April 4, 1944

Dear Mother & Dad,

            Oh, how I miss the Delaware River in April. I’ve been thinking a lot about the old place lately. I’ll just bet its swell up there now. I never appreciated the seasons of the year before, but you can bet that I’ll not forget them in the future. The monotony of this place is enough to drive a guy nuts. According to maps and charts, we are supposed to have a change in the weather over here, but as yet, I haven’t noticed any. It just gets hot and then rains like hell and gets hot again.

            I finally got a gadget that I’m sure mother will like, it’s a cross made from plexiglass with an Australian coin beaten down till its smooth, mounted in the glass and engraved. As soon as I get it packed I’ll send it on. It has an attachment to pin it on, but I don’t especially like it so if you want to take it off by all means do so. It may look a little dull but a little cotton is all you need to polish it up. It was made by an Australian. It’s not mush but I thought you might like it.

            Hope I don’t sound too morbid in this letter folks, but I’ve reached the point where I’m likely to do a little “bi***ing” pardon the language but that’s the way we feel and there is certainly nothing genteel about our manners anymore. I didn’t spell that word right but you get the idea. There really isn’t anything the matter with any of us but we just have to let off steam now and then.

            I’m still waiting for the pictures that I had taken in Sydney, they should be coming around in about a week, I hope so.

            Honestly trying to write is getting to be a job in itself. There just isn’t anything to write about.  I even have trouble writing to Helen and I know that I shouldn’t feel that way. She is so darn faithful with her letters, I just don’t like to write when there isn’t anything to write about cause I start complaining and I promise you that I won’t do it more than once every six months, I don’t like to hear others complain and I don’t want to have you all say that I am.

            I’m sure glad to hear that you are all getting around and seeing people and things. It’s really about time you know, and they all sound like such swell people, seems like I’ll have a lot of people to meet when I get home.

            If this letter smells, blame it on me. The main water pump has busted and we haven’t had any water to wash in for days and there won’t be any for five more days. Just one of those things.

            Pardon me if I just ramble on but that’s the only way I can think of things.

            Have I told you about the new shack that we are living in?  As you know, Capt Yancey is quite a handy man with tools, so we took our time when we moved to this place and built a house. It’s really the nicest one in the area. A real bungalow with all the trimmins.  It’s about 26 feet long and 15 feet wide, at each end there is a raised section 8 feet long that we sleep on and the middle is our living room.  It’s all screened in and has a nice all weather roof.  Its way up on the top of a mountain so when there is a breeze we get it. Fortunately we are right along the pipe line, so we found us some pipe and an old shower head so we have a real honest to goodness shower when there is water to be had. You really don’t know what a boost it gives a fellow to live in decent sort of a shack. The view is really something, back home people pays thousands of bucks to go to the mountains and don’t have a view that can touch it.  I’m trying to get some pictures to send you all.  Of course the beauty has worn off for us. All we do is cuss it.  But we can’t deny that it is really a swell sight. Guess I don’t have to tell you how much I miss my sweetheart.  If there ever was a lucky guy I’m him, to have such a sweet and lovable wife.  I know that you are all looking after her.  She always tells me how she enjoys her weekends with you.  Just see to it that she doesn’t get low in spirits, as long as I feel that she is feeling ok I don’t mind being away from her too much.

            I haven’t been doing much flying lately, gets sort of tiresome after a while and at present there isn’t much need for me to go along. So I’m just not playing my luck too far. At the present rate I’ll have flown more than 75 combat missions by June and that ain’t hay for a ground officer. All I can say is that I like my Zeros better in pictures than though the window of a C-47.

            My health in case you are wondering has been good. The heat plays hell with me once in a while but generally I’m going along in good shape.

            You may be wondering about the talk of us coming home after 18 months, don’t put too much stock in it.  I’ll get there when they are ready to send me and not before. That’s the way I want it anyhow. We can see over here that it’s not always a wise plan to send men home just because they have been away for 18 months.  As long as my health hold up and there is a job I can do, I’ll stick it out.  Personally I am very much irritated at the Japs and won’t mind a bit if I have to stay and help get rid of the yellow bastards. Those are my sentiments.

            Just a reminder, there are elections coming soon and a lot hinges on the results.  I imagine that you are still riding the old elephant, and I can’t say that there is anything wrong with that, but there is only one guy who is capable of running the show on that side.  Don’t let me hear of you all backing that Boy Scout from New York.  If it can’t be Wilkie for heavens sake stick to FDR.

            Well I guess I’m just about out of news, etc. so I’ll sign off for now.  Give my regards to everybody.  Take care of yourselves.

                                                                                                All my love,

                                                                                                       Walt