Letter from Mother to Guy, Sunday, Dec 19, 1943 No 31
Dearest Brother
My head hasn't gone down yet from getting the "clue" about your promotion to 1st Lt. Guess a clue is all you could call it when all the information I got was from your address on the outside. Just how did it come about and everything? Of course I know you earned it and deserved it or it wouldn’t have happened. I've been wondering if you will still be in the same flight or be transferred and have any of the others of your flight been promoted? Guess these things wouldn’t be a military secret.
That very day I received your letter I went out to tell Mother and I said "I’ve got some news to tell you about your grandson" and she said "Which one?" I told her Guy and she said "Don't tell me he's got married." I said, "Now, who do you think he could get married to where he is?" and she said, "Well, you can never tell." I don't suppose you've seen a girl that can even speak English since leaving Hawaii and probably only a few there. I told her about the 1st Lt rating and she said she was proud and glad it wasn't the other. Guess she wants you to be an old bachelor. I don't but guess you'd better wait until you get home and not bring me back a South Sea Islander for a daughter-in-law (ha ha).
Verla Joyce is now in Corsicana. We took her and Judia yesterday as they had too much to take on a train or bus. Had Judia's bed, buggy, quilts and other things. When Roy leaves there Mr. & Mrs. Fox will go after them. Your dad told V.J. about Mr. & Mrs. Sheats living in Corsicana. They were the first ones who ever owned and ran the Dixie Pig. Maybe you remember them. V.J. wrote and told Roy so he looked them up. They were so nice to him and told him to take their car and go look for a place. Mrs. Sheats works in the office of the Ration Board and later when Roy was talking to her on the phone about a place a lady who also works in the Ration office heard her and said, "Since you know the people I guess I
V.J., Roy, and Judia
could let them have part of my house", and she did. The have a nice large room nicely furnished and share her kitchen. She has a phone, vacuum cleaner, large bathroom to share with them and fenced in backyard on the South for Judia to play in. The lady isn't as old as Aunt Charity and her husband is a flying instructor on a few weeks duty at San Antonio, so she was alone. She is very nice and likable and I know she and V.J. are going to enjoy each other. I think Roy & V.J. were the luckiest things to get the place but wouldn't have if it hadn't been for our acquaintance with the Sheats. Mr. & Mrs. Sheats have invited them over to their house Christmas Day. I know Mrs. Sheats and Mrs. Morris (their landlady) are going to do everything they can to look out for V.J. and Judia and entertain them. I'm surely glad Roy's field is only six miles from town, we got out there about 4:00. Got hold of him about 4:30. He wasn't supposed to be off until six but they let him off to go back to town with us and said he could make up the next class (P.T.). He had to be back at 11:00, but was to be off again today (all day). He said in two more weeks he would be an upper classman and as he is married will get to spend two nights a week in town. He likes it there much better than San Antonio but guess he has written you all about it as he said he had just sent you a letter. He is still looking fine. We left there at 7:00 and got back to Abilene at 12:30. Lynn went with us and he was so tickled to see Roy.
Well Howard isn't back yet with the new bus. Your dad got Luther (our oldest driver and most dependable) to check in for him yesterday and we were back for the night check in as it was Saturday night and buses don't come in until 1:00 as you know. A card had come from Howard for Jean (He doesn't know she has gone to Big Spring). Here is what he wrote, "It's colder than H—eck up here. I just saw Horace at the Fort tonight and I'm heading home tomorrow morning. Will send other cards along the line." The card was mailed from Indianapolis. There is where Horace is stationed. I know he was happy to see Howard. Don't suppose he had seen a human being he knows since leaving Big Spring. Howard is going to be thrilled when he hears about your promotion. Roy surely was. V.J. had written and told him and she said the reason she didn't metion it when she wrote you was she didn't notice it until she had written and sealed her letter and went to get your address. Roy grinned from ear to ear and said "What do you know about Brother getting to be a 1st Louie?" Said, "That's just alright."
