438th AAA AW BN
APO 527 % Postmaster, N.Y.
England
11 February, 1944 1335
Dearest sweetheart –
I’ve just finished lunch and here I am imagining I’m talking with you again. I hope the ability to do that never leaves me, because it makes me feel very close to you. After yesterday’s snow and sleet, today is clear and dry and not cold. There’s no trace of snow on the ground.
This morning I didn’t go out to the gun sections at all, dear, but once and for all decided to finish dictating the history of the medical detachment. It’s a good thing I’ve been with it from the very start because our movements and changes in the States were so many that a newcomer could have had a whale of a time trying to piece things together. Well, darling, shortly before noon I finished the darn thing and now it has only to be typed by my sergeant and then submitted. So that’s one more piece of work out of the way. It’ll be nice if I don’t have to write another year’s history, won’t it dear?
By the way – I like the variety of your stationery. You must find mine dull by comparison. I thought you were going to stick to the nice wide type which enabled you to get my address on one line; then – the very next day you surprise me with a royal blue trimming! But it makes very little difference, sweetheart, as long as I hear from you – and that – I have. I guess you are the most constant correspondent a guy could ever have. If any mail comes into the battalion at all – I’m pretty sure to hear from you – and often when very few others get letters, sure enough – there’s one from you. Yesterday was such a day – and I was the only officer receiving a letter. This week has been just about perfect with a letter every day. That makes the day complete and no matter what else occurs – I’m satisfied. I’m sorry though that you’re having delay in getting mine. They go out of here daily – I know that – but there must be some hold-up farther along the line.
In your letter of January 25th – you tell me about leaving your job. I surmised that in a later letter. I suppose you find the same trouble when my letters get mixed up. I’m glad you left, dear, because it seemed like an awfully hard job – physically – and there’s no sense in getting exhausted. It was nice of you to write you’ll be dissatisfied with everything until I come back. I feel the same way, too, dear. Everything else except you seems so inconsequential.
Your tendency toward stubbornness according to the fortune teller’s book does not worry me at all, darling; and determination is a good quality. As for loving with passion and vigor – I know that, without the book, too. Did you look mine up also? I hope it jibes with my feelings. I love with passion and devotion, darling, in case the book doesn’t say it – i.e. I love you that way.
I’m glad you’re keeping in contact with Irv and Verna. What you say about her is true – but she’s fundamentally a good kid. Talk about stubbornness – though. If she doesn’t want to leave her job, she won’t – come hell or high water. What you wrote about Diana was strange. Does she have to leave Boston or does she do her work there? Have you ever met the Hoffmanns? They’re a nice couple. I don’t know how Bud has stayed out of the Army so long – but he ought to be a good G.I. man when he’s through his training. Oh well I’ll start from scratch and pick up some loose threads here and there. One thing I’m not afraid of Sweetheart – and that’s the ability to make patients and once made – to hold them. And that’s what you need in practice. I still get letters from patients telling me they’re waiting to let me be their doctor when I get back – and that’s encouraging.
Darling – with you as my wife to help me – I can’t miss. And the one good thing about Salem is that even though you have to stick around in the early days – i.e. to help the older doctors – there’s so many things we can do – and still be in Salem on call. Of course – just being with you, dear, by ourselves – will be just a novelty and thrill – you’ll have to drag me out of the house. God – why can’t this thing be over with so that people can go back to live as was meant for them to do? It can’t last forever, dearest, and I’m willing to wait even that long for the opportunity of calling you my wife. Anything less than that is manna from heaven – and I’m angling for a front seat. So long for now, darling, if we keep our courage up we can’t lose. Best regards home and you have
I’ve just finished lunch and here I am imagining I’m talking with you again. I hope the ability to do that never leaves me, because it makes me feel very close to you. After yesterday’s snow and sleet, today is clear and dry and not cold. There’s no trace of snow on the ground.
This morning I didn’t go out to the gun sections at all, dear, but once and for all decided to finish dictating the history of the medical detachment. It’s a good thing I’ve been with it from the very start because our movements and changes in the States were so many that a newcomer could have had a whale of a time trying to piece things together. Well, darling, shortly before noon I finished the darn thing and now it has only to be typed by my sergeant and then submitted. So that’s one more piece of work out of the way. It’ll be nice if I don’t have to write another year’s history, won’t it dear?
CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Members of a gun section man
antiaircraft guns like this 40 mm Bofors.
Members of a gun section man
antiaircraft guns like this 40 mm Bofors.
By the way – I like the variety of your stationery. You must find mine dull by comparison. I thought you were going to stick to the nice wide type which enabled you to get my address on one line; then – the very next day you surprise me with a royal blue trimming! But it makes very little difference, sweetheart, as long as I hear from you – and that – I have. I guess you are the most constant correspondent a guy could ever have. If any mail comes into the battalion at all – I’m pretty sure to hear from you – and often when very few others get letters, sure enough – there’s one from you. Yesterday was such a day – and I was the only officer receiving a letter. This week has been just about perfect with a letter every day. That makes the day complete and no matter what else occurs – I’m satisfied. I’m sorry though that you’re having delay in getting mine. They go out of here daily – I know that – but there must be some hold-up farther along the line.
In your letter of January 25th – you tell me about leaving your job. I surmised that in a later letter. I suppose you find the same trouble when my letters get mixed up. I’m glad you left, dear, because it seemed like an awfully hard job – physically – and there’s no sense in getting exhausted. It was nice of you to write you’ll be dissatisfied with everything until I come back. I feel the same way, too, dear. Everything else except you seems so inconsequential.
Your tendency toward stubbornness according to the fortune teller’s book does not worry me at all, darling; and determination is a good quality. As for loving with passion and vigor – I know that, without the book, too. Did you look mine up also? I hope it jibes with my feelings. I love with passion and devotion, darling, in case the book doesn’t say it – i.e. I love you that way.
I’m glad you’re keeping in contact with Irv and Verna. What you say about her is true – but she’s fundamentally a good kid. Talk about stubbornness – though. If she doesn’t want to leave her job, she won’t – come hell or high water. What you wrote about Diana was strange. Does she have to leave Boston or does she do her work there? Have you ever met the Hoffmanns? They’re a nice couple. I don’t know how Bud has stayed out of the Army so long – but he ought to be a good G.I. man when he’s through his training. Oh well I’ll start from scratch and pick up some loose threads here and there. One thing I’m not afraid of Sweetheart – and that’s the ability to make patients and once made – to hold them. And that’s what you need in practice. I still get letters from patients telling me they’re waiting to let me be their doctor when I get back – and that’s encouraging.
Darling – with you as my wife to help me – I can’t miss. And the one good thing about Salem is that even though you have to stick around in the early days – i.e. to help the older doctors – there’s so many things we can do – and still be in Salem on call. Of course – just being with you, dear, by ourselves – will be just a novelty and thrill – you’ll have to drag me out of the house. God – why can’t this thing be over with so that people can go back to live as was meant for them to do? It can’t last forever, dearest, and I’m willing to wait even that long for the opportunity of calling you my wife. Anything less than that is manna from heaven – and I’m angling for a front seat. So long for now, darling, if we keep our courage up we can’t lose. Best regards home and you have
All my love
Greg
P.S. Will you please send me some hair-restorer?Thanks, darling.
Love
G
* TIDBIT *
about "AAA AW BN (Mobile)"
about "AAA AW BN (Mobile)"
Antiaircraft Artillery [AAA] is the branch of the U. S. Army dedicated to protecting ground forces and static elements (aircraft on airfields, harbors, etc.) from concentrated aerial attack. The AAA battalions [BN] were organized as either gun (equipped with the M1 90mm AA gun) or automatic weapons [AW] (equipped initially with a U.S.-designed M1 37mm gun, but later almost wholly re-equipped with the famous M1 40mm Bofors-designed gun, and with the M51 or M55 quad-mount .50 caliber machine gun). AAA automatic weapons battalions were "Mobile" if attached to an infantry division and "SP" (self-propelled) if attached to an armored division. The automatic weapons battalions of all types were organized with four firing batteries, lettered A to D, an H&H (Intelligence and Reconnaissance) Battery, and a Service Battery.
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