A.P.O. #350                                                                                                                                                                                        Co. C 735th Ry. Opn. Bu.

            A.P.O.#350 Co. P.M. New York.

            August 5th, 1945

            Linz, Austria.

My Dearest Darling,

            Pheety I’ll be so happy when you get my letter of July 28th.  I’ll just be on needles and pins until I hear from you again.  Margaret if our love would ever die I’d just die too.  I’ll never forget you as long as I live & if someone else could have you I’d just give up life for good.  I’m sure we feel the same way about each other & Darling won’t it be just like getting married all over again when I come home.  Oh when that day comes my worries will be all over & I’ll never let you out of my sight as long as I live.  I’ve been away from you too long now & you’re going with me everywhere I go when I’m not working.  I’m going to make you the happiest little wife in the world.  And I don’t mean [to] embarrass you either.  Do you think I can do it Pheety[?]  Anyway I know we’re going to be the two happiest people when we see each other.  I can foresee just what it’s going to be like.  Darling I just know that as long as we both live we’ll always have each other.  We’re a perfect pair & I could never see it any other way.  Could you Pheety?

            Pheety did you know that I’m getting old, I’m 25 now & I must say I don’t act or feel any older than 20.  It don’t seem to me I’m that old.  I just noticed on the calendar that your Birthday & mine both come on Monday this year.  — Pheety I wanted so bad to send you a gift for our second wedding anniversary but there is nothing to send you, not even anything to buy down here in Austria.  Anyway I hope you got my letter sending you greetings.  — I told you I made Sergeant didn’t I?  I received my papers the 21st of July& was I ever happy.  Yes I finally made it & everyone congratulated me.  They all say I should have been a Sgt. a long time ago.  I have my stripes sewed on all my uniforms now & did I ever have a time.  I can sew pretty good but it takes me forever.  I repainted my helmet lines a nice shiny army green & painted my three big white stripes on the front, do I ever look snazzy on the drill field.  I wish my Pheety could have been here to sew my stripes on but on second thought I guess we wouldn’t get much sewing done. Oh Pheety!  No I’ll never forget the day I made my rating as you’ll never guess what happened.  They gave me my promotion in the morning July 21st of & 1100/am they held an inspection on our cabooses.  Someone in our cab left the sink in the bathroom full of dirty water with whiskers all over the bowl, it looked like hell.  We had the cab all shined up & forgot all about the bathroom.  When the lieutenant walked in he went straight for the bathroom & did he ever raise hell when he saw the washbowl.  He told all five of us to report to the Captains office right after dinner.  The Captain told us to take our tents & blankets at 6oo/pm & pitch our tents in the grass behind his office & sleep there for the night.  Don’t think that wasn’t a little embarrassing on the very day I became a Sergeant.  Everyone was kidding me about it.  Well we got a lot of kick out of it anyway.  A lot of the boys came down & visited us in the evening & the new 1st Sgt. came over and played catch with us.  Harold L. came over to kid me.  They all call me the new Sgt. from “Tent City” now ha. ha. —

