Author Archives: John
Indian Summer in Topeka
October 17 and 21, 1943. Two letters home from Dad who is stationed at Topeka Army Air Base with the Headquarters Squadron of the 21st Bomb Wing. Dad reports that he had CQ duty last night and has the day off. This gives him a chance to catch up on his letter writing, He acknowledges … Continue reading
Terry Don’t Like Her Ducky
October 12 and 14, 1943. Two letters to the boys from home. Autumn is coming to Albany as the weather shifts back and forth from “cold for a day or two and then hot again.” As with many of the letters from home, these center on what is going on around the house and the … Continue reading
If It Ain’t One Thing It’s Another
October 9-13 1943. Several letters from Dad to home in quick succession. In the first letter of the batch, Dad gives an indication that he has time to write home when he specifies “There isn’t much going around except that the guys who were considered overages left for over-the-pond training…” He even has time to … Continue reading
Quite the Thing, Eh?
October 6th and 9th 1943. Two letters from Stanley to Dad. Stanley is still in Great Falls, MT “with a few more days to go” before deployment overseas, while Dad is at Topeka Army Air Base in Kansas. At this point Stanley writes, “Since we started to pack why I have a little more time … Continue reading
Some of the Swellest Guys
October 5, 1943. A letter to Dad from Joe Damusis. Dad met Joe while he was at Savanna Ordnance School during the last two weeks in February 1943 and they have kept in touch since. Joe has just returned back to Pendleton Field, Oregon from a furlough during which he traveled back home to Brooklyn. … Continue reading
I Breathe a Silent Prayer
October 5th and 7th, 1943. Two letters from Anna to her brothers. There is a sense of acceptance back in Albany to the news that Stanley is being sent overseas. Anna writes to him, “Well, we are keeping our fingers crossed and many times through the day I breathe a silent prayer for you. We … Continue reading
I’d Like to Match His Experience
October 2nd and 5th 1943: a couple of letters from Dad to family back home in Albany. Dad comments on a few of the items mentioned by Anna in her last note: Regarding the bananas Eddie got from a customer – “We …don’t get bananas so darn often. I think we had them once since … Continue reading
I Am Proud of You Boys
September 28 and October 2, 1943. Two letters to the boys from their sister Anna back home in Albany. Anna writes “The average everyday life seems to run in the same monotonous day in and day out routine and much doesn’t happen in this big town like ours.” Nonetheless, she writes four pages worth of … Continue reading
A Big Parade of Baby Carriages
September 21 and 24, 1943. Two letters to the boys from Anna at home. It seems that all around Albany she is seeing young men in uniform and women with babies. She writes, “Today we went out on the avenue for a walk and as usual there was a big parade of baby carriages.” She … Continue reading