My Darling –

It is pretty late Hon and I am plenty tired so if I go to sleep on you don’t get mad. Besides there isn’t anything new to write about since I wrote last night. I can tell you again that I love you more than anything in the world, but if I say this you are liable to get tired of hearing it and think that I am just feeding you a line which would be as wrong as wrong could be. And also you might be just getting tired of hearing it. However, I am going to keep saying it until you come right out and say that you don’t want to hear it again.

Well Honey, Andy, Mar, and Red are all in the sack and that’s where I should be.

Tell the folks hello – and be good Hon. – Goodnight –

Forever,

Tom

If you don’t like this stationery you can send me some. – Send me some stationery, candy, food and anything else that can be eaten.

My Darling –

I haven’t very much time Hon but did want to write even if it is just a short letter.

Received two of your letters today, April 7th & 8th. Life looks alittle more cheerful now, at least it isn’t as blue as it was.

To answer your questions, I don’t need any money or clothes as I finally got all of my clothes back and we are receiving our flying pay. Thanks anyway Hon – I still have my travelers checks. Money doesn’t mean much anyway. About a name to go with Elizabeth, I like Elizabeth alot and how about Elaine to go with it – Elizabeth Elaine sounds pretty good. Also good initials – Elizabeth E. Cartmell – let me know what you think.

Hope Jr. has taken a rest from all his kicking, but don’t you go blaming it all on the old man. The reason is probably what Mrs. Clyde warned you about – REMEMBER? –

About my staying over here if the war with Germany ends soon. I haven’t any idea just what would happen, it might be that we would go from here right to China or somewhere like that and again we might return to the states and again we might be in the occupation army. However, Hon even though they are alot closer to Berlin than when you wrote the war still isn’t over. From what we hear life in occupied Germany isn’t without its dangers, when you have to see that the little kids and old people don’t slip a hand grenade under your chair or in your sack. Sometimes I wonder if we are not going to have to kill them all.

You asked about when . our tour over here ends. We are supposedly working on a point system – two pts. for an intruder mission and one for a patrol – sixty pts. to go home. If we do not continue with the system it will be a straight 175 combat hours.

Have to close Hon. – I love very much –

Forever

Tom.

It was too bad about Ernie Pyle.

My Darling –

What a night – there is some little French girl that came in the tent and she won’t leave. She claims she is 10 yrs. old but I think 8 is more like it. Talk about alittle spitfire I think she is just as bad as you ever were. When we came back to the tent she was laying on Andy’s bunk and since then she has been in every thing we have. As it stands now I am the only friend she has as I am the only one that hasn’t thrown her out. I am beginning to contemplate the thought. She likes the pictures I have of you but I had a hard time explaining to her that you were my wife and not just a girl friend. Afraid she is going to be quite a flirt when she grows up.

I received three letters today, yours of April 10th, one from Dad and from Warren Cartmell (Uncle Sam’s son).

Honey, thanks for sending your lock of hair, I had almost forgotten how it had looked. However, all I can say is that it had better be grown out by the time I get back. Maybe it is your hair that makes you so beautiful, I hadn’t realized before just what it was but after examining the sample that you sent I’ve decided it must be your hair. But now that I think of it and look at your picture I can’t help but notice what a cute little nose you have, and your eyes, they are even nice when they are swollen. Yes, Hon there is something about you that I like an awful lot and I guess it is just you.

I imagine by this time Ruthie is getting all set for her Phoenix trip. You would probably like to be going with her, and here I have spoiled everything. Someday Darling I’ll try and make it all up to you. When and how I don’t just know but give me a chance.

In Dad’s letter he told me about your not going to Chicago till after Ruth left and he understood why you didn’t want to go till then so don’t worry about that Hon.

Hope Dad got the chicks straightened out so that they aren’t eating one another any more.

Be good Honey – tell the folks hello – Remember how very much I love you – Until then –

Forever,

Tom

My Darling,

What a night, I pulled control tower officer duty tonight and all I need now to make the evening complete is to have the Jerries pull a straffing attack. However things seem to be running a little smoother now so thought I could take advantage of the typewritter and write you a letter.

Since I last wrote to you I have been to Reims and did some shopping. I am going to send everything to you in a box pretty soon and I have a couple of things for Elaine and Cleda that I wish you would send up to them. Honey, I looked all over trying to get you something nice and finally ended up getting you a set of ear rings that I thought were O.K. I hope they don’t look to bad along side of American standards, anyway I hope you like them.

