw it] a couple of years ago but it was still a good picture & I enjoyed it an awful lot.  
Sunday morning I went to 8 o'clock mass and the chaplain gave a very good sermon on choosing friends.  He usually does give a good sermon.  I wrote letters until noon & in the afternoon I played softball with the co.  We played against Co. C and naturally lost.  We didn't have a regular team but I think the boys are going to start one.  Then as I told you I went to the show at night & saw "Canterville Ghost" with Charles Laughton & Robert Young.  It was a crazy picture but it was supposed to be a comedy & it was very good.
The sgt. good quite a rich (?) about the Carstairs Whisky.  He said he didn't have any Carstairs in ages.  He thanked me an awful lot.
Tell Ele that Helen finally found a Jefferson Barracks banner & she will send it to me soon.  The Ele will have a banner from every place I've been stationed at.  O.K.  Huh! 
Tell Pop that I won't be able to get anything for his birthday until payday & I may not even get paid then because I didn't sign the payroll this month as they signed it on the 7th & I got back on the 12.  But sometimes they sign it for you.  If not I'll have to wait until Sept. 1.  I certainly hope they signed it for me.
I signed up for those 10 bonds they put out for service men.  It's $7.50 a month and $10 maturity value.  So you'll get one of those a month instead of one $25 bond every 3 months.  I think that's better don't you?
Helen also sent me a postal card of that excursion boat that we took which I was at St. Louis Sat. night.  I'll enclose it in this letter.
Say could you get a few pictures made of Barb & Ele & I on one picture that we took at Calley Stream & the one of just Bob & I also.  Just 3 of each.  O.K.  I want to send one to Tiny & Anita.  
So far I didn't hear anything of us moving out although there are a lot of rumors you can't count on.  I'll let you know in case I should find out.
Well how is everything ma?  How do you feel?  Are you getting a sun tan?  Why don't you try going to a show ma or don't you feel too safe yet?  How is Grandma feeling and how is the garden coming along?
Did Ele get the job at the Telephone Co.?
I wrote to Frank & told him about the swell cake Ann made.  Boy I bet his mouth will water.
I guess that about all for right now.  I'll write soon again & until then take good care of yourself ma, don't do any work & get plenty of sunshine.  Give my love & kisses to Grandma & the rest of the family and give Sandy a cracker for me.  O.K.

Your Loving Soldier Boy,

Tony

P.S. Tell Grams I won't need any stamps for a while yet.  Grams gave me plenty didn't she.

Love

T

 

Dear Ma, Pa, Barb, Ann & Ele Letter No. 76

Co. "A" STAR Unit 3902
U. of Idaho, Moscow
8/30/43
Letter 76
Rec'd 112 & 113

Dear Mom, Pa, Barb, Ann & Ele,

Well here it is another Monday and I'm sill here. But I did have a swell weekend. DiFranza & I went to visit Spokane. It's about 70 miles N.W. of here. We left at 4 o'clock. We took a bus & got in Spokane at 7 o'clock. We headed first to the U.S.O. to get a bite to eat. After we ate a band came in, so we stayed there. And boy that band was good. I think it's the best I heard since I'm in the army. And all the girls could dance here. There was was no question about that. The dance was over at 11 o'clock, little did we realize we didn't have a place to sleep. All the dormitories were filled up. We asked a sailor where we could get a place to stay. He said he didn't know, but if we couldn't get a place we could sleep with him. Well that's where we ended up. It was the funniest thing. The three of us in that bed. We couldn't toss & turn like we wanted to and I woke up about 10 times and the sailor said he fell out of bed once. We were so restless we got up at 8:30. We went to the service men's center and had coffee and cake for breakfast and we also took a shower and polished our shoes. Boy those service centers are swell. I guess we won't know what to do without them. We walked around a little and a car came up beside the curve and asked us if we would like to go to some church. He would take us to any church we wanted to go.
They operated through the U.S.O. It almost knocked me over. It was the first time I saw that before. But we didn't go because we had to catch a 12:30 bus back to Moscow and we still had to eat and we didn't know where the church would be. We got the bus and as we were coming back it started to rain. But it was still a nice trip. Boy and what nice scenery. Hill, hills & some more hills. But as we got closer to Spokane the hills got bigger and the pine trees got bigger. It was further up north. Also coming back on the bus we met a young nurse and we talked to her all the way back. She was nice. She came from Lewiston about 40 miles south of Moscow. We had a swell weekend. And DiFranza met a buddy of his from his home town at the U.S.O. at Spokane, and boy were they happy to see each other. Before DiFranza came into the army he used to color postcards and every time we go some place we run across cards that he colored before he came into the army. I'll enclose a card that he did and if you run across any cards with Tichnor Bros. on them you can bet that he did them. He comes from Boston, Mass.
Last night I received 6 letters in mail call. Two cards, one from Ann & one from Mom & Pop. Boy they were swell thanks. I received a letter from Ma, 2 from Anita, and a letter from Elfrieda.
I am so glad Boby is giving you such a swell time ma. And I'm glad you all are having a swell time. Boy did my heart sink when you told me about losing Grandma. I can just imagine how everybody felt especially Grandma. I just can't explain how I felt, wow!
I am so glad you were so surprised about the war bond. Every time I had a few extra dollars I sent Elfrieda it and she saved them for me. I sent her the rest so she could get it off her hands before she got married. She's a good kid. That is a swell present you sent Elfrieda. I just know she will like it an awful lot. She liked mine an awful lot too. As long as she is happy.
I wish you would send the pictures ma. You can wait with the paper. It will be forwarded if I'm shipped. They have a pretty good system here.
I am fine and I hope everybody is ok too. I'll close now and until my next letter I remain

Your Loving Soldier Boy,
Tony