Letters Ray To Shirl a WWII Love Story

  Aug. 5 1945   Hi there, prettier than me,   Would you like to hear about my birthday party? Hokay!   I alloted myself five dollars Thursday afternoon and took off for town. was going to have a fancy dinner, a couple of drinks and go to a show. The restaurant was pretty crowded and there wasn't any empty booth so an old gezier yelled at me to sit with him. That was Daniel Boone Herring. I sat down and ordered a glass of Burgundy to get myself in the mood. Old Dan'l gave out with some conversation. The only thing on the menu besides fish was sliced cold chicken and potatoe salad. I ordered that and some more Burgundy. We talked some more and I mentioned that it was my birthday. More Burgundy. Then D. Boone presented himself formally. He told me who and what he was. Sounded interesting so I asked him some leading questions. He told me a lot of interesting things that had to do with faith. He told me about cases where the patients faith was in such things as pickled fr...

  Aug 2, 1945 Darling,   You sure are going to catch hell now. Ready?? You, Madame, are the whipper snapper!! Just exactly why couldn't my ring size be 7 9/16? It just so happens that that is my size. I see nothing fantastic about 7 9/16. It isn't something to be laughed at. I was born the way I am and am in no way to be held responsible for the size and shape of my fingers. They have wills of their own and are in no way influenced by public opinion. Until you brought it up they probably thought they were normal healthy fingers. Now you've got them feeling like freaks and misfits. A finger may be a human being just like you or I, and they may even have a heart. If so, I'm sure that you have broken it. Why, my goodness, you are practically a murderess. I won't say anymore, but I'll just leave you to deal with your conscience.     Tonight brought on the apex of apexes. Nothing more can happen to these old bones of mine. Many a miracle these old eyes have seen but ...

  July 29, 1945   Darling,   Today has been a downright discouraging day. Got up at 0200 this morning, briefed at 0300 and had to wait till 0800 to get a ship. We flew for seven hours and I got back to barracks at 1600. Everything seemed to go wrong on the mission. We got off late, the ship was an old one and all the equipment was different and didn't work right. I rode further back than usual and it was so rough that I nearly got thrown out of the ship. The heating units went wrong and couldn't be shut off. Did you ever see a blast furnace with wings? To top things off our mutual friend "Ptomaine" had to put his two cents in. All in all it was a horrible mission.     I just heard about the B25 that crashed into the Empire state building. Of all the ungodly things to happen, that was tops. In spite of the fog it was still the pilots fault. He shouldn't have come in so low over the city. The same thing happened out here only it was a B29 and a mountain. The B29 l...

  July 28, 1945   Act 1. Scene 1. Page 1 Place: Our lavish 1 1/2 room apartment overlooking Milwaukee Ave. at Paulina St. Time: Some evening after the war.     I come struggling up the fourth flight of stairs after a hard day at the salt mines. I am weary and hungry. I fumble with the keys and finally get the door open. I enter: Me: Hiya Petunia! You: Did you remember to bring the bottle? Me: Righto (extracting a bottle from my warm pocket) You: Wanta drink? Me: Roger! You: Here's dirt in your ears! Me: Hmmph! Me: What's for supper? You: Go take a look. I extend my right arm, open a curtain and look on the sterno stove. There are three pots steaming away. I remove all three lids and look. A horrible expression comes to my face. In order, the pots contain cod fish stew, boiled carrots, and potato soup. I shudder! Me: Darling! You: What? Me: Didn't I tell you never to have cod fish stew, boiled carrots and potato soup? You: Is that what it was that you didn't like? Me:...