3/5/44 Italy #85
Hello:
I have just listened to a discussion of women by a couple of sex maniacs—who are commissioned officers—nothing less than animals. Gosh it was disgusting. The hell of it is they have the same discussion every meal.
I had yesterday & today off. It was quite a weekend. I picked up “Miss” Greenlee (ANC*, married an army brat, and very much like Jack) and went out to look at some old ruins. (She was my boss in the last hospital I was in). The very proper little Italian boy who guided us through was most embarrassed by said AN who is a camera fan and climbed all over the place getting pictures.
On the way home we saw some LST’s tied up, so I suggested we go on board and look her over (the boat, not the nurse). We found her officer of the deck, a Lt. Howard Cadigan, who was so startled at seeing an American girl on his ship that he nearly fell into the water. He was terribly nice and showed us all over the tub. It was built for USN and put out on lease lend**. Honey, next war I’m going to be in the Navy, so help me. We had a few rounds of gin & lime and Miss Greenlee suggested he come to the Officer’s club for dinner and dance. We had a couple of short ones on that, and of course, missed dinner. At the dance, I danced twice and spent the rest of the time talking to Dusty Renick! Boy it was good to see him. He should see you in a month or so—said he’d feel more at ease with me on the other side of the ocean!
Howard & I stayed up and talked for hours. He has been in the States—more recently than I. He is quite an interesting person and most hospitable. I slept on board. The gentle roll didn’t bother me.
The bat-man*** brought me my tea at 8:00 A.M. I then got up and had breakfast. Now that is a life. Tea in bed to wake you up rather than a damn telephone or alarm clock was quite a pleasant change.
On the way home today I stopped off to see Bob Paul for a couple of hours. I really pulled a horrible boner. I asked him how his folks were, and was quite shocked to hear his father had passed away last fall. I believe he said Mary Kay’s mother had just died. I felt awful, but was able to quickly change the subject.
He tells me “Sailor” Agan, Cheese Olmstead and Hardy are around someplace. Agan and Hardy came down with the big shots. Jack Doyle is also in the vicinity and I may try to get a job with him if nothing happens here. Bob is disgusted as I am. He hasn’t enough work to do to keep a fly busy.
The crowd at the hospital paid me quite a compliment, saying if everyone was as eager to get back to work as I was, the hospital would lose half its patients. It’s a damn shame after I got out I didn’t get a position to do some work.
Found two of your letters here when I arrived. You’d better not let me get too close to that new swim suit. The dresses and shoes sound interesting. I’d love to see you in them, but would much rather see you—oh, oh around.
Tried to call Myron [Gould] tonight, but find his outfit has moved back to “Blank” as the operator put it. It’s a little far.
You know, I finally figured out one of the reasons for this boredom is the horrible sameness of our life over here. If we worked regular hours & had a place to go after work which was away from camp, it would help a lot. But the continual realization that you are going to be on duty 7 days a week and available for duty 24 hrs daily is more fatiguing than the actual work.
One of the men was in town and spent the night with some service troops in the rear. They have taken over all of the nice homes complete, silverware, linens, etc. It’s a God damned shame. Gen. Clark and the combat units live in tents and disturb the civilian populace as little as possible and then the base bastards come along and tear down the good will we’ve built up. By our failure to control prices, we’ve permitted a monetary inflation to grow here to a point where many people have seen a lifetime of savings dwindled to nothing overnight.
How did I get off on that! Oh, yeah Sgt. Goldberg was telling about the green tile bathroom. Sgt. Murray remarked “Holy Smoke (that really isn’t what he said), we’d use a — — — palace like that for sleeping quarters and dig a slit trench out in the garden for a crapper.”
Well, kitten, I always feel better after writing to you, particularly if I’ve done something interesting. It makes me feel almost like I had you with me on the trip.
As is said here, target pictures are essential, so keep on sending same. I want to know what I’m looking for on that last raid—the one over the U.S.A. I hope I haven’t changed too much.
One thing will never change—I love you. Cy.
*Army Nurse Corps
** For more on Lend Lease see: http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/lend-lease-act
***An officer’s personal servant or assistant.