River Downs Sept. 30, 1942

Dear Mother,
       Well I arrived back here
safe and sound. The train was an
hour late in getting into Dayton. I got
in camp just as my outfit was
ready to pull out for down here.
I had to hustle around an get my
outfit packed. We came by convoy
and got here about noon. Had a
small lunch and went to work pitching
camp. It looks like a regular army
camp by now. I drawed guard duty
for Monday night and was on duty
for 24 hours on 2 hours and off
4 hours. Boy was I tired.
          Last night the U.S.O. sent buses
out here to pick us up last night
and take us into town. We went
to a dance and did they treat us
swell.
          Our meals here and swell for the
setup we have. I will probably draw
K.P. in a day or two. This is for show down
here is for Army Relief Fund. They



really are going to have a real show.
Some of the best horses in the country.
We are camp in the center of the race
track right on the banks of the Ohio
river. It really gets cold here, but I
manage to keep warm at night. We
will be here until Tuesday next
week. The drum & bugle corps have
been practicing everyday. We draw
quite a crowd allready. I will try to
send some newspaper clippings on what
is going on down here.
          Well I must close for now. I will
receive my mail from Patterson field
at same as usual. So long for now.

                             Love  Ralph.


Background Information (and comments):

• It appears guard duty really wore him out as there are many grammatical errors and incorrect words. I type them as I see them so the reader can get a sense of his state of mind.
• I like the stationery provided by the U.S.O. The envelopes have a message that was also used on posters and in newsreels.

• For the history of River Downs, here is a website: http://horseracing.info/river-downs-race-track.html
• Some information about the Army Relief Fund
•  During World War II the ARC made a sharp distinction between civilian war relief and services for American armed forces. While the ARC provided supervisory and coordinating functions for relief to civilians, it generally did not send personnel to direct civilian war relief during World War II, except for some milk distribution to children in North Africa and limited efforts in Italy. Instead, civilian war relief delivery became the province of the state through the armed forces, the Office of Foreign Relief and Rehabilitation (OFRR), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA). The Red Cross spent as much as half of its funds on returning servicemen and women and their dependents. The government's extensive role in relief and rehabilitation contrasted sharply with its practice in World War I.
  
• Read more about ARC at: http://www.americanforeignrelations.com/E-N/Humanitarian-Intervention-and-Relief-World-war-ii.html

The next post will be on Oct. 3rd.

Patterson Field Fairfield, Ohio September 21, 1942

Dear Mother,
            Just a few lines to let you
know I arrived here ok. We have been
placed in barracks here. It is a real
nice camp or will be when the get it
finished. I guess we are going to school
again. Our class was broken up into
3 groups. The two fellows that left Camp
Custer with me are still here with me.
I guess we will stick together for a
while yet anyway.
          I might be home on a pass or
furlough soon. I was over to see
about it today. I have to go back tomorrow
and find out about it. Might be home
before this letter gets there. I hope it
goes that way.
          Well there isn't much to say. So
I guess I will have to close. I am
rather tired and sleepy. I will think


of more to write when I get more
use to it here and know what the
whole thing is about. So long for now.
                                       Love Ralph


Background Information:

• Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB) (IATA: FFO, ICAO: KFFO, FAA LID: FFO) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wright Field and Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot. Patterson Field is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Dayton; Wright Field is located approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast of Dayton.
• The base's origins begin with the establishment of Wilbur Wright Field on 22 May and McCook Field in November 1917, both established by the Army Air Service as World War I installations. McCook was used as a testing field and for aviation experiments. Wright was used as a flying field (renamed Patterson Field in 1931); Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot; armorers’ school, and a temporary storage depot. McCook's functions were transferred to Wright Field when it was closed in October 1927.^[2]
• Wright-Patterson AFB was established in 1948 as a merger of Patterson and Wright Fields. In 1995, negotiations to end the Bosnian War were held at the base resulting in the Dayton Agreement that ended the war.

The next letter will be posted on September 30th.

Post Card Sept. 20, 1942

Dear folks.
      Arrived here at
5:45 P.M. Sunday.
Had a grand
trip. The weather
is plenty cool.
Hope I can see
you next Sunday.
Will write more
later when I get
to camp.
                Bill


Next post will be on September 21st.

