Lt. Col. Carlton J. Cook
Ord. Sec. Hq. M.B.S
A.P.O. 600, N.Y.C
Oct. 29, 1943. Letter #12
My Darling Jeannette:
Since writing to you Wednesday I received two more letters from you dearest, your #11 of Oct 16th and #12 of Oct 17th. They both came the 27th, so that is not bad time-ton and eleven days. I don’t know what I would do at times if it were not for you letters coming often to me. It seems as though one can get awfully discouraged at times. The end of this seems so far away that it is hard to see and with continual changed almost from day to day, you don’t know where you are going to be from one day to the next. That is the way things seem to be at present more or less. I have lost two officers and some of my men on reduction of staff now and don’t know when the new out will come. About the only way you can be is as the French “c’et la guerre”
I have received several letters lately from other folks. They day before yesterday I received your grandmother’s letter of Sept. 1st. Last week I had a letter from Aunt Frieda, one this from Jim D the week before that and a Thanksgiving card from Aunt Sadie last week also, this week a letter from Foley’s, and today one from Bud N. You can tell them all I thank them all very much and will write in return. I have given up promising when. I wrote Grandma Cook last week and Grandpa Klock the week before that.
I am glad you enjoyed your corsage for the Oct. 18th weekend. It was not meant for our anniversary. No you are wrong about one thing, I am not better than you deserve by any means. In fact it is the other way around. What little bit I can do for you, darling, to help make you a little happier while we are apart, that I want to do. It is hard enough for us to be apart for so long anyway. And you know my love and thoughts come with those flowers as though I had brought them myself to you.
I will be interested to see the new hat you bought. I’ll reserve comment until I see the picture, since it is about a woman’s hat. If it were a dress, I could say you would like good in it, sight unseen, but a hat---. You mentioned Ginger’s being washed. I received a card you sent from his today, with two pictures. He surely is big, I swear, he must be half as big again as when I left the States.
You said in your second letter that you get discourages at times too. The best we can do is pray for our early reunion and put our fate in God’s hands I guess dear. I am sure He will do what is best for us and I do pray each day that it will not be too long before we shall be together once more. It is a year and a half today since we parted. It just doesn’t seem possible that it has been that long. And to think that one man and his crazy nation have caused all this. I only hope that the Russians get to Germany before we do. They will probably give the Germans back some of what they received. If we get there first, we shall probably be too soft hearted. It is a common American trait. And Germany should be made to pay very dearly for all the suffering she had caused the world. Frankly I don’t think anything will be too bad for them, including wiping out the German nation entirely so that it cannot be a menace to future generations.
I’ll tell Mm. Forget that you wrote her. I am surprised that your grandmother is not wearing her Sonotone, when it helped her so much. Old people I guess all get funny ideas, which we much excuse however much that exasperate us. I have not been to any shows or anyplace lately as I have been getting to bed early with my cold, which is getting better now. It wasn’t much of one this time anyway. I have my afternoon off today. Am going to write the folks too, go to the PX and then for a walk for exercise I guess.
Wall I must close for this time. Will write Sunday. All my love and kisses to my darling sweetheart.
As ever
Carlton