   Well Pheety we’ve been doing close order drill & exercises in the mornings.  The afternoons are spent in playing soft ball.  They have several leagues to pass away the time but even playing ball is getting monotonous.  We’re only about 500 yards from the Danube River and in the evenings we all go down for a swim.  The water is a rapids & it run at the rate of about 30 miles an hour.  You can imagine the fun we have going down stream with the current.  Boy it’s ice cold but I feel like a million when I get out.  Darling when I go down to that river the awfullest feeling comes over me.  It just brings back old memories, the first thing I think of is when you & I used to go out to Phalen Park & swim.  Didn’t we have fun together in the water.  I’ll never forget the fist first time I saw you in a bathing suit when you went downstairs to show Mrs. A.  I just couldn’t get over it, you are beautiful in a bathing suit Darling.  You are beautiful anytime Darling & I’ve certainly always been proud of you.  When I come back from swimming in the evenings, then is when I get so lonesome.  If they don’t send me home to my Pheety soon I’m going to go crazy.  We have been having a full moon every night & I sit on the steps of my caboose & think of you constantly.  You’ve been on my mind ever since the day I left you, you’ll always live in my heart Margaret, there’s just no one who can ever take your place.  I’ll be so glad when I get home so we can settle down & live in that little world all our own & do nothing but love.  That isn’t going to be long either Pheety as I have some very good news for you.  I told you in my last letter about the railroad men coming home & I’m sure you’ve read it in the papers.  Well today an advanced party of 14 men flew by plane from here this morning. They’re on their way to the States & we’re expecting a big shipment from our company in a few days.  They have the first list made out & I have heard my name is on it.  Sure wish I knew for sure.  So Darling I hope you’ve been getting ready to go back home to your mother so you can meet me at the train in Bellefountaine.  Maybe I’ll surprise you, I just love to surprise people.  I’ll never forget how I surprised my folks on my furlough, boy that was fun.  It’s sure a great feeling to look back at all the places I’ve been & what we’ve accomplished over here.  And to sit here & look at my uniform hanging up with all my bars, medals, stripes & battle stars on it and then think it won’t be long til I’ll be in your arms to stay.  Even if I do have to remain in the army for awhile & work on a Western railroad I can at least have you with me.  I’ll probably get a furlough as soon as I get home & if I have to report back to a camp I’m taking you with me.  That’s why I want you to go home right away cause when we leave here it will only take 36 hrs. by plane to the States.  So when I come home I want you ready to go with me wherever I have to work.  Anyway that town is no place for you, & your mother wants you home & I do too.  So Pheety you have a lot of reasons for returning home.  – They may discharge me & let me go back on my own road, wouldn’t that be swell Darling.  All I want to do is get back to the States cause no matter where I am there I can have my Pheety with me.  Darling I have one big ambition & I intend to do it for you someday when we get settled in a place of our own.  And that is to make you a beautiful garden of nothing but roses & sing “Stardust” to you.  I know the words too, I think it goes something like this —“Sometimes I wonder why I spend the lonely night, Dreaming of a song, the melody haunts my reverie – and I am once again with you (you said it!)  When our love was new, and each kiss an inspiration (oh. boy) – But that was long ago, now my consolation is in the Stardust of a song.  Beside a garden wall, when stars are bright, you are in my arms. (and how!)  The nightingale tells his fairy tale of paradise, where roses grew, Though I dream in vain- In my heart it ß(YOU) will remain, my stardust melody – The memory of loves refrain.”

   I’d rather hear you sing it Darling, I’m not sure if I even heard you.  –Darling the memories of you & I together will live in my heart forever.  We have so much to live for & to have each other is all I want.  As long as I can have you I’ll always be happy.  I’d be happy with you anywhere Darling. — Yes Pheety that first one will certainly be a dandy!  Won’t it be the greatest thrill we ever had after going this long.  For me it’s really going to be something to even kiss you again & I don’t mean maybe!  And can you kiss, you think I can kiss but Pheety it’s your kissing that makes them so good!  — You know Darling we never had a breathing spell from France into Germany & I know now if we hadn’t been too busy I still wouldn’t have stepped out on you all this time.  We’ve been laying around for a month now for the first time since we landed & I find it still the least of my desire to be untrue to you.  I bet you’re worried a lot about me over here but Margaret if only you realized how much I love you you’d have nothing to worry about.  I hope you haven’t worried about me cause I believe I could go on forever being true to you now.

 I don’t believe any woman could love me any more than you have - that’s why I’ll always believe you’ve been true to me.  After what we’ve did together I could never picture it with anyone else, for you or for me.  I was hurt to hear about your drinking but but I’m sure when I come home I won’t hear that you were untrue.  I just couldn’t picture it that way, you always loved me too much & I’m glad I can trust you.  If only you’ll promise not to drink anymore & go back home like I want you to then we’ll always be happy.  It’s the only way we can be happy now so Darling I know you’ll do that for me.  — Please write me Pheety & send me all your love & kisses.  You better get ready to give me a lot of lovin when I get home cause I’m going to need plenty of it.  Oh I’ll be so happy, I just can’t explain what it’s going to be like.  Can you Pheety?

            Goodnight Darling & I love you with all my heart!

            All my love & kisses to my little Hayseed

                                                Your Dumplin

                                                X XXXX XXX!

P.S. The best railroader in Europe is not a Pfc. [Private First Class] anymore either.ha ha.

P.S. Pheety here’s a couple of pictures I had taken right after the war was over.  I had them developed & they were terrible.  The pictures were so blurred that I tore them up.  The negatives look good though so I’m sending them to you so you can have some nice one’s made.  I hope you like them Pheety.  I’ll send some more soon.  I sure would like to have some pictures of you!

They might have time to get here before I leave.  Please keep writing anyway Darling & if your letters come back to you then you’ll know I’m on my way.

                                                I love you dearest,

                                                            Love Vincent