December 28 and 30, 1945. Stanley wraps up the year home in Albany, NY with two letters to Dad. It seems that a few people in the house have colds. Stanley’s was so bad that he was unable to go to work. He reports that he could hardly get any sleep. “My throat was sore and both nostrils were so blocked up that I could not breathe through my nose but just tossed around most of the night.” Part of his troubles he blames on the weather and warns his brother, “It will be a little hard on you when you do get home on account of being in the warm area and after your blood and yourself become accustomed to the warm air only to have to come to this cold northern area. I guess the ice age must be closing in on the States.”
Although Stanley was not feeling his best he still managed to have a little fun with little Terry. “Today before my going to the doctor Terry wanted to know where I was going all dresed up. I told her in a sorrowful voice that nobody loves Uncle Stanley and because of that I was going back in the Army. Terry looks at me and tells pop that I am going back into the Army as nobody loves Uncle Stanley. She goes to mom and cries and tells mama the same thing. I had to laugh… I asked her if Terry loved Uncle Stanley and [she] came running to me and put her hands around my neck and told me that she loved me. So I told her that since Terry loves Uncle Stanley, Stanley will not go to the Army but will stay home. Boy, was she overjoyed.”
Stanley reports on a crime that happened in the neighborhood which he read about in the paper. “Mr Bell who lives on Third Street and has a grocery store on the corner of Orange and Dove Street was shot to death Saturday after closing his store. His wife and 18 yr. old daughter went to sleep and woke up about 3 in the morning and he still was not home. So both of them went to see if he was still at the store. They found him dead. At first they thought he might have died from a heart attack but later the cops and the coroner turned him over and found a bullet wound in him. They figure it must have been an Army pistol 45. …$1000 in a cigar box in the desk drawer was not taken. …everybody said that the man was good to everyone and treated his customers very nicely. So far no clue was found to identify the murderer.”
Stanley goes on to comment, “That’s all you read about in the papers today and every day is about murders here and there. Since the veterans have returned home more and more murders have started. The papers also said that with the next years there will be more divorces due to the war marriages.”
In other news from home:
- Stanley reports that on January 10 baby Judy will be six months old. “She is beginning to sit up now. She is getting stronger and stronger. She is such a jolly little baby…”
- “Billy Lubinski expects to get discharged sometime in January. …As I gather from reports Billy Lubinski was stationed in Alaska for about six weeks. What he was doing there I don’t quite know.”
- “…a few days ago I saw a fellow from the 20th Air Force. …he was waiting for a train to pull out going west. I asked him if he was on Guam and he said yes. …he told me he was with the 330th Bomb Group.”
He finishes his letter on the 30th urging his brother to get home quickly, and for good reason. “Just finished a bottle of Schlitz beer after dinner. I bought two cases of beer for Christmas and I guess we only used ..about five bottles of it. You better hurry home brother and help us finish the rest as I think the way I and pop drink it it will last for quite a while.”