Author Archives: John
The Blackout / Send Potatoes
May 7 & 9, 1943. Two letters from friends in the choir at St. Cecilia’s. The first is from Henry Gostyla. Henry says that he does not have plans for the summer “except, maybe to get a job.” He reports, “I am still with the choir and I enjoy it.” He also reports “Nothing new … Continue reading
What You Need is a Baby
May 7, 1943. A letter from Anna to her brothers. Although the date on the letter is May 7, it is likely it was written between the 7th and 11th as we already have a letter from the 7th and the next one is dated the 11th and it is very rare for Anna to … Continue reading
We Are Just Beginning
May 5 & 7, 1943. Two letters from Stanley to Dad. Stanley reports that since joining the newly formed 613th Bomb Squadron the work is “much easier as we are just beginning and we do not have too much work to do and we can catch up on it pretty fast. Where I was before … Continue reading
Time Flies So Fast
May 4 & 7, 1943. Two letters from Anna to Dad. The letter on the 4th is a fairly short handwritten affair. Anna apologizes for not writing a “decent letter” explaining that “mama had two more teeth pulled today”. As far as mama’s general health “although she isn’t critically ill, she isn’t well either and … Continue reading
I Will Get Moved Around
May 4, 5 & 6, 1943. Two letters home from Dad written over three days while he is at Smoky Hill AA Base in Salina, Kansas. In the first of the two letters he thanks his family for the Easter greetings that they sent and reports that that his barracks bag has finally caught up … Continue reading
America Sure is a Big Place
May 2, 1943. A letter from Dad’s friend Joe Damusis. True to his promise in his previous letter of April 29, Joe details his trip from Savanna, Illinois to Sacramento, California. “I’m still at McClellan Field, but not for long. They’re changing this camp from a replacement center to a basic training center. So it … Continue reading
Stanley’s Sky Suit
May 2, 1943. A letter from Stanley to Dad. Dad’s letters from Salt Lake City are finally starting to arrive in Ephrata, Washington where Stanley is stationed. He assumes that Dad is “alright in the Second Air Force. Well anyway we are both in it now. I had hopes that you would have been sent … Continue reading
Like Rip Van Winkle
May 1 & 2, 1943. A letter from Dad to home written over two days. He is writing on a Saturday night at 8:00 PM from Smoky Hills Army Air Base in Salina, Kansas and notes the he is listening to the Hit Parade on the radio. He has been in the Army for four months … Continue reading
Stretching the Meat
May 1, 1943. A letter to Dad from Anna. This is the first letter from Anna where she takes Dad up on his advice of using carbon paper to send the same letter to both him and his brother Stanley. She notes that the idea is “pretty good” and that “I thought about it for … Continue reading
Letters from Friends Back Home
A couple of short letters from friends back home. April 30, 1943 from Anne McCann (nee Moran), and May 1, 1943 from Stanislaus Kosinski (aka: The Professor or the Choir Director). Anne asks when Dad expects to be home on furlough. With her new husband now in the Army, Anne notes that “I spent a … Continue reading