Editor’s note: Harry James scored a number 1 hit song with “Sleepy Lagoon” in the summer of 1942: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFi5eHl4S4s
7/42-8/15/42: Cy’s outfit, the 48th Bombardment group moves to Key Field, Meridian, MS in July. Very shortly thereafter the 48th moves to TN and Cy is assigned back to the newly re-activated 27th Bombardment Group, is stationed at Key Field, Meridian, MS; Lt. Co Harry F. Van Leuven is appointed as the C.O. on 7/14/42.
7/14/42
Oak Park, IL
To: Lt. Emma Stafford, A.N.C.
From: Cyrus Stafford
Dearest Daughter:
I will try the V-Mail* and see if you receive my letter. If so, you might try this way to get a letter to me. We are all well. Chuck is now living with Nena, but of course, I see him every day. Cyrus is stationed at Meridian, Mississippi. The Mothers of Defenders are busy making money to buy a Plasma Unit for the boys, and sewing for our Emergency Hospital which is about three blocks from our house. I have made a number of gowns. I am filling a war stamp book.
We see sailors everywhere we go. The Great Lakes Training center is just north of Chicago.
Dad and I went to church Sunday evening. Chuck went with him Sunday morning.
We spend a part of every evening at Mills Park (where the emergency hospital is located). There are a number of Chicago nurses in Australia, according to the papers.
This letter was to have been sent on Monday, but I did not have your address at the office. So when I reached home last evening, we found a letter from Mrs. Cheshire. We were so happy to hear from you, and if September ever comes, we will be glad to hear from you.
God bless you and keep you. With best love from
Mother, Dad, Nena, Chuck and John.
*Victory Mail or “V Mail” was launched on June 15, 1942. It was based on a similar British program that used a microfilming process to make a standard sized letter about ¼ the normal size to help save vital space on transport planes and ships. The reduced sized letters were then printed and delivered. To make it easier on the recipient of the letter, the writer was discouraged from writing in small script–advice that Cy did not take to heart! Folks at home would likely have to get a “V-Mail Magnifier” to read their letters.
In order to transcribe the V-Mails that Cy wrote, I scanned them and adjusted the contrast and printed them back to normal size so that I could forego the magnifier process.
For more about V-mail see: http://www.michiganww2memorial.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/VMail-Description.pdf