November 30, 1944

Holland

My Dearest Darling Sweetest Dolly,

I guess it’s about time I sat myself down and write to the most lovable and precious wife in all of the lands. I received two letters from you, one was when mom came home, and the other one was when you were out to Pete’s and Baynes. They brought you home, and then they stopped in for pie and coffee. So you see I am expecting a big pile of mail again, but I will say that I love you a million times more than ever. I’ll love you always.

You should see the steam lined pup that Kennedy and I have; it’s really nice. We dug it down about two and a half feet so the wind would blow in. It was piled with straw, and sand bags were placed all around it. I slept as warm as toast. You should have seen the hole we had before, nothing but mud. I crawled in one night and said to Kennedy if Dally could only see me now. Ken said yeah she would probably say look at that dumb little so and so lying in that muddy old hole. You wouldn’t have said that, would you honey? I love you.

I was wondering, did Grandpa leave Emma anything? It was a good thing he made that out the way he did, I was expecting a big battle. Weren’t you? I can’t picture Marion being that fat, but she wasn’t very small when I saw her.

I got a new mackinaw today; it was a good thing too. I looked all around for my overcoat and accuse everyone of taking it. The kid in the next pip tent had taken it. All drivers are supposed to have short coats, and I finally got it. Now I have to figure out a way to be able to keep my overcoat too. I’ll use it as an extra blanket.

A Christmas package came for me today from Flo and Gene. I am going to wait a few weeks before I tell them the package came; they might feel bad if they knew it came this early. I received two bars of soap, two pairs of socks, a hook, and a blotter. Nice isn’t it. I can get good money out of the soap. I’m afraid to use it, I might get clean. Lord what I would give to crawl into a hot tub of water and just lay back and soak. I’d come feeling fresh as a daisy. This mud wears hell with my hands. They are dried and cracked- not chapped. The dint is in deep. I doubt they will ever be clean again. I washed them, and about a minute later I touched something muddy.

The last place we were in was the first one that there weren’t any kids around. You should see some of them. They are as cute as they can be. I feel sorry for them though, they have on these big wooden shoes, and no socks on. I see that there feet are cold. Parker said that he felt sorry for them for the way the watched the garbage bucket. One kid brought a pail over to get garbage for her pigs. Willie is feeling a lot better now. He wasn’t feeling too good for a few days. You couldn’t get a pleasant word out of him.

There my sweetest little darling, I will end this now and hope and pray some more that it wouldn’t be long till I see you again. Millions and millions of kisses and I’ll love you always.

Your ever loving,

Giles