Tag: Souvenirs

1944 May 28 Sending home a box of souvenirs

5/28/44 V-Mail, Italy

Hi Snooks:

It’s a good thing I don’t need all my fingers to type, for I have split the end of my index finger playing baseball, and it makes things a little difficult.

Sometime in the next few days I am sending home a box of stuff which I have accumulated overseas as souvenirs.

  1. Brazilian mosquito boots. Have a full sole and rubber heels put on these, as they are very nice for wearing around the house (unless it takes coupons or some damned thing).
  2. Italian shorts. These came out of a captured dump in Africa about this time last year, and all of us wore them for some time as we have no American shorts.
  3. Fascist formal hat. Pop Vulcano gave me this, as he says he figures he won’t have any use for the damn thing any more.
  4. Alpini (Jerry) shoulder patch and miniature regimental insignia of Austrian troops. Liliana was given these by her German boyfriend (who didn’t get to first base) and figured you might like them as trinkets.
  5. Two hunks of steel. The pyramidal one is part of a 500 kilogram bomb which was aimed at our chow line in Africa one evening, the first open field bombing I was in.  The square hunk is part of an 88 mm. projectile fired at me over St. Marie du Zit, and is the first flack particle to hit an airplane in which I was flying (although not the last).  You can see the green zinc chromate paint which the aluminum parts are covered with yet on the edge, as well as rifling marks.

All my love, Cy

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1944 November 16: Feels good to have work, responsibility, people working for me

11/16/44 Italy

Hi Honey:

            No mail for a couple of days makes it hard to write.  No questions to answer and no comments to make.

            I’m a little griped this morning.  The armament section has been absorbed by ops-engineering, and I have spent a week getting them moved down here.  The armament officer is a good kid, but a former G.I.  Now I don’t hold that against anyone, but unfortunately most of them have a soldier’s and not an officer’s attitude.  Many of them would much rather be soldiers again.  I just can’t see that.  I’ve spent most of the day getting the combined sections organized with one file system, message routing, etc.  The soldiers and WACs are working at it, and I think we will have something when we get through.  I’m almost tempted to build an empire.  There is enough work to really justify same.  It sure does feel good to have work to do, responsibility, and people working for me.

            The boss got back from his trip just now.  His trip home seems to have run into a slight snag, but I don’t think it will make much of a difference.

            Yesterday I sent about 5 envelopes of souvenirs home through the Base Censor.  I think most of it will go through alright.  It includes stuff from Africa, Malta, Italy, and Cairo.  It looks like junk, but there is a story behind each piece.  I just hope I can remember same when I get home.

            Well, Toots, that’s about all for now.  Work to be done.  Take care of yourself until I can get there to take over.  Happy hunting on Sadie Hawkins Day.

                                    Love, your old man, Cy

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