3/1/44
Italy V-Mail #83
Marfy:
What a day. I’ve been trying to find whether or not you’ve gotten the various amounts of dough I’ve sent you through Finance. Will you look through your letters and find out how many and how much I’ve sent and then tell me which ones you have and which ones you have not received. It will be an hour’s work, but if anything is screwed up I would like to know it while I am in a position to check it. I now have stubs for $450 submitted 4 November and $250 on 3 December. I believe I sent 2 before that and destroyed the stubs, although the Nov. one may possibly be the $450 you mention in your November 28 letter. I think not though as it generally doesn’t go through that fast. I have $500 or so more to send when I get a chance. I will let you know about that later.
Got a nice letter from George Cain yesterday. He wants me to work with him—I wish I could. Dick Duffy writes as does Mrs. Gilbert from Glen Ellyn. I haven’t had a letter from you in about a week. Hope it is just the normal tie-up and nothing wrong.
I’m just about fed up with some of the kid stuff I’ve been running into. But I shall wait ‘til something happens on my status before I start looking for a new job. Permit me, Toots, I want a franchise to proposition you some day!
Love Me.
3/1/44
Italy #84 Nite Edition 10 P.M.
Hello Droopy:
Boy, would I like to catch you and tear your hair down tonight.
A lock of hair to push aside,
A lacy gown, still all revealing,
A touch, a kiss, a gentle sigh
Of satisfaction twixt you and I.
A soft caress across a breast,
A gown no longer veiling.
My heart beats wildly in my chest—
Our mutual love again confessed.
A glorious havoc of flashing light,
Of breathless moments of feeling
Of precious hair, of eyes so bright
With love, devoid of earthly fright.
A siren wails, the dream is lost!
A single rider ventures o’er.
The night of steel is cased in frost
And split my many cannon’s roar.
That, Angel, in brief, is what I like about one side of the Atlantic and what I don’t like about the other. You may show it to Nancy, but Beverly is yet a bit young.
There’s a cartoonist for the Stars & Stripes who has really caught the spirit of the average dough-boy on the front lines. I shall try to send you a copy of Bill Mauldin’s book of stuff, but will describe some of them as best I can.
- Picture shows two naked G.I.’s in artistic pose on base of ruined statue, German rear—live troops and Italian civilians going about their business as usual. One soldier remarks to other “Next time you can go out on your damned forward observation post alone.”
- Pack mule arrives with brand new 2nd Lt, “Ft. Benning” stamped on his mess of baggage. One tough G.I. remarks to the other “Hell, I thought we was getting’ C rations this morning.”
- Two very weary-looking soldiers are leaning over their guns, like a WPA* man at work. The tough corporal asks the tougher looking PFC, “How are we gonna know whether they is fresh troops or not if we don’t wake ‘em up and ask ‘em?”
Also an “FBI” man out here is a graduate of the infantry school—Fort Benning Idiots.
Well, Snooks, time for bed. The damned old guns are barking, which means there’s plenty between Jerry and I—a good sign. It sounds fantastic to hear the bells of century old churches banging away with a bass of heavy cannon and a snare of drum effect from the light stuff.
I love you more than ever. Your own, Cy.
*Works Progress Administration: Government agency that created millions of public works jobs during the Great Depression.