4/27/44 Italy V-mail
Hi Honey:
What a nice life. If you were here, everything would be rosy. Although there is a certain amount of griping about the liquor situation, the stuff over here is about as good as I’ve had since I left the states. The stuff I’ve been drinking in the past couple of months wasn’t fit to pour down the latrine. Over here, you can drink it even after smelling it.
It is a small world. A couple of days ago I found a Major Zeaman in HQ something or other. He is from Riverside, and is engaged to Dorothea Flansburg’s little sister. That seemed like quite a coincidence. This morning I was looking at some poop on telephone switchboards with a Lt. Creutz of the Section. I remarked that it was very much like the one in Glen Ellyn. He asked me where, and I repeated it. You can imagine our mutual surprise at finding that he had charge of the office there in 1934-6! I’ve forgotten the name of the girl he married, but she was a couple of classes behind me in high school. If you go up there this summer, I’ll get her name and address and you can look her up.*
It seems like years since I was in the 47th, putting up with the fine grade of horse manure which the big time operators used to put out. The tactical units of our air forces have expanded too fast, and the result is not good. I guess I am in a position to criticize, having done about as much tactical work as anyone I can think of off hand, at least of HQ people. After a while, when the war is a little older, many of these situations will improve. But it is a painful process.
I wouldn’t be surprised if in about 6 months to a year I would be able to promote a 30 day leave back there. Don’t expect me until you see me, but it is possible. Right now, I’m trying to promote a trip someplace to attend a school on some rather interesting communications problems. Among other things even if I don’t get anything out of the school, I shall probably see a new part of the Mediterranean and will further the thing I call an education. I should be a rather well qualified man for some sort of airlines communications job. That may be the outlet for foreign service for which I have been looking.
They finally got smart over here and stopped the officers from dating enlisted WACS. I’m glad it happened before I got into a HQ with WACS in it. The men and officers got pretty well mixed up socially dating the same girls. Now the WACS are for G.I.’s only, which is a break all around. Although I have 45 of them in the section, I haven’t seen but one, and have nil to do with any of them.
Phooey. Bottom of the page. When I come home, be sure and pick out an apartment with pretty ceilings. You’ll see a lot of them.
All my love, Angel, Cy.
*I believe this is the obituary for William Creutz’ wife, Eleanor:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nwherald/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=165053431