Certificate of Technical Training Sept. 19, 1942

Here is Ralph's "report card".

The next post will be on Sept. 20th.

Parks Air College East Saint Louis, Illinois Sept. 17, 1942

Dear Mother,
               Just out of school and
I have some good news. Our instructor
told us our next base would
be at the U.S.Army Depot at
Patterson Field. Fairfield Ohio.
This is about 14 mile from Dayton
so I guess my wishing to get
stationed there didn't fail me.
Maybe I will be able to get
home more often now. I hope
so anyway.
          The whole class was
expecting to get sent to Texas.
Gosh it will seem good to live
in Ohio again. I suppose we

move on Sunday. We have two
more nights of school and then
Sat. we graduate. Everybody hates to
leave this place because the extra
money we received here sure
come in handy.
          Well nothing important
has happened here this week.
We are doing a lot of studying
this week to get our study over
with. Well I must get to bed.
          Thought I would let you know
where I would be stationed at. Will
send you my address next week.
Hope to receive a letter from
you tomorrow. So long for
now.
                       Love.
                              Ralph

Parks Air College East Saint Louis, Illinois Sept. 14, 1942

Dear Mother,
          Well this month will soon be
half gone before we know it. Time seems
to go so fast here. Haven't heard where
we are going yet. There are a lot of rumors
but they are just what some of the
fellows think. I hope it is closer to
home. It probably won't be though.
          It has been awlful warm here for
the last few days, and the bugs here
are simply swarming the air. At night
in school we can hardly sit near a
light.
          Yesterday I was by myself all day
long. I went to a couple of shows and took
a street car ride all over St. Louis. I
guess it was my farewell visit to St. Louis.
I hope the next place we are at the
people will treat us as nice as they
have here. I can't think of anything to


about. I guess it is lucky I am getting
moved then I will have something to
write about again. It might be that we
will be sent back to J.B. but I hope
not.
          We start on our last propeller
tonight so I suppose we will be plenty
busy. Friday night we have our final
exam on it and Saturday we graduate
so it is going to keep us plenty busy.
Well I guess I will have to sign off.
I don't think of anymore to write about.
So long. I will write if I know
anything for shure where we will be
sent to.
                                Love
                                     Ralph

Background Info:

• Ralph refers to Jefferson Barracks (his previous assignment in St. Louis, Missouri) as J.B.

The next letter will be posted on September 17th.

Parks Air College East Saint Louis, Illinois September 9, 1942

Dear Mother,
     Well I arrived here safe and
sleepy. I guess it rained most of the
way here. It was raining here when
we got here and rained most of the
night. In class last night everybody
was so sleepy. I got to bed at 2:30
and woke up at 11:00 this morning
so I really got some sleep.
     I just finished a letter to Irene.
One of the boys in my class from Detroit
isn't back yet. He has been A.W.O.L.
3 days before this so I guess it will
really go tough for him this time.
It is rather warm here today. It was
kinda tough to start in again after being
home even for a day. It sure was tough
to say goodbye from home again but
not as bad as the first time.

     I am hoping I will get sent to a
station closer to home. I don't know
where I will be sent  to until we
graduate. So I will write and tell you
then where I will be stationed. I hope
though it is closer to home.
     Gee it seem so good to get home
again. I guess I told you all about
army life and what I am doing here.
So there isn't so much to write about
anymore. Put my letters I brought
home. I guess I left them in the
back room. Put them away. I forgot
to. Well I can't think of anymore to write.
Got a letter from the folks I boarded
with in Sandusky. I guess I will have
to write and tell everybody my address
will be changing again. Gosh the
time here has really gone fast.
     Well I guess this is all for now.
     Hope to see you soon again.
                               So long
                                  Ralph


Background Information:

• Ralph had previously referred to living in Sandusky OH. Very likely he worked at a cement plant there. Some other jobs that I know he had were working in a sugar beet plant (I believe near Blissfield MI), bridge construction (on Route 223 in MI), and grave digger at Toledo Memorial Park. However, the only job I knew much about was as a stationary engineer at Medusa Portland Cement near Sylvania, OH  (which he worked when I was a child until his death in 1967).
• The Sandusky Cement Company at Sandusky, Ohio was organized in 1892 using the trade name of Medusa.  In 1929 the name was officially changed from Sandusky-Medusa Cement Company to Medusa Portland Cement Company.  The Medusa Cement Plant was constructed in 1922 on Centennial Road.  

