Thursday, May 4, 1944

Dearest Gee.

Since you seem to go for these long letters I’ll attempt another one. Just wrote a v-mail to you last night but I got a nice airmail from you today so gotta answer that. It was dated April 23. Seems as tho the airmails are getting here ahead of the v-mails for some reason or other. Got a v-mail from Erv again today. Just got one yesterday from him. He turns them out mass production. Then last but not least I got that little gem Billy wrote. Boy, he really slays me. He wrote some maroon jokes and drew some airplanes for approval. I sure get a kick out of his letters. Chick does too.

Chick and I discussed everything from soup to nuts yesterday. We had a high old time. We’re trying to get up a ball game between our platoon and his gang. Don’t know just how it will come out. We were saying what a break it would be if Erv and us could get together. That’s like wishing for the moon. I’d just as soon he’d be where he is.

Yes, I read in our paper about the Anzio broadcast. Glad you got to hear it but what the devil did they say to make you bawl? No, kid, I’m not in bed at any 9:30. We are just warming up for the night. The Jerries control the time we go to bed as a rule. They put on a pretty good show sometimes. They won’t show themselves in the daytime so everything happens at night. The Italian moon — when it shines — is just like day time. Seems as tho we watched a moon a time or two, didn’t we. This must be the same one. We have a new name for the Jerries now. We call them “Teds”. The Italian for Germans is “Tedesche,” I hope that’s the way to spell it, hence the name Ted. I know a few choicer ones to call them too and they are called that more often than Ted.

If you spent three hours fixing those boxes of candy, it was three hours well spent. Also the comic books come in handy.

Hope you got my letter telling you about not sending the fountain pen. This one Chick gave me writes good enough doesn’t it? Still haven’t received the lead Mildred says she sent. I suppose it will come in one of these days tho.

Yes, Erv told me he was with the 15th Air Force. Every so often they pass out orders that you can tell a little more. I knew that tho before because the fellow told me when I looked up where he was stationed that time.

Boy these Italians really have the kids. They’re either overly ambitious or they don’t sleep well at night. Everytime you go by a house it looks like school just let out. What the well-dressed Italian woman will wear this year seems to be red dresses or skirts and white blouses with large stomachs. I think those Teds made a clean sweep when they went through.

Ernie Pyle made a lot of friends here for himself. He knew what it was all about and printed it. As far as being safe one place is just as good as another. You never know where the next one will light anyway.

Hope this fills the bill. Haven’t been able to get any airmail envelopes yet but still have hopes. Till then it will have to be v-mails. Sure love you, kid, miss you like everything. Be good.

So long.

Snook