Letters Ray To Shirl a WWII Love Story

  Nov 30, 1944 Darling,   Take this letter into your room, close the door and read it. This is very secret stuff your going to read and I wouldn't want it to get around.     I've been holding out on you for the last three months. I wanted to tell you, but I still didn't want to say anything until I was further along. I'm not sure yet, but it's so close I just can't wait any longer. I'm scheduled to graduate in twenty three terribly long days. I have one more final comprehension test to take. If I make it I'm in. If I flunk I'm out. I graduate at ten oclock in the morning on December 23rd. I've sweated it out for a year and a half now and finally I'm on the home stretch.     I've got all of my officers uniforms bought and ready to go. Outside of my slight pot belly I look sort of good. I've got a green blouse, green and pink pants, and a grey garbadine top coat. The whole works darling, a genuine Officers uniform.     We should clear t...

  Dec 11, 1944 Dear Ole Sweetie Pie,   If you're going to get sick we'll have to sit at home and chew on aspirins. You had better stay chipper. I do enough worrying when you're in good shape. One thing though, sick or well, you'll look plenty good to me, from any angle.   Hey, when I hit the Chicago city limits, I'm going to relax completely. You do all of the planning. We'll go any place you say. If you want we'll take Grandma to the L and L and throw a party. I'll be in for an ocean voyage pretty soon so the sky's the limit.   So far everything is going along as planned. Fifteen days and I'll be seeing you in all the old familiar places. Let's tear up the town. I hope we get a romantic cab driver. Yum yum yum.   I'm enclosing Johnnie's letter requesting fruitcake and a fountain pen. That should satisfy the postal authorities. Seems like a damn silly rule. Send him as much fruitcake as you can.   I'm going to write to Myles at Mo...

  Dec. 4, 1944 Darling,   Once in awhile something happens to prove that I am pretty much of a heel. It happened today. I have been so busy thinking about my graduation - my Christmas - and my getting home that I forgot all about my brother. I got a "V" letter from him today. He asked if I might possibly be able to send him a small fruitcake. He said they don't get much cake or such in Germany. He has never complained about anything nor asked me to send him anything. I'm very ashamed that I didn't think about sending him something myself. I can't get to any place that has a fruit cake so how about it, Honey? Will you send one to him. I don't know how much they are or how big or anything about them. There are some regulations about size and weight so you might have to send two packages. You can check on details at the post office. Get whatever you can for the money. If you need more I'll wire it to you. Will you send it out as soon as you can and by the...

  Nov 20, 1944 Darling Shirl,   I am now eating an apple. In ten more days I shall have now been in the army 27 months. I decided to celebrate so I am eating an apple.   How can the C. N. B. and T co of C have such creeps in charge of it? All the creeps are in the Army and they are running this outfit. The so and sos have shipped out almost all of our planes now. I have a feeling we'll be transfered to Calsbad New Mexico to finish this course. I can fly without bombs or instructors, but when they take away the ships I'll throw in the towel. With everything mixed up like it is I haven't the slightest idea when I'll graduate. I should know for sure within a month. I'll be satisfied if I just graduate. Right now I'm having trouble with navigation. I'm o.k. when it comes to doing practical things, but when I have to do things on paper I'm sunk. I make silly, foolish mistakes. I copy figures wrong, measure distances a couple miles off and get the wrong headin...

  Nov 6, 1944 Saturday Evening Dear Shirl,   I have the whole place to myself. There is a high wind blowing and it whistles and it screams around the corners. It always makes me think of Wuthering Heights. Not any one scene in particular but the whole plot. I feel very alone, but not lonesome. I've felt alone before and I'm getting used to it. Maybe it's sort of a prelude to the future. I have so many dreams and visions of life that they can't all happen, yet each one of them is vivid. I don't think I was given a mind and body equivalent to my soul. At times like this I get so tired of the way I live, but there isn't anything I want to do or any person I want to see. I'm not content with what I've got - I don't know what I want. All of this is brought about by the wind. Ever since I was old enough to go out by myself I have been fascinated by the wind. When it blows high, and you c an hear it and the trees sway back and forth - I'm lost. It's...

  Oct 1, 1944   Hi Darling,   Just finished a swell breakfast downstairs in the coffee shop. I feel quite human again. I had a hectic night last night and was beginning to hate the world. It started out peacefully. I got into San Berdee at eight oclock and picked up a room. I had dinner and went to a show. All was well! After the show I got to thinkin about those whiskey sours. I stopped in the "Grizzly Bear" and ordered one. It tasted swell so I ordered another. That's when the trouble started. I don't know what caused the whole thing, but out of a clear sky I saw a Marine Sergeant slug the waitress. She groaned and fell over. I got so damned mad I began to shake. I started after the Marine, so did a couple of other fellows. The closest one to the Marine was a P.F.C. from our field. He couldn't have been over 5'4" and he wore glasses and he looked like the mildest little person there ever was. He took off his glasses and he said to the Marine, "you ...

  September 10, 1944 Somewhere in The Mojave 1944 Dearest Shirl,   If you will be my "Gravel Gertie" I will be your "Brow".   Say, that last letter was a super duper. How about more of that size - more often?     Our schedule has been changed a little. We used to get up at four and finish at eight. Now we get up at three thirty and finish at eight thirty. We get in seven hours of flying before noon. Also in two weeks we were supposed to get Sundays off. We get only every other Sunday off.     Those whiskey sours taste good, don't they? Golly, they even sound good. I'm going to need a couple of good stimulants. I'm beginning to get nervous. One of our gang was washed out for nerves last week. I must be calm - I must be calm - I must be calm - I must be calm , etc., etc., etc., etc. If I can only get through this course the rest should be simple.     I haven't any snapshots of myself. I'll try and get one if possible. In the meantime here's an ...