Honey I was wrong about the place Richard took them to celebrate. I must have dreamed it was the place the Williams used to run or just thought it was. Your dad says it is the Ed S. Hughes home way out on North 1st. Mack Eplen bought it and fixed it up Country Club style for parties, eating, etc. and calls it "Three Acres".
Mrs. Anderson came to see us this morning. She brought Uncle Jeff back. He is going to stay with us a few days and then go out to see the Archie Jackson's again. Of course he feels more at home there I guess because it is so close to his old home where he has spent the past sixty years. Mrs. A. said Dopey wrote that he inquired about you in Hawaii but couldn't find out anything. He is carrier based somewhere in the South Pacific. Flies the Hellcat. She brought some pictures of Dopey to show us and of course I showed her all of yours. You can imagine what took place between these doting mamas. She had to go back today. She thought all your pictures were grand and told me to write and let her know about you. She and Dopey really seem like kin folks don't they? Darling I must say goodbye for now.
Your loving Mother
Letter from Mother to Guy
December 27, 1943 Letter 32 Abilene, Texas
Dearest Brother, Your dad received the letter you wrote him Dec 15, today. That's only twelve days from the day it was written. I think that was mighty good time. He came in with it while I was finishing up dinner . He hadn't opened it as he had just come in from the bus station and picked it up. He had a big smile all over his face and was too happy for words. He said look at the Christmas present I just got. So he opened it and read it aloud. His face just beamed all the time he was reading it and if you could have seen him you would have felt repaid a dozen times for the effort and time it took to write it.
Well we had a big Christmas dinner at Charity's. As I told you in my last letter, Roy, Verla Joyce, and Judia were there - also Faith, Hand, and Mother. While we were eating Hand said, "Do you know who I'd rather was here than anybody?" Someone said, "Who?" and he said, "Guy." All the time we were fixing it in the kitchen all kept talking about two years ago when you were here and how you helped with everything and all about how sweet you were, always were, and still are. My! Your ears must have burned. That afternoon Mr. and Mrs. Roberts (Maribel's parents) dropped in for a visit. We had some bridge games and Charity and Charlie made them stay for supper. Mrs. Roberts asked about you and talked about you a lot. Said many nice things about you. It made me very happy. I told her she was exactly right about everything.
Roy and Verla Joyce went back to Corsicana yesterday. Mr. & Mrs. Fox took them in their car. Lynn went, too. They had bought round trip tickets but of course can get a refund later on. Roy certainly enjoyed his stay and I'm so glad he got to come. His letter you wrote to him arrived also today and I'm forwarding it on to him. I know he will be glad to get it. Oh yes he was looking at your goggles you sent back and said he would like to borrow them as he liked them so much better than his. His are clear instead of green and the rubber mounting is in two pieces instead of one. Said if you sent for them I could wire him and he would send them to you immediately. So I could hardly say no. Hope it was alright and maybe you can get him a pair or yourself another in the place of them or if there's anyway I could get some I'd be glad to. Oh yes you offered for your dad or Howard to use your flying suit so Howard says he is really going to wear it when he drives the next new bus back from Indiana as he nearly froze on the other trip and had on all the clothes he could put on plus the overcoat you gave him. He wears it a lot and it looks so nice on him. It isn't bulky and fits him so close and being long altogether is slenderizing and makes him look very neat and good.
Are you with Bob Anderson? His address is the same as yours the VMF-216 part so I guess the rest is too. Navy 156. His dad and your dad see each other occasionally and each will tell the other when they have heard from their Marine. I'm going to drop them a card and tell them about hearing from you today.
Honey I hate to think of your being disturbed at night by those old Japs and having to go to fox holes. If I'd allow myself to do it I'd be grieving for you all the time but if I did that it would look like I'd lost my faith and felt like you were not coming back. Every problem and sorrow I've ever had I've asked God to help me and I've trusted Him and He has never failed me. I'm trying so hard to be worthy of His blessings in this tragic ordeal. Darling help God take care of my boy.
