Dad’s Letters Home
Looking to Learn Whatever I Can
May apologies that it’s been some time since my last entry. I’ve been away on vacation (hiking a section of the Appalachian Trial in Vermont with my brother), and subsequently catching up on work stuff since my return. Now that things have settled down it’s time to get back to 1944. November 19, 22 and … Continue reading
Fala Will Have Four More Years
November 2, 8 and 14, 1944: Dad writes a few letters home from Topeka Army Air Base. The weather is turning colder in Topeka and he is just getting over “a very slight cold”. As has been his practice, he sends some money home detailing “two money orders totaling 145. If anyone asks about the … Continue reading
I Believe I Will Remember Him
October 24, 29 and 31, 1944: Dad writes a few letters home from Topeka Army Air Base where he is still stationed with the Headquarters Squadron of the 270th AAF Base Unit (SW). Despite it being the end of October, Topeka is seeing high temperatures in the 80s. He mentions that he spent the 24th … Continue reading
In the Sharpshooter Class
October 13 and 19, 1944: Dad writes two relatively short letters home from Topeka Army Air Base. The weather recently in Topeka has been “marvelous…similar to what you have up there” in New York. On the 13th he takes the day off “and played golf with 3 other fellows.” He “did well on the first … Continue reading
They Thought it was the Navy Practicing
October 6 and 10, 1944. Dad writes two letters home from Topeka Army Air Base, just having “got into Topeka 7:45” on the night of the 5th after a two week furlough. He writes that the furlough was “the best one of the three furloughs I had.” He fondly recalls “the wonderful time I had … Continue reading
A Darn Good Break
September 12, 1944: Dad writes one last letter home from Topeka before heading out on his furlough. As Dad tells it, his furlough “…will last for 15 days plus 4 or 5 days additional for travelling time. …I’ll be straggling home around the early part of Saturday morning or at any rate it will be on Saturday. … Continue reading
We Could Teach Him a Lesson
August 23 and 27, 1944: Dad writes two relatively short letters home from Topeka Army Air Base where he is serving with the HQ Squadron of the 270th AAF Base Unit. He is catching up on correspondence as “it’s kind of slow in the office.” He is looking forward to his upcoming furlough, mentioning that … Continue reading
Another Kansan Special
August 10, 17 and 20, 1944: Dad writes a few relatively short handwritten letters home, noting that he is “very short of words.” Summer is starting to wane at Topeka Army Air Base as “The days around here are warm and the cool evenings are a wonderful relief.” As he is writing the letter on … Continue reading
I Can Imagine Being Home
August 5 and 7, 1944. Dad writes two letters home from Topeka. He mentions that he had the day before off and went golfing in the morning, getting back to camp before the temperature hit a high of 102 for the day. As he is writing the letter, it is late in the evening (“around … Continue reading
They Played a Joke on Him
July 29 and August 2, 1944: Dad writes two letters home from Topeka Army Air Base. The big news is that his boss got a promotion. As Dad tells it, “…I now work for Major James Lawrence Chenault. They played a joke on him. Capt. Chenault and Lt. Col. Cotter, his boss who got a … Continue reading