January 14, 1944

Friday evening
14 January 1944

Dearest Marty,
This is the night I wrote you the typed V-letter. This is much nicer, if you can read it. As a matter of fact, it is easier to read your handwritten V-letter than that? your typed ones, though if you typed it in capitals, like a telegram, it might be the other way around.
Today has been fairly clear and not warm- not very cold either. But the ground is still soupy- no worse than our backyard in the early spring, though, when the ground is not frozen. One can get around alright on the crushed-rock walks or by walking where the grass is thick. I think thousands of copies of the enclosed cartoon, from the Stars + Stripes, must have been sent home. I found it in quite a few of the EM’s letter that I censored. But I think Ireland’s reputation for wetness must have been acquired in some other part of the country. We have a good many showers from time to time, but rarely a really wet day. If the sun was a bit “stronger”, I think the climate here would be right nice. But I am getting a bit tired of never seeing the sun light enough in the day to do anything but cast long shadows. That strange-looking object in the right of the picture is a sheep- a very typical Irish one. They don’t look like Texas sheep. Their expression is entirely different. And the house on the left is also perfectly typical. There is always ONE in sight, peeping over the hill. They seldom seem to stand out where you can see them from a distance. Someday I hope I can get some postcard pictures to send you. I’ve censored some rather nice ones.
Monday afternoon the Team is going to see “This is the Army” in Belfast. Its tour over here has been quite a success. Both civilians and Army personnel form queues blocks long and fall over themselves to get tickets. As I may have told you I once had a ticket to see it in Birmingham, but didn’t have a chance to use it. I sold it to the Jedge ?.
Victor Moore is on the radio-he’s wonderful. Charlie McCarthy is on too-on the Forces +AFN programs together.
Lusty had been having quite time with his hives. Like many Jews? when he gets sick he gets awful sick. Buy they stopped feeding him Phenobarbital today and he’s improving rapidly. Apparently he got some news that his father was sick + that upset him + he took a second capsule to calm his nerves that night. Then he got the hives maybe partly neurogenic, + they kept on giving him barbiturates for his nervousness + that just kept them going. Now I guess he’ll be ok in a day or two. Peculiar disease.
I think I forgot to tell you about the general inspection: As usual the general didn’t come. This was one of the places he skipped. So we waited, all polished up, and all on edge for a day + a half + then relaxed. That was Maj. Gen. Lee, commanding general, SOS. ETOUSA. They say he’s a tough customer. I guess he has been gone back to England now.
On second thought I don’t think the movie last night, “This above All”, is so wonderful. It was quite engrossing at the time, being very well done, but I don’t see what it proves except that there’ll always be an England, and a Joan Fontaine is a delightful actress. The scenery is most typically English- it sort of tickled us to be able to appreciate it as such.
I hope you are getting enough money to keep things going comfortably. I haven’t been worrying about it much because there is very little I can do about it. I hope I’ll be able to send you a small contributions now and then, + if you say so maybe I could make it a little more, but in any case it won’t be enough to make any big difference. If I ever get promoted, of course, you’ll get about fifty dollars more, but don’t make any plans on it. I hope it happens soon but I have no confidence in it. Promotions are as scarce as ice-cream cones over here, + I’m quite prepared to remain a lieutenant forever.
The-Division chaplain was here today + brought his Jewish chaplain with him- the first one most of us ever saw. He seemed like a nice fellow, name of Decker, + speaks English with a German accent.
There doesn’t seem much to tell you tonight. I haven’t done anything very interesting since the last letter. Most of our activities are “professional” nowadays.
I had been thinking about that “second honeymoon” idea, too. I think it would be wonderful, though I can’t make up my mind just where to go. That will probably be decided when the time comes by the season + other circumstances. Anyway, we’ll do it! I’m always dreaming about what I’ll do when I get back to the U.S. I know exactly how I want to meet you, but it will most likely workout some other way, so I’ll just wait + see. It doesn’t matter, really, anyway. However we get together it will be the happiest day of my life. If I didn’t have that to look forward to, I don’t know what would become of me. Nothing good.
Love,
B.