Stinson Field Sunday Dec. 28

Dear Mother,
          Here it is Sunday again. I went
to church again this morning. They had
a very fine service. I just got thru
dinner and I am waiting for mail
call tonight. I got your card and
letter yesterday. Also Clifford's package
and a card from Donna and Irene's
grandmother Diemer.
          The mail is so heavy one
of the fellows that hauls mail from
the main post office in town they
told him there is two carload
of mail that hasn't been sorted
yet. I haven't heard from Irene
since last Sunday. I do hope I
get a letter from her today. It
gets so lonesome without hearing
from her. I don't know what I


will do if I get across and only hear
from her about once a month. I
think her letters to me are laying
somewhere in the postoffice. I will
probably get them in time. A lot
of the fellows are getting letters which
are two weeks late.
          We had meat loaf for dinner
today. It was a real good meal.
Today it is quite windy and really
cold out. It makes a fellow shiver.
Yesterday it was hot. It has been
warm most all week. The day
before Christmas I laid out on the
grass and slept. Boy did I get
a sunburn. I spoke suppose I will
begin to peel in a day or two
now. I am going to keep on and
get a real nice tan.
          I am going to send you and
Irene one of our Christmas menus


as soon as I can get the money
to buy a mailing envelope. It really
is a grand menu. It will be a
souvenir of my Christmas away from
home. How do you like your fountain
pen? I hope I get a letter written
with it this week.
          I guess we get our pay this
Thursday. I was suppose to get my
furlough ration money but it hasn't
come through yet. Propably get it about
the same time. Mother would you
like to has some small cactus
plants to put in the windows? I
can get an assortment in town all
packed for mailing.
          Well I guess this is all for
today. Goodbye for now.
                              Love
                                   Ralph.
P.S. I got a box of stationery from
Ebersole's.

Background Information (and comments):

• Ralph clearly had his dates confused. The envelope is postmarked for Dec. 27th but he wrote that it was Sunday, Dec. 28th. 
• Ralph did send the menu to his mother. I had it along with some photos, church bulletins, and other memorabilia. Unfortunately, I had not decided how I was going to share Ralph's letters as I was sorting through items to discard/keep when I moved from OH to FL in 2013. The letters were all in a shoe box and they came with me; the other items were given to a cousin to donate to the historical society in Blissfield, MI. 
• Clifford was one of Ralph's brothers; he was married to Marie. I do not know who Donna is or the Ebersoles. My best guess is neighbors or members of his church.

The next letter will be posted on January 3rd.

Stinson Field Christmas Day

Dear Mother,
          Christmas day for 1942 is here
and almost passed. I have been
thinking of you a lot today. We had
a marvelous dinner today. The
tables were set so pretty. We
had 38 tables. All of them had
white table clothes, plates, silver-
ware, cups, glasses and on every
plate was a package of cigarettes
cigar and our menu. Then in
front of every plate was 2 oranges
2 bannanas, 2 apples. Then
They had the salads on the table.
One salad was in a tomato
hollowed out and filled with cold
slaw. This was on a lettuce
leaf in a saucer. Then another
salad of apple nuts and mayonaise.


They really looked nice. The mess
hall was decorated in red, white
and green crepe paper and bells,
on the windows they pasted cotton
to make it look like snow. The
rest of our food was served to
us in big dishes and we took
what we wanted. Then when dinner
was finished nuts and candy was
passed around.
          The day here has been
a lovely day. This morning it
was kinda foggy but it cleared
up. It warmed up to around 75.
We have the windows and all
the doors open. Most of the fellows are
setting around just in there under-
wear that is how warm it is here
today. It didn't really seem like
Christmas at all. I received Luella's
package and a few cards. I received


a letter from Irene last Sunday
and I haven't heard from her since.
I don't know what is wrong. Maybe
the mails are so heavy it is slow
for the letters to come through. Have
you seen her since I was home?
          Kentuck received a telegram
from his folks today. His brother
arrived in Africa safe and sound.
          I hope all the others were able
to be with you this Christmas.
Next Christmas we will all be
there together.
          Well I guess this is about
all for now. Kate Smith is on
now. Everybody is listening to her.
Goodbye and I hope you had
a very Merry Christmas.
                               Love. Ralph.