The next letter will be posted on September 14th.

Post card to his brother Glenn September 4, 1942

The front of the post card reads "INSTRUMENT FLIGHT TRAINER, PARKS AIR COLLEGE"

Ralph's message written on the back says:

Dear Glenn,

       Have my car shined

and ready to go. Meet

me at the Union Station

in Toledo Sunday afternoon

at 2:05 P.M. Bring Irene

along and anybody

esle that wants to

come. I will be

there.          Bill

The next letter will be posted on September 9th.

Sept. 1, 1942

Dear Mother,
     Gee it seems funny to write
Sept. down already.Time is really
going places. It has been real
hot here lately again. It seems
so muggy. You can hardly breath
for it.
     Yesterday we got paid again.
I drawed $77.11 net. That is $27
more than a regular soldier gets.
It is a rebate on the money paid
to us to pay for our schooling here.
My room & board for Aug. was
$53.14 and laundry was $5.00 making
an expense of $58.14. The gov't pays
Parks $75.25 for our lodging and our
expenses being only $58.14 out of $75 made
up the $27. more than I figured on

my regular $50 a month. Gee I
got to keep a close watch on my
billfold now.
     Sunday morning I didn't wake
up until 10:30 so I missed church.
It starts at 10:30 to 11:30. I went to
the station and found out about my
railroad fare for a round trip
to Toledo. It is ownly costing
me $11.15 to come home and back
here again. I will arrive in Toledo
at 2:05 Sunday afternoon your time.
So either be there or have somebody
there, and bring Irene with you.
I told her to write and let you know
where she would be so she can
have you pick her up. Gosh
I can hardly wait. Suppose the
dog will still reconize me. Try to
keep him home so I can see him to.
I am going to have so many to see
in such a short time I won't know
where to begin. I think I will begin
right at the station and then home
to clean up. You get grimy riding
on the railroad. So you can help

me out by having things ready
for me to take a bath and shave.
I will probably get quite a bit of
sleep on the train.
     I suppose you are going to try
and have the whole family there for
a home coming. I wish it was for
good. I am getting use to it now tho.
It isn't so bad when a person isn't
drilled to death all the time. I don't
know where we will be sent from
here.
     What did you do Sunday? I spent
my Sunday at the Park & zoo. I guess
I have seen about all of it now. There
is 1,400 acres in it. The girls we
met the Sunday before had us meet
them out there or planned it that
way. The one I was supposed to

be with couldn't come in the after
noon so I was alone. At night we
went back to the U.S.O and cleanup.
Took a shower and ate then went
and got the girls and went to a show.
Do you think I am doing wrong to
go out? It doesn't mean a thing to
me. All I do it for is to get away
from this Army routine and talk
to somebody esle for a change. It
gets your mind off of things and school
for a while. I would lots rather do
that then go out and get soused up
like some of them do here. A lot of
them are drunk from Sat. night til
Monday noon. Some of them even go
to school drunk. I am trying to be
true to Irene and everything, after all
these girls do [don't??] begin to compare to
Irene, and the only time we get out
is Sunday afternoon and night so we
can't see them to get real serious.
     I have to go to town today and
do a little shopping. Got to get me
a new pair of dress shoes and a

dress cap to wear with my O:D
uniform. Is the weather cool there

at night? I want to wear my O:D
home so I can have my pictures
taken in my full uniform. I am
bringing along one of my summer
suits anyway if it is to warm.
     Well I can't think of anymore to
say right now. So I guess I will
have to close for now. I will see
you Sunday afternoon. So have
everything ready to so I can get to see
everybody while I am there.
     Goodbye for now. I will see
you Sunday. If things aren't changed.
Never can plan to far ahead in the
Army.
                          Love Ralph.

• Here is the stationery and envelope that Ralph got from the U.S.O. for this letter.
• The next post will be on September 4th.