I received your letters of April 2nd and 3rd and it really sounded as if Greenville had its share of excitement for the next ten years. Also received letters from Dad, Cleda and Elaine. Dad and Cleda both said that you looked swell when they saw you in Greenville, not that I don’t believe them but I would certainly like to see for myself.

Hon, I am glad to know that we have a banker in the family and I think the $1,000 bond was a good idea just as long as you have all that you need. Glad that you are giving the folks some money buy five a week doesn’t seem like very much.

I am looking forward to the box that you sent, (also think Andy has his eye out for it) and I didn’t mean that homemade candy was the only thing that we would eat but I thought the other would be hard for you to get. We hear that it is all going overseas.

Reims is a pretty nice town alot cleaner than most of the cities we have seen. Andy and I tried to make it back by dark to camp but didn’t succeed and ended up in some little French town that had had the ?”#$%_&'()* shot out of it and then we sat around the square till after the curfew and turned ourselves over to the M.P.s and they got us a hotel room. Otherwise we never would have found a place to stay, I keep learning things every day over here. While in Reims we went through the cathedral (no dictionary) and even climbed about six thousands winding stairs to the top of the thing. It looks alot older than Notre Dame but it has also been shot up a great deal more which probably accounts fo it. I just about got the purple heart while up there. I was standing on the corner waiting for Andy when a Frenchman in a real old French truck couldn’t make the corner jumped the curb knocked a chunck out of the building and knocked over several drain pipes. I jumped about twenty feet in 1/1000000000000 of one second and he finally stopped so that all I had to do was turn around and sit down on his bumper. I think it is safer in camp.

Hey Hon you should see this moon out tonight it reminds me of Hammer Field. You never realize how lucky you really are till things change. Darling, I love you very much and hope you aren’t getting use to living without a husband.

Forever,

Tom

Hello Darling –

I wanted to let you know that my APO no. has been changed. Now maybe our mail will come alittle faster, at least it should. I wrote you last night about our trip to Paris and not much has happened since then. However, Mort B. came over for awhile this afternoon and we went out and practiced up alittle with our .45’s When we came back to the tent we opened up a bottle of champagne for old times. It would have tasted better alittle cooler as it is really pretty warm this afternoon. Most of the boys are sun bathing (what a way to win a war) (It is alittle different at night).

Hon this is just a not, I want to write the folks in Chicago. We have supper pretty early, everytime I sit down to evening mess I think it is about time that you are getting up.

I had to take alittle time out to check the mail, the first for 3 days and all it was was boxes and papers, no letters so our tent didn’t get a thing.

Enough for now – be good Darling – I love you –

Forever,

Tom

Hello Darling –

Sorry I haven’t written the last couple of days but I had the chance to go to Paris so took it. I went at sort of a bad time because Sat. night everything was closed, and I mean everything, paying respects to the President. However, we didn’t get there till fairly late and had to spend most of the time in the Red Cross getting living quarters and a place to eat. There were four of us that went in and got a hotel about in the center of town. Sun. morning we went on a Red Cross motor tour and really got to see Paris, that is, all the places that people go to Paris to see. Am sending some pictures later that I got. Also as luck would have it the day being Sun we couldn’t hardly get a thing in the way of merchandise. There are alot of things we can’t buy such as lace and stuff like that because it’s all rationed and not much of it to be had.

Sun. afternoon we went to the “Folies Bergere” – sex – in the package I’ll be sending, there will be some sexy pictures that they sold there – hope you aren’t shocked. In the evening we hit several of the night spots and I must say that Paris didn’t seem to suffer from the war. In case you are wondering I was a very good boy – drank alittle champagne watched the floor shows and went back to the hotel. We had to catch our train early this morning and my feet had never been so tired. I think I walked from one end of Paris to the other – not just once but several times. Took the metro (subway) but every time we took it we always ended up at some un-Godly place.

Honey I certainly wish you could have been with me – it would really had been wonderful. Maybe when Jr. makes his first million he can send the old folks on a trip to Europe. Really though Hon it doesn’t seem right going to Paris, Reims, etc. without you.