Background Information (and comments):

• I used to read this letter to my 8th grade students when we did a World War II unit. They had no idea who Kate Smith was.
• This may have been the show they were listening to:      96239. The Kate Smith Hour. December 18, 1942. Program #5. CBS net origination, AFRS rebroadcast. The first tune is, "Everything I've Got Is Yours." Ed Gardner, as "Archie" from "Duffy's Tavern" tries to hire Kate to sing at the tavern. It's a funny routine that falls flat and crashes at the last line. You'll get goose bumps when Kate sings, "Getting Sentimerntal." Guest Leonard Sues trumpets, "Blue Prelude." Kate ends a delightful show with, "God Bless America." Kate Smith, Ted Collins (host), Ed Gardner, Leonard Sues. 29:34. Audio condition: Excellent. Complete.
• The Kate Smith Hour was a leading radio variety show, offering comedy, music and drama with appearances by top personalities of films and theater for eight years (1937–45). The show's resident comics, Abbott and Costello and Henny Youngman, introduced their comedy to a nationwide radio audience aboard her show, while a series of sketches based on the Broadway production of the same name led to The Aldrich Family as separate hit series in its own right in 1940.

The next letter will be posted on December 28th.

Stinson Field San Antonio, Texas Sunday, Dec. 20, 1942

Dear Mother,
          I received your letter today and one from
Luella. I was sure glad to receive them. I received
one from Irene on Thursday but have not
received anymore.
          It is nice and warm here in Texas.
I suppose you will have a white Christmas
this year. I wish I was going to be there
with you, but I know it is impossible to do so.
They are decorating the mess hall and are
going to have a Christmas party Wednesday
night. So I suppose Christmas will try to be
made merry for us to. Our menu is sure
a big one.
          Tomato juice, pickles, olives, celery,
whipped potatoes, roast turkey, cranberry
sauce, sweet potatoes candied, Waldorf salad,
apple pie La Mode, Pumpkin pie, cake, coffee,
cider, cocoa, fruits, cigars, cigarettes and
mints.
          I think we ought to get our fill on this
menu don't you think so?
          I went to church this morning at the


post chapel. It was a very good service.
I am sending you our program of the service.
          Well I can't think of much more to write
about. I think I told you I am not in the
kitchen anymore. I don't do hardly anything.
I am getting more exercise though playing
ball and walking down to the river.
          Well mother I wish all of you a
very Merry Christmas. I wish I could be
there but it is impossible. I will be there
in thought and spirit though. Merry
Christmas and I hope it won't be long before
I will be home for good.
                                      Love Ralph.


The next letter will be posted on Christmas Day.

Stinson Field, San Antonio, Texas December 16, 1942

Dear Mother,
          Here I am in Texas. The land of
sunshine. I made good connections until
the train from Chicago to St. Louis was
late in getting into St. Louis. We, myself
and a fellow from Detroit missed the train
in St. Louis and had to lay over in St. Louis
for 6 hours. I called Gloria and was she
surprised to hear from me. She thought I
had been shipped across. She invited me
out to dinner at a big restaurant and I had
a grand meal and a swell visit. It was
Janes birthday. While we were in St. Louis
they had a practice blackout. Gosh it was
spooky if that is what you want to call it.
It is the first one I was ever in. Everything
was blacked out.
          I got here 10:30 A.M. this morning.
If I had made connections in St. Louis on
time I would have been here 6:30 P.M.
Tuesday night on time. I reported right
away and nothing was held against my
being late. Some of the fellows haven't
shown up yet. The fellow from Chicago

didn't even show up. Quite a few
of the fellows here have received stripes.
I am not doing any cook work anymore.
I am going to work on propellers or go to
school some more I guess.
          I enjoyed my furlough at home very
much. I really hated to come back. More
so this time than when I left for the
army. I know what is coming now, and
is [it] was so far to come. Nothing familar
and no telling when I will get back north
again. So long for now, and I hope you
have a Merry Christmas.
                                Love Ralph.


The next letter will be posted on December 20th.