10/5/42 Oak Park, IL
To: Lt. Emma Stafford
From: Mrs. Cyrus B. Stafford
Dearest Emmy:
Your second V letter arrived October 2. We were so happy to hear from you. Glad you had a happy birthday.
Cousin Westons Robert just married in September. I do not know where he now is. It takes your letters three weeks to reach California, and three or four days to get here.
Cy is in Meridian, Miss., now. He called us on the phone two nights ago. We had a nice talk with both of them.
Tom Gerrity is returning to the States in a few weeks to visit his family. General McArthur is from Arkansas, and his wife is from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the town where the Burrus family came from. He is a good Christian and typical Southerner.
We heard the boys in Australia yesterday over the Army Hour program.* We listen every afternoon. If you hear the program, you will know that we are listening, hoping for news.
Read our Church Bell and think of us, for Dad, Chuck or I or all three of us will be there listening to Dr. Ward speak. And on Thursdays, I will be at the Church, working with the Red Cross, provided the weather is good.
Hereafter, I will only write V letters and will have dad type them so that the censor will not have any trouble with them. And we can get more news on a single sheet.
Nena, Chuck and John all get quite a kick out of reading your letters. We are all so interested.
Chuck is going so well at his school work, and works for an hour or so each afternoon, and all day Saturday. You will love him when you see him.
God be with you till we meet again.
Mother, Dad, Chuck and Nena.
P.S. I omitted a sentence where your Mother says Chuck is very much like Cy. And as I have a little space, I will add a few words. We expect to get your Christmas present in the mail about the 15th of October, and sincerely trust that it will reach you on time. Be sure and let us know about it as we will be very anxious until we hear from you.
Lots of Love from Dad.
*For more information see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Army_Hour