Letters Ray To Shirl a WWII Love Story

  April 24, 1944 Dear Shirley, I ain't at the place I was before because I'm here on account of we shipped out Friday, I think we had a wonderful train coming down here. Generally speaking, it was old. Jesse James initials were carved in the side of our car. He put them there himself. Did you ever try writing a latter on a pillow?   This, darling, is Maxwell Field. It is known as "west Point of The Air". Strictness and honor are prevalent. Every movement has clockwork precision. We are under class men and that is the lowest thing on the field. We take orders from everyone. The ten weeks here are supposed to be the toughest in the cadets. If I get by here I should have pretty clear sailing. There have been more additions to the course and I may not graduate till next year.     Gee, I wish we were together today. I must be getting to like you. I like you most on Sundays. I sure do feel mushy today. You're much nicer than a hot fudge sundae with whipped cream and pec...

  April 5, 1944 My Darling,   I was so very sorry to hear about your grandmother. She was a grand lady. It must be a terrible loss to all of you, yet somehow I feel that she isn't really gone. Her life, her love and happiness was for the one's she loved. Even now I'm sure that her happiness will depend on her children's happiness. If all is well with her family then all will be well with her. She has set a mark for all of you to work for. Be proud to follow in her footsteps. We'll go to Kingsholm. She will know all about it and be there enjoying it with us. I wish I too could have seen her while I was home. I admired her greatly.     She'll be around, honey, trying to do all she can to make her children happy. It's going to be hard but try to make her job easier.   Everything is O.K. down here. Don't do any worrying over me. I'm pretty near calmed down.   Please extend my deepest sympathy to your mother. I wish there was something I could do to help....

  July 2 1944 Dear Shirl, Congratulations Sweetie Pie. How does it feel to be twenty three? You old bag!     Friday night we were told that our furloughs would start at midnight tonight. Saturday morning I received my shipping orders to Panama city, Florida on the 4th. for gunnery school. Some of our higher ups here is the offspring of unwed parents. The thought of July and August in Florida is really invigorating. Hot stuff, that's me. Well, as they say in Russia, etc, etc, etc.     I planned on celebrating last night by getting seven quarts of gin, eleven elicit women and three big block cigars, and have a super binge. I got side tracked somewhere. I ended up with apple pie, beer, and Buffalo Bill. Old Bill was quite a ham. Did you get the God damned locket? There were two things in this town that I could have gotten you. One was the locket and the other was the unmentionables. The sales lady embarrassed me to death. How the hell do I know what size gadgets yo...

  April 12, 1944 Dear Sweetie pie,   Hey have you heard the latest War news? The Japs have taken Sol Hepatica! Isn't that awful?   We had quite an Easter parade. The rain started sunday morning and didn't let up till today. I was indisposed anyway so it didn't make much difference. to me. I hope you had a little better time.   I had a celebration last night. Lischke (a comrade ) and I went to town. We started out with a lobster dinner. (I don't like Lobster). Then we went to the movies. We saw "The Uninvited". It was super duper swell. Then we hiked out to the fair grounds and attended a carnival. We went in all the sideshows and had a pretty good time. We saw "Sahara Rose," "Madam La Bonga", and "Expose of Life." It was all corny but fun. I won two dollars on a slot machine and put it all back in. We had peanuts, popcorn, frozen custard, and orange pop. I won an ash tray throwing base balls, and then lost it somewhere. We got bac...

  March 31, 1944 My Darling, There's some sort of old saying about , "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." My heart couldn't possibly grow any fonder of you. It's all yours now.   There's a chance that I may be in a jam already. I don't know if it's in the Chicago papers or not, but half of the South is buried under muddy water. My train was seven hours late and I missed connections here in Winona. I'll be a couple of hours late getting to camp. If nothing happens to me over this I'll give you your wish. I'll stick to the Cadets no matter what they do or how long it takes. I'll do that for you. If I don't make it, I just couldn't help it. Honey, if you want me to become a General, I'll just go ahead and become one.     There are a lot of things I want to say, But I've got to get to the depot. I'll write them tomorrow night. Till then.   All My Love,   Ray

  April 17, 1943 Hi Toots,   I ran across these in the local drug store. The pictures make the place look quite a bit larger than it really is. 1. Our Campus 2. Permanent party and instructors quarters. 3. school building 4. students quarters Love and Kisses Ray P.S. I'm In The soup again.