Your letter of Mar. 28th and Easter card were here when I got back. They were better than the trip to Paris. It is a good thing that I checked you out in the fine art of cleaning shrimp but Hon I think I would have just taken one shrimp off each plate after cleaning them and then not having enough to eat. As for having more than four in our family – if we do let either hire a dish washer or else use paper plates because I don’t like dish washing.

I am really looking forward to your box. Andy said to tell you the next time you write Mary you can mention the fact that you sent a box. He said to be coy about the whole thing – I think he has a tapeworm because he claims he’s starving to death. I think it’s in his mind.

Your selection sounded swell as to what you are sending – I’ll ration the olives so there won’t be any dangerous results.

I am looking forward to the picture you are sending. Hope you have it on the way by now.

I hope you were not kidding when you said you wished that I were there to put you to bed, because Hon I am certainly not kidding when I say I’d give anything in the world to do it. Darling I love you very much. Goodnight –

All my love forever,

Tom

Hope Ruthie likes Phoenix – Tell the folks hello.

Make it more than just one picture – make it several.

My Dearest –

It was like old times tonight as I got to see Mort Blaisdell and Paul Benoit we really had alot to talk over as they had had quite an eventful crossing. Mort said to tell you hello. I can’t tell you much more but it was good to see some of the old gang. Hope Paul’s luck runs as good here as it did in the states.

This letter I am writing by flashlight as our candle supply is exhausted and they turned the power off some time ago.

It was really quite a shock to everyone today to hear that the President had died. I hope Truman turns out to be a better man than I think he is.

We received our weekly rations today, and guess what we got – a bottle of coke – the first I have seen since leaving the states. Andy and I couldn’t see any sense in saving it so we went on one big drunk and drank the whole thing a little while ago. Now we are ready for another week of war.

Honey, I haven’t got any ideas on letter writing tonight. Wish I could talk to you but that is sort of out of the question. I don’t think I ever did tell you what a good bed warmer you were, the only trouble was that you wouldn’t warm a place down far enough for my feet. However Darling I can’t complain about that as you made up for it in many more ways. (I am not being vulgar.)

Our mail is still snafu but most of us have hopes yet. At least Andy and I do.

Goodnight Hon – I love you very much –

Forever,

Tom

Dearest Zoe –

Now that our censorship ban has been lifted alittle guess I can tell you a few things. You had probably guessed that we had moved out of S. France. Sorry I wasn’t able to write for a few days. Honey, I might not be able to write everyday like I have been trying to do, not that I don’t want to but won’t have much choice in the matter. Compared to this we had it pretty nice down south, in fact it was like a vacation, however, I think the vacation is over. Don’t worry Hon because everything is OK.

Our trip up here was pretty nice as we came up on the railroad and got to see alot of the country. I shouldn’t say the trip was nice because living on cold K & C Rations for several days isn’t too sharp also froze every night. We came up alot of the way along the Rhone River and it was really beautiful country and at a nice time of the year. Every bridge over the river had either been bombed out by our AF or else the Germans had destroyed it. The engineers had done quite a job in getting the line fixed up. However, Hon remind me never to complain about the U.S. R.R. anymore because now I think I am an authority on about the worse. That ride we took east was plenty soft. I got to see alittle of Lyon and I think that is the best city I’ve seen yet. Hope to get into Paris one of these days as I hear it is pretty nice. One thing about Lyons were the modern apt. buildings which were quite a contrast from the usual French architecture. It was good to get up here and somewhat settled. A warm meal really tasted good even if it was just warm C rations.

I don’t think I told you but I am gradually collecting somethings to send to you. Got acouple of little bibs for Jr., a pink and a blue so it won’t matter what the outcome is. The perfume is probably pretty lousy but it is the only thing to be had. You can’t hardly get anything that is any good and you pay about ten times what it is worth. Hope to be able to get you something better in Paris.

Our incoming mail is really snafu now due to our move but should get straightened out soon.

