5/9/44 Italy V-Mail
Hi Darling:
Things are tough all over. Here I sit writing a letter on a good typewriter with not more than one chance in several billion of being bombed, strafed, etc. Now if that is the case here, you can imagine how safe it must be with most of the people, for I am relatively far forward. When you get down to facts, about a negligible percent of the people in this war have to put up with anything more disconcerting than inconvenience. Even the actual combat is not what it used to be. In many cases, it has stabilized to a slugging match. When the war is over, you can discount ninety percent of the stories you hear about violent war, for the number of men witnessing same is negligible. According to the poop in one of the magazines, the loss of life in England is still greater from auto accidents than it has been for all British troops during the same period.*
The bathing suit came and is swell. In fact, I like it about as well as any I have ever had. Thank heaven I’ve lost my pot belly!
“Lula Bell,” our WAC PFC, is sitting on the other side of the office sewing some stripes on a field jacket for one of the soldiers. About a month ago they stopped officers from dating enlisted wacs (unless married or engaged), which was a swell idea. It gives the G.I. a chance—for a change. The girls are doing a well job, although I can’t see that they are necessary. All it does is relieve a lot of soldiers from their duties, but they stay on the same staff. Result, lots of soldiers with little or nothing to do. **
Just between us kids, I still love the hell out of you. Your own brat, Cy.
*Editor’s note: I tend to think Cy likes to exaggerate from time to time so I checked on the actual numbers. The United Kingdom had 383,700 killed in all of WWII. Auto accidents were averaging about 9000 per year. Over six years, this would mean about 54,000 were killed in car accidents—hardly equivalent.
**For more information on the Women’s Army Corps see: https://history.army.mil/brochures/WAC/WAC.HTM