March 11, 1942

P.S. This is a funny spot for it but I had no room at the end. – I’m enclosing a money order for $20. I hope you find it. You can just jam it in the bank. I won’t need it just now. Thanks.

9 P.M. Tues. Nite

Dear Folksies:

Hi there! Feel pretty good right now because I just had a shower, shampooed my hair, brushed my teeth & cut my toenails. In other words I’m all spiffed up – and no place to go. I’m going to write for an hour or so & then hit the hay cuz I’m pretty tired tonight. I was up ‘till 12:00 last night writing letters. I don’t know what to do about this letter-writing business. It certainly is a full time job. Especially for a slow writer like myself.

Well I got your letter yesterday in which you included the clippings about Marians marriage license. Boy you could have knocked me over with a small feather when I saw that. Not that I bothered me any but I surely was surprised to see such blitzkrieg action. I guess that gal really wanted to get married in a hurry didn’t she. She had told me in some of our little “parked out in front” chats that one of her biggest worries was that someday she would turn out to be an old maid. She couldn’t stand to think of going thru life without being married & without a family. It was sill for her to be bothered about such a thing ‘cuz she was a little too cute to go unnoticed for long. Well anyway it’s a forgotten chapter in my life. The only thing I regret is the fact that she works at the T.I.C. I’d just as soon not see her again, but I certainly have to see all my pals when I come home on furlough. Wait till she gets a glimpse of my shiny stripes – she’ll be sorry she threw me over for a gold-brickin’ civy.

Well I’m off on a couple more correspondence courtships now. A week after I received the jilt from Marian I got two very nice (& I mean nice) letters from a couple of ol’ galfriends – namely Marian Sneen & Jeanette Davidson. In Jeanette’s letter she mentioned that she was sending a box of sweets to celebrate the two occasions – my birthday & my rating. So a couple days ago I got a box of Fanny Farmers from her. Oh me – here I go again! But the letter I really got the bang out of was Marian Sneens. I hadn’t written her first so it came as a complete surprise. She certainly writes a clever & cheery letter. I’m going to write to her tonight & try to line myself up some dates for my furlough – if & when I get it. (No new developments on the latter as yet). Marian says she really appreciates her few & far between dates now. She claims that she & Dorothy Stensrud spend all their spare time learning Red Cross work at the Y.W.C.A.

Glad to hear that Dot is taking the excitement of the coming event so well. That’s very typical of her though – I expected as much. I hope it’s a boy because I’d rather be an uncle. When I get home I must take a trip down to see him – that’ll be fun.

So Joe Schaper is getting a divorce. That was another piece of startling news. My goodness whats happening to that calm & uneventful life I used to lead. I guess those quiescent days have gone forever. Can’t help but feel that Joe is lucky to get out of that Fisher Family. I don’t think much of them.

I had a letter from Dot just the other day in which she told me about the “Snuggle Bunny” or whatever it was. She said it was from me so I guess I’d better thank daddy for that. By the way, Sarge, you didn’t say whether you received my formal notice of promotion that I sent to you down at the office. Did you? Mama says we’re going to play some golf when I get home. Boy that sounds swell to me. Should be good golfing in April this year seeing that it’s been so mild.

You asked me what the “temporary” means after all the names. Well its like this. All ratings that are given out now in time of war are subject to revocation at the end of the emergency. Of course that won’t make any difference to most of us anyway because we won’t be staying in when its all over anyway. Some of these regular army men who have sprung from buck-sergeants to 1st sergeants during the last year will be hurtin’ when the war is over & they get knocked down again.

This last weekend Dietrich, Lentoni & myself hitchhiked up to Winston – Salem & over to Greensboro. We had a swell trip & did some real eating. Half the fun of these trips is getting out where you can buy some scrumptious meals. We met lots of girls in Greensboro so I have a strong suspicion that we’ll be heading back that way before long.

Well ‘tis getting late & I’m starting to yawn so I’ll say goodnight. Hope your both in good health. And Hope I see you soon.

Love, Cpl. Dorance