Stinson Field Texas March 1, 1943

Dear Mother,
          Well here it is March already. We
are haveing grand weather here and that
is about all we are haveing. Since going
on field rations are  meals are really
poor. We haven't had potatoes for
three days now. We have boiled rice
baked roast pork, gravy, bread and butter
for yesterdays dinner. Dinner today for
was boiled turnips, carrots, cabbage
and mutton. Most everybody said it was
goat and it smelt like it. Tonight we
had spagetti, boiled cabbage, bread,
butter and lamb stew. You couldn't
hardly get in the mess hall for the
smell. It smelt like Gus and Margrette's
place up on the 40 when they lived
there. I don't know what is going to
happen if we don't start getting better
food. Fort Sam Houston hasn't had potatoes
either. Maybe we would be better
off if we moved acrossed. We don't
know when that will be either.


          Last month Monday there was a plane crash
near the field and two were killed. Over
the weekend there was 3 more plane
crashes and all the pilots including
6 were killed. They are old ships,
just training planes wore out.
          I went to church yesterday morning
and in the afternoon went into town
to a show. I saw "Hilters Children" it
was a good proproganda picture.
          Well not much news around here
so I guess I will close it is 11 o'clock
at night. Just finished working. We got
paid today. Just send my income tax
papers into the postoffice. I will pay
the tax after I get out of the army. There
is talk of exempting a soldier from all
taxes. If this goes through I won't
have to pay any. Goodnight for time.
Write soon.
                               Love Ralph.


The next letter will be posted on March 9th.

Background Information (and comments):

• Since 1943 was not a leap year, but 2016 is, Ralph's letters will be off now by a day. He wrote this on Monday, March 1, 1943, but I am posting it on Tuesday, March 1, 2016. I liked it when they fell on the same day of the week.
• The "show" was Hitler's Children. 
• Here is a link to the original trailer of the movie: http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/34542/Hitler-s-Children-Original-Trailer-.html
• Here is a website and a summary: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034856/  Information is also on Wikipedia.

This lurid exposé of the Hitler Youth follows the woes of an American girl declared legally German by the Nazi government.

• Directors:

   Edward Dmytryk, Irving Reis (uncredited)

  Writers:

   Emmet Lavery (screenplay), Gregor Ziemer (book)

  Stars:

   Tim Holt, Bonita Granville, Kent Smith |
• I found this information on a website about one of the plane crashes: 

Two Cadets Are Killed In Airplane Accident

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Feb. 28 (AP).---Two Brooks Field cadets were killed about midnight Saturday, the Brooks Field public relations office announced Sunday.

They were Aviation Cadet Warren M. Pickett, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Pickett, Overton, Neb., and Aviation Cadet Marquis B. Taylor, 21, son of Mr. and Mrs. Roule Taylor of Wauchula, Fla.

The plane crashed while on a routine night training flight.

Dallas Morning News, Dallas, TX 1 Mar 1943