Letter # 437 July 31, 1944

New Guinea
Monday, July 31, 1944
My Darling;
Boy! When I get mail I really get it.  Eight letters in two days.  Seven from you and one from Mom & Hazel.  I gave you the letter score yesterday and then three of the missing letters came in. June 27 & 28 and July 5.  Along with them was an air mail written on the 19th, mailed on the 20th, and here I got it already on the 30th.  That's damn good I'd say.  Only 10 days.  Then today, I got one V-mail from New York, July 16 and two air mail, July 15, also New York, and July 17, back home again.  That is all pretty good service.  Maybe the mails are getting on the ball.  The quicker the better, I say.
Before I answer these letters I'll tell you what has happened since I wrote yesterday morning.  I sat around and read and etc. until time to go to the Jack Benny show.  Long dusty ride and a mob to fight, but I guess it was worth it.  It was a hell of a good show.  Jack Benny, Carol Landis, Martha Tilton, and Capt. Lanny Ross, supported by a very good army band.  Benny is really a swell showman.  Just like he is in shows only when he isn't acting a part he is much more likable.  The girls are good singers and good lookers too.  I was almost too far away to really see, but I could see plenty even then to wish I had a nice wife to take home with me.  Plenty more, thought the same as I did too.  I bet they had to put those girls under lock and key to keep the G.I.'s from kidnapping them.  The stuff they pulled would never pass the Hayes office either.  Like Benny said, " What the hell.  We're 8000 miles from home, so let's have a good time."  Then he pulled his usual radio line with a few spicy jokes mixed in.  Then he introduced Carol Landis.  She had on a pretty long evening dress that was fitted where it should fit and flowing where it should flow.  Damn well filled out too.  As he turned the mike over to her he asked, "Boys, how would you like to police this area?"  You can imagine the response to that.  Then Carol pulled a few of her own.  She told a story about a movie queen who was doing her bit by entertaining and dancing with service men at the various canteens.  This time she was dancing with an English sailor and he was telling her how beautiful she was and how much it thrilled him to be dancing with her.  She passed that off nicely by saying, "That's the fortunes of war."  Then the sailor started remarking about her dress which was one of those new deep V neck creations.  He asked what the type of neck was called and she told him "V neck".  "Oh, I know", he said, "V for victory" and as expressed by her actions he was very much intrigued by it.  Who wouldn't be?  She said, "V for victory but the bundles aren't for Briton."  She pulled several more along that line.  They were all new to me, but then of course I've been out of circulation for some time.  Then she sang and invited some volunteers from the audience to shake a leg with her.  In no time she had all the partners she wanted and more.  Cleared the stage except for half a dozen lucky fellows and they sure did dance.  A couple of the boys were plenty good and even made her step. 
Martha Tilton sang and Benny even played his violin.  He can play it too when he quits clowning.  It was a grand show marred only by the bad behavior of the G.I.'s.  It's the same at any form of G.I. entertainment I've ever been to.  The fellows, when they get away from the feminine influence, seem to forget any training in manners and go nearly primitive again.  It makes me mad.  Make so much noise you miss half the show.  See what I'll be like and the job you'll have when I get home again?  Some cynics may say that women are very small contributors to the advance of man.  They're crazy.  Woman is the biggest contributor.  Something to keep a man trying and working to better himself. 
I know one little woman that is the biggest help and inspiration a man ever had.  I'm very much in love with her too.  That's a long story and probably not very interesting.  I only wrote it 'cause I thought you might be curious about what those shows were like.  I'll hand it to the entertainers that are leaving their comfortable home life and traveling to places like this in order to give the service men a few hours of things they knew at home.  They get a plenty enthusiastic, if unmannerly, reception. 
This afternoon the old warhorse, me, couldn't stand it any longer so, even if the old leg wasn't quite well, I played six more innings of ball.  This time we picked a team from the whole company and played one from another.  At the end of the first six innings we had them 8 - 0 so I asked to be taken out.  [ The old leg was plenty tired is the real reason ].  Thought they would be better off without me.  Few more days and I'll be good as new.  The brass hats seem to take to the ball idea.  Looks like we will be playing quite a lot.  Good conditioning. 
Pay day again today.  Got me another fist full of this damn crazy stuff.  Nineteen pounds, ten florins, eight shillings, a six pence, a four pence, and a three pence.  Sounds good doesn't it?  It all means about $65.46 in good money.  A pound is $3.20.  The notes come in 10's - 5's - 1's and halves.  A Florin, the biggest coin is .32 cents, shilling 16, sixpence .08, fourpence .06, threepence .04.  There are some one pence pieces also but I haven't seen any yet. 
Don't think I'll send any this time, at least not until I hear that you have gotten the other.  That was to be sent by cable.  Seems to be taking a hell of a long time.  The next may be by money order or something. 
I didn't get much loving in this letter, did I?  Haven't said nearly all I have to say either or answered a line of all these sweet new letters.  I'll get the rest in the next few letters. 
Even if I haven't said so in this letter, I'm thinking of you and loving you as much as ever.  Might be a bit more each day as the weeks since I've seen you add up.  One bit of comfort is that every day is another closer to our reunion day.  I'd be sad sack if I didn't have that to look forward to.  No kidding honey.  Even though on the other side of the earth you are keeping me happy and going.  Night "Bundles for Briton". 
I love you.
Your hubby.
Norm.