Dearest Gee.
I got your swell July 1 letter yesterday, kid. A five page number too! I was on my way to Oslo on pass so didn’t have time to answer it then. I’m going to write this small so I can enclose these pictures. I’ve written on the back where they are. They were from Douglass’s camera and were developed here but as you can see they don’t have a good grade of paper. They aren’t bad tho.
You sure must have had a time on your trip to Springfield and New Salem. I’ll bet you were ready to “colass”, huh? You be careful.
Did I note the green-eyed monster coming out in that crack where you said “while you are dancing on the 4th I’ll be washing and cleaning”? I never even went near the place they danced as I’ve already told you. Friday nite we held an open air dance in the public square of Drammen. Had the Regimental Band play. But I still didn’t dance, kid! Don’t start worrying at this stage of the game. I built the bandstand but then that’s no accomplishment. Rather some of the guys helped me, I’ll put it that way.
All we’ve been having lately is parades and formations it seems like. Yesterday we had one in the a.m. that lasted all morning. It was the second Saturday job we always have. Today we held one at an airport in Oslo for the guys to be decorated. There were ninety-six guys decorated. Bob Petit got a Purple Heart, by the way. Our first sergeant got the Legion of Merit, and there were several silver and bronze stars given. Our old Company Commander and 1st sergeant Wesley traded bronze stars — each put the other in for it. Such an army! Wesley got the Purple Heart too and where the hell he was wounded beats the hell out of me! That’s what I mean when I say the medals don’t mean much. It certainly spoils it for the ones who really deserve them. Right now the most important thing they mean is five points. During the formation today two men passed out from the heat. There may have been more that I couldn’t see. One was my old platoon officer Lt. Smallwood. It must have been 95° in the shade and we had no shade. We had on our od’s with ETO jackets and the sweat just poured off.
Going to Oslo yesterday, (I went with Douglass) I saw a Norsky get smacked by a car. I was riding in a weapons carrier with some more guys and we went around a sharp curve and lo on one side was a horse and wagon parked and some people talking and a little farther down was a car parked on our side of the road. There was an old man with a little cart standing by a railing along the side of the road. We had to stop because of a car coming, a car right behind us slapped on his brakes and finally got stopped but a Model A Ford rounding the curve couldn’t stop. She slapped on the brakes and skidded sideways right into the old man. Of course I had to be looking. Meatball helped put the old man in the car so they could take him to the doc. He had a hole in his head and his face was battered a little and I don’t know what else. He got blood on the sleeve of my jacket too, danger. (Women driver!)
We got to Oslo and went in the Skol room for something to eat. It’s a club for US Troops only, and guests if they have a card. Something like the Red Cross. We downed a few sanneriches (?) and then started wandering around the burg. Got on a streetcar and was going to the Koningen or King’s Place. It’s on the order of a night club. They have music and beer to drink. When we got there it was packed so we took off again. We had noticed a ferry plying back and forth going somewhere so thought we’d investigate that. We were waiting on the ferry when Doug started talking to a civilian there. The usual thing — he wanted a cigarette. He turned out to be a pretty good guy. He told us there was a museum on the other side and he’d be glad to show us the place. We went over there and he showed us his little sail boat. That’s what he was going over for — to see how it was doing. He didn’t have any sail for it tho (it was brand new) so he couldn’t take us riding. We went down to the museum. I didn’t get the drift of what it was all about but it had something to do with the Vikings of the old days. Had a bunch of old wooden buildings and stuff like that. Something like Spring Mill in Indiana. We found a restaurant that had beer so we sit there and took an a couple and talked about things in general. He talked perfect English. I forgot to tell you that we had planned on going swimming. We had our suits in a little ditty bag and Doug was carrying them. I’ll be a son of a gun if we didn’t walk away and leave that bad there. Never noticed it until we got back on the other side. We took the last ferry there was for the night so couldn’t go back. It was eleven o’clock. By the time we got back to town it was time to catch the train. The guy told us he would go back today and see if he could find the bag for us. We had a couple packs of cigarettes in it and we told him he could have them for his trouble so I imagine he’ll sure try anyway.
I guess some British general will be around Monday or Tuesday so we’ll probably have another parade or inspection or some dang thing. It’s a pain in the neck.
Honey, I sure will be thinking about you on our anniversary. I sure wish I could be with you. Sure hope we can spend the ninth one together at least. I have your folder you sent me tacked up on the wall beside my bunk. In the other half I got the one of you in shorts and sweater sitting in the grass. I don’t have a good picture of Dad and Mom. I wish they’d have their picture taken together.
Hope someone arranges a little celebration for you for our anniversary. Surely they will. I got a v-mail from Mae. She sure is excited. I sure love you, honey, and miss you like everything.
So long now.
Snook
Letters From Snook 