“Deep in the heart of Carolina”
R.R. 2/23/42
Dear “Betty”,
Say you are some letter essayist. I received your one of the nineteenth and also an old one of Jan 29th.
We had our first shower last night since we’ve been out on the range. I think I’m now twenty pounds lighter. (Darn this southern air. It makes the fountain pens act funny. So please my dear, forgive the different shades of ink.)
So you think my “mad house letters” are “nice” and a little bit romantic, well could be. But they seem darn broken and thoughtless when I read them over. I’m like you. I have so much to tell you I can’t write as fast as I’m thinking.
Tell Arnold that we are told that our rifles are our “best friend”. They make anybody who drops theirs, sleep with it tied to them. But we are so much with them they are personally, (a pain in the neck).
Say “Betty Petty” you are still making those “wide open” little remarks, huh? Will you look out for what you write as now that I’m a marine we have a great deal of super privileges. (What have I said! I mean we will have once we are full fledged after next week.)
Darling you don’t have to say ( “I better hurry up and explain this”) I’ve got you up a tree, haven’t I?
ALso my “Super Beauty” what do you refer to in your letter you said you laughed and laughed at my 14 page letter? What was so funny?
Hey, tell me also what picture was that mother made an enlargement of?
Mother sent a letter the twenty-ninth of Jan which I finally received today. In it she mentioned about my picture being in the Register. If it was nobody ever sent me the clipping or picture. Did you see it kid? I doubt that she put it in. Will you send it on to me if you have it. I will send it back. Please my dear.
What kind of candy or “porky bait” did Mister McLaughlin present to you? Grrrrr. I’m getting jeaulous/jealous. (See I’m so mad I can’t see straight!) Ha Joke. O.K. proceed——
Listen “Cuteness” I can’t see for the life of me how you could come out of the camera looking like a Marine. Yes, we are famous for our chest expanding but we can’t even start to compared with a a a you!! (Oh, oh I ducked that hair brush just in time!!!) I see what you mean when you saw that in some ways I have changed. I know that. I would never of had that awful nerve to make a remark like that. (Go on now, you know darn well you love it. I can see you grinning from ear to ear, you little monkey you.)
Did you enjoy the party you went to? I hope you kept sober and know you I guess you did. But if the cork was off you would perhaps have gotten “tipsy” from the smell.
You needn’t get so impudent about sealing your letters with your super lipstick. I can fix you proper if you give me any back talk like you did in this letter. Perhaps I’m glad to hear about you not wearing it at night. Then I know that so far I have no one to worry about or be mad at. I love your little “freshness” don’t you forget it. Everything about is just “super dooper”.
Here are a few lines to the family (the lucky people having such a beautiful dream for a daughter) –
To Mom –
No I didn’t need the p.p as I so far have been a good little boy and have avoided K.P.
To Pop – Our rifles are so accurate we are so well trained that we can shoot the “whites of their eyes” out at 500 yds easily. We could hit them anyplace at 2700 yds. But the Japs are so yellow – even the whites of their eyes are also.
To Arnold – Well all I can say is that you might have known it was an Irishman, Doyle.
To Sparky –
Listen little fellow, I wish that I could be spanked by such a beautiful girl as your mistress. I would purposely be a “bad boy” every minute. Keep up your good work “old timer” and when I see you I will bring you a bone. How about a bark; saying “thank you Clarkie”?
I’m just counting off each minute till I get your lovely picture. I sit on the edge of my bunk like a player “warming up” for his chance to run. Hurry, hurry.
I got an old letter from mom, as I have perhaps told you before. In it she praises you to the highest darling. She thinks that I should be the prouder fellow in the world to be able to have such a perfectly wonderful girl to be engaged to. And sweet don’t you think for one split second that I’m not. Boy, I’m the luckiest guy in the world. The only trouble is that maybe you are the one who is getting the “bad boy” in the situation. I feel so awfully inferior to you darling that sometimes I don’t think that I’m even near you for being so grand. “But you love me and I love you, no knife could ever cut our love in two”. (How’s that?)
Gee only five more days and we will be out of this “_ _ _ _ Hole”. I can’t wait. I wonder what knew adventures lie a ahead. Remember that U.S. M.C. poster in front of the Waterburg P.O? It said “Do you want action? Then join the Marines”. They aren’t kidding. Sometimes I can’t wait and then again I wish it could be delayed a little while longer. Gee it’s a funny feeling. I just want to be able to write you and see you as much as I can before the real time comes. Then I could go away much more relieved and easier.
Can you really pictures us being together and all? I just can’t seem to get the idea out of my head that maybe this war will cause me to lose you, by me being sent some place and not knowing I will get back. It wouldn’t be heard on because I would never know about it. But you dearest would be the poor kid back home. Don’t think I’m always gloomy about this war but I do want to settle down and be married to you and have all the things that both of us want to make us happy. I’ll tell you what you just tell me that you know we will be happy in the future and I’ll guarantee you I won’t let that “gloomy cloud” ever enter my mind.
You must look comical looking into your drawer at my homely “mug”. Do the other members of the force think your nuts? I bet that you just get mad every time you look at me.
It’s beginning to rain in torrents again. It comes down to our tin roof sounding like thunder. I suppose we will be playing mud turtles again together. Two good days I guess was too much. Anyway we don’t get snow like you poor creatures up north are getting.
Today the mail came right after noon show and the order came to “fall in”. So I threw all the other mail on the bunk and put yours in my blouse pocket when we marched off to the firing line. Well I opened it and read it on the ground out there. I had a grin on my face when a Sgt. came along and stood above me. I didn’t see him because I was deep in heaven reading it. I was the fourth relay to fire so being stretched nonchalantly on the ground I didn’t look up any further than his shoe, but when he didn’t move for a while I glanced up and when I saw who it was I flew up to attention. He was swell tho. (its unusual). He said he thought have must have been a letter from someone “very sweet and close” by the contented looking foolish grin I had on. I told him that no letter in the Marine Corp ever meant so much to a fellow as what my girls’ mean to me.
Goodnight my dearest and always remember I love you more than anybody in the world.
Forever and always,
Love,
Jack
XXOO
P.S. AH, Ha!! I see your stamps also are inverted. Tis well!!