Tagged With: USO
Don’t Know Where I May End Up
February 7, 1945: Dad writes a letter home with the news that after nineteen months at Topeka he will be moving on to his next assignment shortly. “I’ll have a new address soon, so you needn’t write until you hear from me. I’m going to be assigned to a Bombardment Group at McCook, Nebraska in … Continue reading
He Really Was Tops.
January 23, 1945: Dad gets a letter from Joe Damusis, a fellow that he struck up a friendship with early in his Army career. From the contents of the letter, it seems that Joe is stationed at Great Bend, Kansas. Joe indicated that his group, the “4503d is definitely being turned into an outfit full … Continue reading
I Believe I Will Remember Him
October 24, 29 and 31, 1944: Dad writes a few letters home from Topeka Army Air Base where he is still stationed with the Headquarters Squadron of the 270th AAF Base Unit (SW). Despite it being the end of October, Topeka is seeing high temperatures in the 80s. He mentions that he spent the 24th … Continue reading
Odd Looking Things
July 18 and 20, 1944: Two letters from Stanley in Deenethorpe to Dad at Topeka. Stanley decided to go into the office on his day off to catch up on his correspondence. They have had some “nice hot weather for a change…two days of warmth was just like heaven. …I felt like lying on the … Continue reading
Level and True
April 18, 20, 21 and 24, 1944: Some V-mails from Stanley Murawski, who is with the 401st Bomb Group in Deenethorpe, to his brother, Anthony who is stationed at Topeka Army Air Base. Stanley writes about a few of the USO shows that where held on base and shares a humorous poem about Army clerks. … Continue reading
A Lot More to be Done
April 22, 25 and 29, 1944 : Three letters home from Topeka Army Air Base. Other than writing about the weather and such, Dad shares the news that a longtime serviceman that he has come to know on the base has passed away. He also writes about the usual on base diversions, including the USO shows, … Continue reading
Expecting a Little Too Much
March 21 and 24, 1944: Two letters home to Albany from Dad while stationed at Topeka Army Air Base with the 21st Bomb Wing. The weather in Topeka on the first full day of spring is varying widely. Dad gives his impressions of a U.S.O. show that was held on base, and he updates the … Continue reading
Sixteen Months
March 6 and 13, 1944, a few short notes from Stanley to Dad. Stanley has settled back into life on base at Deenethorpe after seeing a bit of the countryside on a 48 hour pass. He’s been given additional help in the office so he is managing to catch upon his work and is taking … Continue reading
A Chow Line a Mile Long
February 4 and 9, 1944: Two V-mails to Dad from Stanley in Deenethorpe. Aside from work, Stanley’s days are filled with routine chores like laundry and diversions from the routine including USO shows and the ever present radio broadcasts. Aide from that, it is the dead of winter and Stanley writes about what it is like to … Continue reading
The Dampness Gets Me
January 12, 13 and 17: Three V-Mails to Dad in Topeka from his brother Stanley in Deenethorpe. Given the space limitations of the V-Mail format, the self-censorship, and the active military censorship (each V-Mail passes through and is signed off by a censor) substantive information is often hard to come across. However, the V-mails are … Continue reading