Letters Ray To Shirl a WWII Love Story

  April 9, 1945   Ahoy Sweetheart,   Yesterday I was muchly stinko. I was mad at everyone including you and even my self. I hadn't heard a single word from any of my family in over two weeks. That doesn't give me a very pleasant feeling. I can put up a fight against anything in this world except silence. I'm completely beaten when you don't write. I start thinking along the long track and then I blow off steam. That's what I did in that letter. I sent a telegram today asking you to send it back unopened. I hope you did. If you read it you will probably have a few comments to make. Don't ever make me write another one. No matter what the circumstances there is no excuse for over two weeks no letter from you. I just can't see it. How about it, a little more often? Oh hell, let's skip the whole thing!   God, I can imagine what a jolly mess it must be at Edith's. The kids alone could create an earthquake, but toss Ed and Dan together on top of it and you...

  March 28, 1945   Darling,   Another big upset! This European set up is the cause of it. It'll be very unlikely that I'll be here in May. If you hadn't already made the plans you better hold off for awhile. I'm not quite sure what the whole story is but I should know in a couple of days. I'll let you know as soon as possible. The twenty day leave has been cut to seven and it may be cut more. The whole field is being changed around. I hope you haven't applied for your vacation for May 1st. If I do get a leave I should get it around then. Maybe you can still change things around so you can still go to Mexico.   I just found out about this this afternoon and I'm writing right away.   I'll write again in a couple of days. In the meantime don't make any plans that involve me. I'm not sure what I'll be up to.   I was hoping against hope that it would work out, but I had a feeling that it wouldn't.   I'm going to try and round up the straig...

  March 23, 1945   Dear Shirley,   I Ma'am am a tired soldier. I guess I ain't the moving picture type. In the movies the flyer comes down from his mission with his hair combed, his face cleaned, and his pants smartly pressed. When I landed tonight, I was dirty, greasy, smelly, rumpled and dog tired. We were out on a sea search mission. A C-54 crashed in the ocean and we were out looking for survivors. We flew for 8 hours and must have covered 1500 miles. We found pieces of the plane scattered all over but we didn't see any signs of a dinghy or Mae West. I guess it's T.S. for another crew.     They don't kid about flying around here. I must have traveled 20,000 miles since you left. We fly from Northern Alabama to Cuba and from the Eastern most Bahamas to Louisiana. I had a simulated bomb run at the Duke's at Nassau. Sure could have shocked Wallis If I'd have had a bomb. I'm getting to be a pretty good navigator. I can fly for eight hours without getting...

  March 15, 1945   Dearest Tangerine, (heh, heh, heh)   If you were to come back down here, there are two ways you could remain a virgin till after you're married. One - if you married me within ten minutes after your arrival - Two - If through some type of major explosion I were to become decapitated in a major locale. Outside of those two ways I'm afraid you'll be quite unsafe with me. If you'd have been here on a couple of evenings these last two weeks I think you'd have learned to know me as the "wolf Man". Damnit woman, I like that sort of thing! I couldn't make you any promises knowing that I wouldn't keep them. Ain't it? However, due to the usual Army confusion, It isn't likely to take place. During the month of May it is exceedingly possible that I may be dropping you a picture postal card from Iwo Jima or thereabouts. There has been a complete shake up in schedules. As things stand I'm booked to finish up here around the end of...

  March 5, 1945 Hi There, Prettier than Me,   As you say Sweet, things are rolling again. Not pleasantly, but reasonably rapid. I'm getting back into the groove, or out, and school is just as delightful as ever - Got a gun? In spite of all the hub bub I shall sit on my thumbs and count the seconds until I can hold you in my muscular arms and give you a gooey kiss. I dreamed for hours. Gee I love you and golly I miss you.   Aunt Eva, Mary, Your Grandmother, Aunt Josie, We're growing up, Honey, and life is going along pretty fast. More memories to store away? The heart and mind certainly can hold a lot. I wonder if I will see them all again someday?   I'm glad you're going back to work. I can understand why that is best. I hope you get to go out in the evenings and on weekends. If some Joe asks you and you feel like it - go to it. Tell Bill that if he doesn't get you whiskey sours Sat. afternoon, that I'll hire a Western Union boy to do it.   If things ever get ou...

  Feb 25, 1945       Feb 25, 1945 Saturday Night Darling Shirl,   I came into West Palm this afternoon and I'm staying till Mom and Myles leave. We had supper at the El Tovar and then drove out to Lake Worth and had a bottle of beer. It started to rain out there and came down in buckets all the way back. We stopped at a show around the corner from Mikes. A western and a murder mystery. Some deal, heh. All evening the three of us were like mummies. I guess we all miss you pretty much.   When we came back from the show the rain had stopped and the moon was shinning big and bright. I took a walk down to the lake. I just stood there and looked. The sky was clear and the stars were twinkling. There was a breeze coming from the ocean and the air smelled like a garden. I guess I found out a lot of things then. I know whats wrong with me and why I get in those moods and why I roamed. I was so very lonesome. Not for just anyone - just you. Even before I met you I wa...

  Feb 28, 1945 I Love you.   Sweetheart,   Your letter came this afternoon. I understood what you said and how you felt. You were so very right. You should have stayed, regardless of anything. That feeling was inside and it must have been right. But I also have that same feeling that you'll be back again, so maybe --   I'll never forget our three weeks. I relive them every day and I'll keep on reliving them until we are actually living something better. The world is really a wonderful place and we have a lifetime to discover it's wonders. We'll just wander about aimlessly and see what mischief we can get into. The sun will rise and shine every place we go. If you can be happy with me, I know I'll be happy. Let's not grow old gracefully, let's grow old laughing and loving, doing foolish things in foolish places, having hamburgers at midnight and steaks for breakfast, being thrown off horses and tired from swimming, let's wake up with a hangover and go...