  April 14, 1943 Dear Shirl,   So help me Toots - I;m not trying to make conversation or sump'n but - I'll be darned if we ain't got another blizzard here. Crazy weather ain't it?   I don't want to sound monotonous but I guess I'm in the soup again. Wanta hear about it? Ok. I brought a pair of old brown and white shoes back with me to wear around camp. I bought a bottle of brown shoe dye at the P.X. for eight cents and dyed them solid brown. They sure did look beautiful. I put them on Sunday and wore them to school. We were working out at one of the outlying units that day and the roads were flooded so we had to walk. On the way back the rain came. Much wetness! We reached the gates of camp so I formed my group in a military order. We were marching along very nicely when the Colonel passed by. He stopped us and invited me to come closer to him. I did ! He asked me if I knew that two toned shoes were not being worn in the army this year? I began to suspect that s...

  April 25, 1943 Dear Sweetie pie,   A very happy easter to you. Darling, I bet you were the greatest lady in the Easter Parade this year.   Thanks a lot for little Pietro. He arrived this morning and has caused quite a sensation all day. People keep coming into my room and asking, "May I see him too?". I point up on my bed, they look, then they smile and say, " Gee Whiz". I'm afraid I'll have to hide him on inspection days. The C. O. might be in a bad humor. And anyway, I'm going to be a perfect little angel till I get my furlough.   Shucks honey, isn't there some way you could wrangle a couple of days off. Tell the boss that your great grandmother is having a baby or something. Use your charm on him. Maybe you could at least get a Monday off. Maybe I could write him a threatening letter. There must be some way.     My colleague, Prof. Ehrdardt, O.P. Klein is at it again. He has a bad case of eye strain too, so he wore dark glasses yesterday. Everyo...

  May 2, 1943 Dear Shirley June,   Please Chum, no funny business in your letters. Now I'm all mixed up (again).     I'll go direct from Lansing to here on the 18th. I'll be back to Chicago on the 22. How about the rest of the time with you? Sun. the 23rd, Field Museum and Roast Duck - definitely.   Mon. local theater and practice my quaint two step.   Tues. Aragon or Trianon. I'd really like to go.   Wed. Dinner downtown and a stage play. Thurs. Last day. Unpremeditated. If everything goes as I hope it will the boss can send me to Africa and have me shot. I'll be happy.     No comment about your Spanish except Pietro means "little Pete", Pedro means Peter or vice versa.   This last week has been a hellish one for everyone up here. The whole workshas been changed again. All is thunder! I'll be in Thurs. at 7:30 pm on the Hiawatha and will have to come back Fri. at 10:15 pm. I need some pepping up and you're my favorite pepper upper. How ...

  April 19, 1943 Dear Shirley,   I'll pick up the chevrons and patches in Tomaine on Wednesday. I'll bring them in with me Friday. It'll be faster than the mail. OK?     Do you think you could get a Friday and Sat. off next month during my furlough? I would like you to come to Lansing with me. I'll bet you would enjoy it. Bill promises to buy you a cup of coffee and dad thinks it would be a good idea. What say, huh, maybe, hmmm, gee whiz, huh???????   I hate to say it , but there is another snowstorm floating around.     Gee I think it is a swell idea. I mean you and Lansing getting together. I'll bet it would like you too. I'll take you to Tally Ho and the Mayfair. We can walk on the campus in the moonlight (goodie, goodie, goodie). There are a lot of characters too. Ain't it? Gee golly it sounds better the more I think of it. Tell the boss that I will come down to the bank when we get back and work two days for nothing to help you get caught up on yo...