12/3/44: Greece: Civil war breaks out between pro-communist and anti-communist forces.
12/5/44: Italy: Allied forces take control of Revenna
12/5/44 Italy
Honey:
I shouldn’t be doing this as I have a hell of a lot of work to do. This my “day off” and naturally I can’t take it. Thus far I’ve had two conferences with general officers and have more to come. It isn’t that I’m any more important than I used to be, but that Colonels just don’t make decisions like they used to.
If I don’t get in trouble it will be a miracle. I had a Lt.-Col. with 2 years service tell me I was doing my work in a half-assed way this morning, and I really chewed his ass out. That is one thing no one has ever told me.
Your picture is very tantalizing. And that is an understatement. It is doubly so as I can see it and also the inverted reflection in my black glass-topped desk.
Jack’s Christmas present is on the way. I found a little box about half the size of a cigar box, covered with mahogany-colored leather with tiny fleur-di-lis stamped on it in gold. She can use it for putting in bricka-bracks & stuff.
I’ve got one officer and one man here who are getting symptoms of overseas fatigue. I’ve seen more “flack happy” people in administrative jobs than I ever saw in combat. They can’t remember things from one minute to the next, even losing their line of reasoning while in the middle of a sentence. It makes it awfully hard to work with them. I have another officer who I have never seen who’s home on leave. As soon as he gets back I’m going to get the flack-happy lad before the psychiatrist.
As for me, there’s nothing wrong that 70 more years with you won’t cure. I haven’t had a letter from you for a couple of days, and it seems like years.
I got the presents from Mother and Dad, but don’t tell them I opened them. I have a note in my expense file to write them on the 26th.
Did you meet Betty Dean, Mary Wallace’s cousin in San Antonio? She was a swell girl—just got an announcement she married some L-C in S.A. at Fort Sam. Speaking of Fort Sam, Reggie Clizbe* tells me that Bob Cassidy got killed in a F.A. outfit in SWP theatre. I hope the bastards leave me enough friends for a beer bust once in a while.
Can you buy canned shrimp, oysters, Ritz crackers, etc. without using ration coupons now? If so you can charge right out and wrap up about 5 lbs worth. About 103 lbs of “Honey” would be nice too, but I guess I can’t get that mailed.
I was supposed to fly to Rome today, but weather prevented.
George Doughty, Republic Aviation representative is here now, and we have had some interesting conversations. He was in Pacific at first, and went home. After a month, he couldn’t put up with it any more and came over here. I’m afraid when I get home you’d better take me out in the woods someplace until I get used to people who think in terms of dollars instead of lives.
Merry Christmas, Toots. All my love, Cy
*See: https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/107410/major-general-reginald-j-clizbe/