Year: 1943

1/1/43

Angel Puss:

I love you.  I tried to wire you some flowers yesterday but they wouldn’t accept it.

I’m back here for about a few days and then we really should get going.  The situation is SNAFU, & Van living in San Antonio hasn’t helped us any.

Hey!  Audrey sure is batting on your team.  You made quite a hit down there.  We went out on a bender one night and got so busy talking that we forgot to drink & got home cold sober.

I stayed with Mickey & Martha while I was there.  They took swell care of me.  Teeto has been quite sick for 3 months.  In fact, she just got out of bed the day I got there.  The Doc had her spraying her throat with a sulfa drug & she got too much of it.  It was similar to Pat’s trouble.  Missy (Martha’s little girl) is precious.  “Uncle Bat” made quite a hit.  I now know the Three Little Pigs by heart.

Since they were so swell, I spent most of my per-diem on some presents for them.  I got a table lamp to replace one which Missy pulled over on the floor, a book on North Carolina for Teeto, and a book on phone records for Mammy & Pappy.  I don’t know when they found time as I arrived on the 24^th, but they all had presents for me under the tree Christmas morning.  I bought a little baby cup with the 3 pigs, 3 houses, & the wolf on it for Missy.

Teeto gave Missy a wind-up train & somebody else gave her a Tinker toy set.  Mickey & I enjoyed both.  He is now working at Kelly Field Sub-Depot.

I’m sure you got it, but just in case you didn’t I wired you $200 for Christmas.  This is in addition to the $100 I previously said you could have.  Will you send me a picture of the ring on your finger when you get it?

I went to the club last night.  Your picture was in my blouse even if you weren’t.  It was a swell party and I have no hangover.  In fact, I seem to be the only who went to work this morning.  Boy, were the soldiers unhappy when I showed up all set to go to work.

All the jack pots are on my trail.  When I left San Antonio, I flew on Jay Stout’s wing, after all my preaching, I forgot myself & made a gold old fashioned formation take off & spent most of the flight trying to read Jay’s magazine.  I guess I’m still a pilot for I stuck it close all the way over & wasn’t a bit tired when I landed.

1/2/43
Hello again:
Tom Reed got in today.
Honey, if they don’t get this outfit into combat soon, I’m going to go over the hill. I can stand being away from you when I’m fighting a war, but I’ll be damned if I feel like missing Christmas, New Years, and a month of your companionship just because of a general mess up due to the rank incompetence of the higher staffs.
I’m painting out all of the glass on the nose of our new airplanes (all of them) and putting an ugly puss on same. Sketch is on back.

The eyes are the guns, & when they start flashing, I don’t want to be in front. Well, I must scram & get to work.
I love you more than words can express and will await only the day I can return. Please don’t forget to get those tubes cleared up if you can. I want to put something through them.

Cy.

“1/3/43 ? I guess”

Hi Snooks:

Gee, pal, tanks for the nice long letter.

I love you.

The regular check went in the month & I am writing off $150.  The rest is yours.

Honey—look on my promotion orders and air mail me the date of the order on my captaincy and also the date of acceptance.  It should be written on side in pencil.  It’s worth money to you if you can find the dope.

Will write some more later.

By, angel.  Cy

1/5/43

Honey:

Gee, it was good to hear your voice!  For once you did all the talking.  I was in Van’s office with Cols. Calhoun, Schroeder, etc. present so there wasn’t much I could say.  They all knew who it was and said to say “hello”.

I finally threw out those cruddy wings on my blouse & got some new ones.  They are sterling, and fasten on with two clips so that they lay down flat.  My nice silver ones got stolen & I had to get a new set for my shirt.  I couldn’t get the heavy sterling ones, so I had to get some with the hollow back.

I believe I answered all of your questions on finances in yesterday’s letter.  I don’t believe we have to pay income tax on anything but base pay.  Check this before you make out statement.  Latest info indicates that all enlisted service will count on longevity.  This will give me my first foray.  We’ve got some new airplane names that are cute:         

Van and Biv are back & the rest of the outfit should be soon.  I talked to Baldy* yesterday & got more accomplished in 5 minutes than has been accomplished through regular channels in two months.

I guess there’s nothing I can do about it, but I’m getting awfully pissed off at the Group Staff.  The Squadron CO’s aren’t happy either.

George R. Adams went in at Duncan a couple of days ago & was killed.  He apparently ran into some prop wash.

Well honey, be a good little school girl.  We’ll write a book when I get back.  I’ll try to call you at least once more.

Your Cy

*”Baldy” is George K. Crane

1/7/43

Hi Snooks:

This isn’t legal, but I’m getting tired of writing in long hand, so I tossed the clerk out and I’m using this.  After all, I am signed for the damn machine.

Don’t ask me what is going on because I don’t exactly know.  Some of our dear people are still as chicken as ever, but the kids don’t know it, and we’ll get along OK.  Last night, we had a session over at the club.  Annie has left to go home, and Jack got me cornered.  It took about an hour to get him talked out and Annie wasn’t too happy about it.  Then Pierce got hold of me and started the same thing.  This was followed by several other people.  Big joke.  Pierce and his wife were at a high school dance in Camden which Helen Paetz and I chaperoned!  They know her rather well, so she is going to call when she gets there.

Weather here is stinko, so nobody is going anyplace.  That’s the only reason.  I’m hoping to see Burt on my way through.  There’s always that little hope that I can settle up for Gus Heiss and some of the men.

Had some fun a couple of days ago.  Went over to Beaumont Texas to look over a ship that one of the kids took in there after busting up a couple of trees.  The field was small, and it was fun getting the damned old DB in.  I didn’t use up but about 3000 feet of loose gravel runway, which is pretty good for an old man like me.  The Civil Air Patrol have a station there and they really turned out.  I flew in at the usual altitude.  On the way back, I surprised a pregnant cow, and she started having her calf right there in front of me.  Was I surprised!

Some of the kids in the 16^th are getting on the smart aleck side and are going to load their airplanes the way they think is right.  I’m not even going to feel a little bit sorry when they spin in.

Tom Reed is still here and not yet a poppa.

Well, that’s all I can think of for now.  I’m afraid you will get most of my letters for a while.  I just don’t feel like writing to anyone else.

Lots of love, toots.  Are you checking in with the Doc and does he (she?) think it practical to get the tubes opened up and keep them that way by continued treatment?

Cy