Belgium Sept. 10.

Dear Mom & Dad,
      I will try to write you
folks a few lines tonight. It
is pretty hard to write any
thing just now. First of all we
aren't getting any mail. Half the
outfit is in Germany, and the
rest is here. The orderly
room has gone so we are
on detached service. I was
left here to pack the rest
of the propeller shop. So all
in all, everything is mixed
up. I had to move my bed
and junk so they could tear
the tent down. Where I am
living now there are no lights.
Some high point men have
already left our outfit. And

the 40 year olds are gone.
The 38 year old are leaving
this week. I expect we, with
less than seventy points will
leave in December some time.
I have sixty five points if you
are wondering what my score
is. It is all on service only.
     Saturday night, Pyle and
myself went to Brussels and
stayed all night. Had a room
in a hotel. It sure seemed
good to sleep between sheets
again. Woke up at 11 o'clock
the next morning.
     Well this will be all for
now. Tell the rest why I am
not writing just now.
                         Love
                              Ralph.


The next letter will be posted on September 18th.

Background Information (and comments):

• Detached Service: off on an errand, or simply reporting for duty at another unit/location

• Here is some information about the point system (which had changes from Sept 1945 - Dec. 1945). You can see where Ralph's 65 points put him.

Post-war changes[edit]

By September 1945, the War Department redesignated all units in Europe as either Occupation Forces (personnel with either the lowest scores or who were volunteers), Redeployment Forces (those with the highest score being sent back to the United States) or Liquidation Forces (troops with middle scores of 60–79 points) who were required to close down former front line facilities such as munition dumps or field hospitals.

Nevertheless, the ASR began to create problems for the US Army in post-war Germany as high-scoring personnel plus the attrition caused by sickness, compassionate leave and accidents meant continual loss of many experienced officers and NCOs.

By December 1, 1945, a new policy was started, which was based on a combination of ASR score and length of service. The points required were as follows:

• Officers (excluding Medical Department & WAC) = 70 pts + 4 years of military service
• Women's Army Corps officers = 37 pts
• Medical Department officers = 55 pts
• All enlisted men = 50 pts + 4 years of military service
• All enlisted women = 32 pts

All enlisted fathers with three or more children (under 18 years) were immediately eligible for discharge irrespective of their time in military service.^[1]