Goodnight Darling – I love you –

Forever, Tom

417th NFS War Diary:

APR. 9. WE HAD A NEAR TRAGEDY TODAY. LT R.P. BRADFORD WAS MAKING A 4 – 65 ROUTINE HOP IN A “BLACK WIDOW” THIS AFTERNOON AND JUST AS HE WAS TAKING OFF, HAVING GAINED NEAR SUFFICIENT SPEED, HE PULLED HIS WHEELS UP. THE AIRCRAFT, NOT BEING CLEAR OF THE GROUND, NOR HAVING QUITE SUFFICIENT LIFT, DROPPED TO THE RUNWAY ON ITS BELLY AND SKIDDED MADLY ALONG THE RUNWAY CATCHING FIRE AS IT DID SO. LT BRADFORD IMMEDIATELY STARTED CLIMBING OUT AND JUST AS HE CLEARED THE AIRCRAFT, THE ALERT AMBULANCE CAME CLANGING UP AND IMMEDIATELY TOOK HIM TO THE HOSPITAL.

My Darling, –

As Andy and all the boys went to the show tonight things are unusually quiet, a good time to write you. Don’t get any false impressions of the show, it is still the same old tent with the same old gas cans for chairs. Writing to you strikes me as being a much more enjoyable way to spend the evening.

I didn’t get to answer your last two letters bvery well the other night and in last night’s letter I was hardly able to write let alone re-read your letters; not that they are hard to read but I probably wouldn’t have gotten much out of them. To continue – I am sure that Dad understood about your not wanting to go to Chicago till after ruth leaves. He probably sounded alittle disappointed, and there isn’t anything wrong with that because if it would have been me I know I would have been.

The satin comfort sounds fine for Bill and Anne. If they don’t like it keep it for me, after the sleeping bags anything that even sounds like quilt or blanket sounds OK to me. I haven’t been able to use your sheets as yet because it has been to cold and it is pretty hard to use them inside a sleeping bag. However, as soon as it gets warmer when I can sleep on top of the thing with sheets below and above, they will really feel good. There is only one way it could be any better – Oh! how I remember Fresno.

You wondered how Andy reacted to sea-sickness – I could make up a nice big story, but I won’t. He wasn’t even phased. After all that bumping around I gave him in the back end at Hammer he will probably never have to worry about sea-sickness or air-sickness.

About our card playing and the passive life I am going to lead after the war – just the thought of it makes me feel like it’s time to get this war over with immediately. Re-converting from an active to a passive life wouldn’t be any trouble at all for this returning veteran. When I call you from N.Y. or San Francisco that I am on my way that is the time for you to set up the card table.

Now comes the question as to what I would like in the boxes you are going to sent. Don’t say you didn’t say you were going to send any as I have the written evidence and I am saving it. First I’d like to have some fried chicken just out of the skillet, some fresh cream peas (steaming), some ice tea (please send the ice as I haven’t seen any over here), and some ice cream with mixed fruit on top. If it takes awhile to gather the above things just keep the warm things warm and the cold things cold and save them till I get back. In the meantime any kind of more easily packed things will do. Stay away from the rationed goods as we are probably getting what you folks aren’t.

The boys just came back from the show – they picked up a coffee pot somewhere and now Andy and Jack are out trying to dig up some coffee, cream and sugar. Nothing like starting from scratch – it is a good thing they didn’t run across an ice-cream freezer or we wold probably all be up the rest of the night trying to milk a cow and hunt up the other necessary material for ice-cream. Our tent seems to be the party time tent of the whole outfit and things are beginning to look like another party time night.

Give Jr. alittle of my love that I am sending to you and take good care of him (she) and most of all take good care of yourself. Darling I love you –

Forever,

Tom

Dearest Zoe, –

Honey, I hope this letter makes some sense, however the four of us just returned from the little town and this French wine and beer aren’t too good on a persons thinking ability. Certainly wish you could have been along, if you had I think I could have fully enjoyed the evening. In fact if you wouldn’t have objected I’d probably ev en have made love to you. Honey, I would have done that without even a drink, however, as it was I had to be content with a couple of drinks and the thought of you. Gee Hon, it will certainly be wonderful to be with you again, I don’t know if you think about it as much as I do, but even if you don’t, I do enough for the both of us.

I received and signed and returned the papers to Fred Martin. Had Maj. Gardner our executive officer certify to it so you might check to see that he receives it OK.

Hope Jr. is behaving OK and he should be getting use to sun baths by now. I wonder what Mrs. Clyde would say about sun baths, it probably makes the baby red These modern mothers – it is really a wonder we have a future generation coming up. They will probably turn out to be the best yet.

Darling, the lights are going out in 5 min. so had better close. I wish it were possible for me to tell you how very much I love you, but believe me Hon I love you more than anything in the world. Goodnight –

Forever yours,

Tom