Letter # 489 October 6, 1944

New Guinea
Friday eve.
Oct 6, 1944
Hi Luscious;
How's my baby tonight?  I know.  You're lovely and beautiful and ornery and everything but I'd sure like to be there to find out for myself.  You might not be so beautiful when I got through mauling you.  Think I'd be kinda wild and need a lot of taming.  Could you add animal trainer to your list of accomplishments?  The wildness is only on the surface and once trained and petted a bit, I'd settle down into a docile, household critter. Might even be worth the effort to train me.  I think I could be pretty nice and handy to have around. I could be taught to fire the furnace, build fires in the fire place, shovel snow, do odd repair jobs about the place, warm your feet for you at night, and lots of such jobs.  Think you could use me? I hope so 'cause I'll want such a place after the war. I want it now only Uncle Sam says he needs me and won't let me go till this job is over.  Aw, hell, honey.  I want to be your husband and do all the things a husband should do.  Now what do you say?
No more letters today and after three last night I didn't expect any.  I hardly got started to answer them.  There isn't any news of any kind so I'll go to work on them now.
I'm glad you are taking care of the Christmas business for us.  I knew you would and wasn't worrying about it a bit.  You're a handy thing to have around too. More than handy.  You, as I remember it, always had to take care of the Christmas buying when I was home.  I wasn't too much interested and didn't have too much time to even think about it.  I wasn't much help in a lot of ways was I?  I'm not going to promise that I'll improve much along those lines but, who knows, I might even change that much.
I don't have any suggestions for Christmas Cards but I do think you'd ought to keep them up. You like them so much and they are nice.  Keep the home front going, honey.  I'm not there but that's no reason for you to stop things you did even before I was lucky enough to get you for my wife.
I'm going to try to send at least one Xmas greeting of some sort, if I can get any ideas to make one from.  Know who is going to get it?  My beautiful, sweet, chubby wife. That's who.
I have heard something about the use of V mail for greetings and cartoons being prohibited.  It's only rumor so far.  I can't see what difference it makes, but if true, I'll make it and send it raw on other paper.
I don't think you'll need to worry a bit about the road men harming our pines. They assured me last spring that any thing in the landscape line that was already in would be left.  The main idea of the project is to sod or hold those big big banks from eroding so much and spoiling all the work they had formerly done on it.  They'll have me plenty mad too if they should happen to disturb them.  Those trees are very special to me.  Brought home from our honeymoon trip. Why wouldn't they be rather special?  The wife I brought home is very special.  Nothing better harm her either.  I loves you, honey.
I haven't seen the "Life" you mention but I have heard a bit about the demobilization plans.  Even though I'd like to I can't find too much fault with them and be fair.  When they speak of it taking a year to demobilize a million men from the European Theater they aren't planning on the miracle that probably won't happen, that could end both wars at the same time.  The war in Europe ending has no affect on us in this area other than the help and concerted effort that will then be thrown at the Japs here.  It might relieve some of the boys that have been here fighting for so long.  It should.  They have earned the right to quit and go home.  The same goes for the boys that have been over so long in Europe.  The fresh men will all be put over here and stay until it's all over.  That is why they will be let out slowly.  If both wars end quickly the program will have to be speeded up enormously.  If no new legislation is enacted, and I can't see it being allowed in a Democracy, the boys that want out are supposed to be out in six months. Remember, duration plus six months. That is almost an impossible job in so short a time but I do believe it will be as fast as possible.  There will be plenty of young fellows that won't want out and that will help us that do.
This war is largely politics and a change in administration may help but I don't look for very much.  It'll take time to straighten out in any event.  I'm not trying to be pessimistic, honey but you've been trying to give me your picture of it so I'm giving you mine.  I'm hoping like hell, the same as you and lots of others, that it will all be over within a year's time and all the boys back home again.  I'll never loose that hope but when I look back at the realistic side and with what little I can see first hand, I actually can't even see an end to this damn thing for far longer than I care to think about.  That break or miracle or whatever you call such a thing that I'm pinning my hopes on is the only quick end I can see. That break has to come from Germany and Japan, not our end.  The proper handling of our resources and all out use of them will help plenty.  It's still an awful big job. This, of course, is entirely my own estimate of things in a hard sense manner and isn't any more right than the next fellows.  I'm terribly afraid we're going to be hurtin for some time yet.  You have been telling me you can take it and I'm giving it straight the way I see it.  My heart doesn't see it that way by a long shot.  When I went into the army I would have bet money or anything that I'd be home within 18 months at the outside. I was wrong.  Let's hope I'm as wrong this time.
No, honey, I haven't got a blue spell or anything like it so don't get upset.  I haven't been talking to you about such things and I probably won't again for some time, but I've purposely not answered a lot of your comments about the situation that I just decided to get it all over with at one time.  You may get the idea that your political views brought this on but they didn't.  I voted the same as you'll vote, so there too.  I love you.
That's the first time, I believe, that I ever told you how I voted.  Usually I'm nonpartisan so I keep quiet on politics.  I'm hard to get an argument out of on either politics or religion.  There, I've shown you another dark corner of my head that no one has ever seen before.  These letters sure bring things to light that I'd never think of pulling out in face to face talks.  Hope you can get what I mean from all this. Anyhow, you can be sure of one thing.  I'm on your side 100%.  I want to be 100%  by your side  and damn soon too.  I'm loving you, you know.  
Gee, I went off on a tangent there didn't I sweetheart ? Now I'll get back to your letters and loving you a bit.
Sweetheart, you may be slipping, so you need notes to get all you intend in a letter, but, if the camera and your letters don't lie, that is the only way you are slipping in the least.  That look in your eye!  Gosh, honey, I'd follow that anywhere, anytime.  You really put plenty in that.  Silly.  Do I like the picture?  I guess you know by now.  I love it and look at it and even pet it once in a while.  Feel it?  I do. Tingles me good.  Both of us.  Get down "rover". Like my little bracelet too.  Wear it all the time.  Even in the shower.  Darn it all, I can't seem to say it, but I love you and anything you do.  So there too, my darling.
I just took time out and ate two whole slices of bread thickly spread with the best strawberry jam.  Some nice girl that would make a perfect wife sent it to me.  Not red headed either.  She is my perfect wife now and am I glad I gotcha. The jam was dandy.  Easy to dream of things that were and will be again with that to start on.  Hope it's soon.
Don't send me a bigger copy of the picture.  I'd like it but it would only get spoiled.  Save it till I come home and I'll put it on my dresser to act as a reminder of the times I wanted you so much and didn't have you.  Sort of a "resolution keeper".  Get me?  You will and plenty.  You are and can always be my pin up girl only I want you to be a real live pin up.  Much better and just as faithful as any paper doll could be.  By the way.  You are my only pin up now.  My others all got spoiled by the dampness, even the bare model likeness.  You got 'em beat a mile anyhow.
Here I have used all my space and in two nights haven't covered one of your letters.  I guess I can stretch them too.  I like to just talk when I can get started even if it is crazy.  Sounds like me when I ramble like this?  It is anyhow.
Night, my darling, three "B" girl.  I'm loving you so darn much I could nearly eat you up.  Do a lot of chewing anyhow.  Like a demonstration?  I love you.  You're my perfect wife.
Your hubby.
Norm.