New Guinea
Sat. eve.
Sept 2, 1944
My Sweetheart;
Well, honey, it's happened. I am going to jungle training school, starting Monday, Sept 4. I guess that is Labor day, isn't it? I'm tickled about it. Think it's going to be very interesting and at the same time instructive. I'll have a chance to learn a little from fellows who know the jungles and how to live in them. That might some day be a bit of learning I'll need very badly. The instructors are natives and Australians.
They let me trade with Baker after all. We go by truck to a mission in the foothills and from there it's all on foot. About a hundred miles round trip. Think I can walk that far with a pack on my back? I don't know but I will soon. I've been put in as squad leader so I almost have to keep going.
I see Dick Elder is to go along as one of the medics. I wonder how he'll make it?
Here are the boys that are going from our company. You can pick them out in the picture.
Capt. Spencer, 2nd Lt. Williams, [he's a recent addition so you won't find him]. T/4 Effinger [I think you should be able to locate him], T/4 Pendelton, T/4 Plantikoa, Cpl. Almasy, Cpl. Deltaven, Cpl. Dyke,
Cpl. Elslager, Cpl. Fabiny, Cpl. Matthews, Cpl. Mucci, Cpl. Scaffider, Cpl. Schifsky, T/5 Westerman,
Pfc. Caswell, Pfc. McCarty,
I just thought you might like to see who was going on this trip. As I said last night, the only thing I don't like about it is I won't be able to write to you for a couple weeks. No place to mail a letter, where I am going. I hate that a lot, honey, but I'll make up for it when I get back. Should have a lot to tell you. The camera goes along too, so I should have some good pictures.
No other news to tell you and no new letters so I'm going to try to completely answer what I still have here.
It doesn't make me a bit mad to have you keep teasing me about what you're sending and etc. I'll just tease back whenever I get a chance. Honey, that kind of teasing doesn't worry me a bit, but there is a kind of teasing that would make me slightly mad if you did too much teasing and nothing else. Get what I mean? I like that kind of teasing too, only not too much of it. Just so you know.
Stephen is a good name all right. Lends itself readily for shortening up for every day. I really haven't gotten as far as the names yet. I'm inclined to wait and see if and what it is. May have to call it moron or something like that. It is rather funny that we all of a sudden take to this idea and at a time when we can't do anything about it. I've always heard it takes a war to increase the birthrate. Maybe it's a disease of some kind and we've caught it. I really think it's because you are about the only wife in our set that isn't a mother and we don't want to be left too far behind. We had always said, sometime, and thought very little more about it.
I guess I could stand another stretch of buck pasture if you don't do like Marg did this time. That soon and that long a barren stretch would not be very agreeable. If you act as you're supposed to and say you will, I'll probably be ready for a rest. Not as young as I once was any more. Who said that? I've still got young ideas you can bet. I'd prove it if you were anywhere within reach. Gosh, honey, I'm loving and missing you a hell of a lot. I could use a lot of your best brand of loving anytime. I loves my passionate parcel.
Why shouldn't I call you "legs"? I call you "Bubbles" and other things that are descriptive of one of your various good points. That picture showed more leg than anything else. Damn good looking legs too. I'd let them in my bed anytime.
I don't think the question of whether I vote or not is as important as you seem to think. You were sweet enough to get it sent to me so I won't fail you. You send me a little of the dope and I'll scratch my x's on it and send it in.
Here you're hoping I'll always be able to keep writing to you nearly every day and I've just fixed things so you won't get any for a couple weeks. I'm sorry, honey. I'm a meanie. I know how you feel about the letters while I'm gone but, boy, will I have a pile when I come back. Mummy won't have though. Poor Mummy always seems to get the short end of things. Anyhow you can be sure I'll be loving and thinking of you all the way over the trail. I love you so much, honey.
Just happened to think. I'll spend my part of our anniversary on a mountain trail again, only you won't be along this time, damn it. We did have such a nice week didn't we, honey? The beginning of the best life I ever knew.
You devil, telling me now of some special two or three little items you're sending me for Christmas. You're a tease. Don't you know presents are supposed to be a surprise? I don't care, go ahead and tease. I'll love you anyhow, but I'll get even some day. I'll walk away and leave you when you want to love or something like that. What do you think of that? Does it sound like me? I'm afraid that would be too tough a threat to carry out just to get even.
Johnny tells me his wife has sent out all the pictures and that you should have them by now. I guess she had some job. There were 6 hundred and some of them all told. Think of all the sets like the one you got, all going different places, she had to send. She also numbered the backs of each picture and Johnny has the originals all numbered the same way, so I'll tell you tomorrow what they all are. I never expected her to go to all that trouble. I paid John for the pictures.
I'm going to send the pictures John Deelaney sent me. I also found another of the pictures I bought from the Aussie. It had gotten lost in my junk. It's only a picture of native headdresses made mostly of
bird-of- paradise feathers.
I've got one roll of film ready to send in and I'll soon have more. If you wait patiently a while longer there may be pictures coming your way soon. I think this trip should be a good place to use the roll of color film. Oh, yes, I'm still remembering you want a couple of me on that one. I certainly hope it will do a good job on the color. There are some beautiful spots here on the island.
Well, honey, I'm going to quit until tomorrow. I'll see if I can make that a good one, 'cause it'll be the last for a while. Poor Mummy. Empty mailbox again. I do love you ever and ever so much, darling, even if I can't tell or show you. The day is coming when I will be able to do both.
Your hubby.
Norm.
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