Letters Ray To Shirl a WWII Love Story

  May 21, 1945   Darling,   Reckon as how this is close to the big "it". We haven't been told much but we won't go over from this field. There's no way of finding out exactly how long it'll be, but we started to draw overseas equipment yesterday so -. It may be days weeks or months. Some more just asettin and awaitin. About all they do at this field is take care of legal matters and make sure all of our records are in order.     The sun finally came out today. It would have been a swell day to go to the Dunes with you or ride with you or drive along the country with you or fly with you. It's too bad that such a swell day in such a swell country has to be wasted.     Sometimes I wonder how dare these Emperors and Dictators deprive so many people the pleasure of being alive and free. There's so much to this world and it's such a great gift to be on it. How can such a few bad men cause so many good men to lose all this. The ones who start wars must ne...

  May 19, 1945   My Darling,   This field has the best system of confusion I have seen yet. In spite of all the confusion though, there is one thing that I do know for sure. I know how wonderful you are and how awfully lucky I am to know you. I know how glad I am that I'm in love with you and how lost I'd be without you. Those are the only things that are important to know so I reckon everything will be O.K.   It's cold here and it's dark and windy. I don't think there's a tree on the field and it's very desolate. All it would be needing to make it alive would be you. Without you it's just a place to pass time. Gee whiz, I love you.   We are to start processing in the morning so I'll be able to find out what cooks. I'll write you Sunday and let you know.     I stayed up most of the night on the train trying to figure out how I can get to see you. There's a train that leaves Chicago at 12:35 and gets to Ottumwa Iowa around 5:00 in the afternoo...

  May 5, 1945 4pm   Dear Lambie pie,   I love you and you love me but the way we go about it is rather quaint isn't it?   We both got mad and threw stones at each other. Now let's go out and eat some worms and go back to where we started from.     I hope you get this letter before you answer the last one. If not we'll probably end up sending telegrams. Ya know this may sound screwy but I really don't mind fighting with you as long as we make up. Consistently sensible letters would become routine. Come to think of it, I don't know of any two people who can send slams at each other quite as well as we can. We're good huh?     We've lived through every battle so far and I reckon we'll continue to do so. We're going to have a swell life together. I hope we slug it out from one end of the world to the other for fifty years. You're such a swell opponent.     I think you will hear from your father very shortly. I also think he'll suggest you ha...

    May 5, 1945   Dear Shirl,   Sometimes I fall back in amazement at the things that happen. Your letter really wowed me. You bawling me out for not writing is very funny. The trouble is that I don't get it! No matter how long I've waited for your letters I've always answered them within two days. I wrote to you the beginning of this week and I wrote to Bill last night. His letter came the day after yours. I don't savvy the drift of all of this but I'm not taking the blame.   This makes about the fifth time you've called me childish. I told you before that I didn't like it and I still don't. Cut it from now on.   Another thing let's get straight. If you decide to greet me with a frown and a curse you might well add a goodbye to it. That'll be about the time I check out.   I don't know how my mother got all mixed up but obviously she did. I don't have any idea what day I'll be home. I hope and it's possible that the orders will co...

  May 1, 1945   Darling Shirl,   Here I be, a settin and awaitin, just asettin and awaitin. I can't leave until my orders come in and that may take two weeks. Someday the army is going to keep me waiting to long and I'll become violent. The so and sos have put me to work as a Range Officer. All day long I shout "Ready on the left, Ready on the right, Load and lock, Unlock, Fire." Then everybody shoots a gun and I get a headache. Our children will positively not be allowed to have firecrackers on the 4th of July! No arguments!   Say, something must have gone wrong in the mail. I answered your last letter. Either mine or one of your letters didn't go through.     The ring is 100% ours now. I settled with the Jeweler today. I hope I get to put it on your finger pretty soon. I want you to have it right away, but I'd feel better if I gave it to you myself. I want to.   Hey, what say we spend one night thusly - We'll get a room at a nice hotel - with a firep...

  April 15, 1945   Good Morning Darling,   Say, did anyone ever tell you that you're pretty? Well, by Godfrey, you are! I'm in one of my passionate moods again. I dare say I'd be quite romantic if we were together - quite!   Gee I had a million questions to ask you last night but I forgot all about them. Oh, well, I just wanted to hear your voice and even if I couldn't make out the words I knew it was you.     That letter wasn't so bad. There was just one thing about the ring that I didn't want you to know. It's nothing bad, you will find out when you get it. Ya know, buying a ring is quite a job. I never knew diamonds came in such small hunks. I finally found the one I liked in Miami. If all goes well should be able to get it the end of this week. It's kind of round and the stone sort of sets on top. There are some smaller stones on each side. There isn't much of the bottom except the platinum. But then who looks at the bottom. It comes complete wit...

  April 12, 1945   Dear Shirl,   Say did you get my telegram before you got that first letter? If so, did you send it back? If not, did you read the letter? If so, oh, oh. I wish I knew. I keep expecting a letter from you in which you tear my innards out and trounce on them. Gee, just like the old days. If you did open it, remember, I was stinko and crying in my beer. A youth under the influence of intoxicants ain't responsible.     I've been slightly under the atmosphere lately. I took some shots for typhus and cholera and they have a violent reaction. First, I was the hottest tomato on two feet (no comment) and then I freeze. Hot and cold intermittently (phew) for two nights. Also one super headache and a general hung over feeling. All for free too!     If that's the preventative I'd sure hate to get the disease.     If Betty is the one I think she is, ahem, I remember her - whistle, etc. It's swell that she's back. Ask her if it's true wha...