472 3/22/1943 Helen Carlson to Sadie Erwin

Helen Carlson 401 Alexander, Monroe, Louisiana Monday, March 22, 1943

Sadie Erwin 1120 Cole St., Enumclaw, Washington

Dear Folks, I had a swell letter from Jim today and sure was glad to hear from him and I think it is just wonderful he got in the air corps and he certainly sounded happy about it and seems to like everything so far. I suppose as soon as he finished his basic training he will be sent to another camp but I was thinking if you can come down this fall and he is still there and we are still here you could easily see us both by coming by way of Southern California. I want to look at the map and see just where Fresno is but I think it is in the Southern part isn’t it. I don’t have that worried feeling about Jim after hearing from him because the way he sounded he thought the army was o.k. Carlsons received a telegram from the War Dept. and they sent it on to us and when I read it it really sent the chills through me because the way it started out it could have said anything. It said they regretted to inform them that their son had been injured in action but was making normal recovery and they would wire them again later on the progress he was making. Florence said the telegram came about midnight when they were all in bed and Mr. Carlson went to the door and of course expected the worst when they saw the telegram. Eddie, a boyfriend of Bob’s and we knew him too, has been reported missing. He was over in Africa with Bob and has a wife and two children. I know his wife too so I bet she is feeling plenty sad these days. It seems to me if Jim is in the ground crew he will have a better chance of staying out of the actual fighting if he is sent over because he will have to stay round the planes to help repair them won’t he. Bob sent some pictures of their camp in Africa to Florence but I want you to see them and notice how desolate the country looks around there. Send them back to me because Florence wants them back. I’ll send the telegram too and send that back too. Don’t you think Bob is nice looking. He is only twenty two years old. He is good about writing home too but I remember the night he found out he was going to have to leave the country he called his folks up and everyone was out except his mother and she wasn’t feeling good but answered the phone and didn’t know who she was talking too or anything so he didn’t have a chance to say much but when Florence did get home she told her she thought Bob had called and Florence called the camp in New Jersey and after hours of waiting around she managed to get Bob so he got to talk to her after all. I just wrote a letter to Jim and am going to write to him a lot. Jimmie and I have colds again but Jimmie’s was better today so since it was so nice and warm out I took him for a walk with Sarah and Tug. He only wet three diapers today so if I would do his wash every day I wouldn’t have much but I m so sick of washing diapers that I let them pile up on me now so I won’t have to do them every single day but think I will start doing them every day again so I won’t have so many. Would you send me Jim’s address because the post office had put their stamp over half of his address and I could hardly make out what it was and just had to guess at it so don’t know if he will get this letter or not. Tell him what happened when you write so he will know why he doesn’t hear from me right away if the letter doesn’t get to him. Any day now I’m expecting to hear from Glad. I wrote her a letter the other day but just had one stamp but had wanted to send it airmail but couldn’t and didn’t have the car to get downtown to buy more stamps. I had to buy Jimmie a new pair of shoes Saturday and hope he won’t grow out of these right away. They are size 5 and a half. I bet Sandy doesn’t have such big feet. We will have to go all this week without any butter because I didn’t know it was going to be frozen and just had enough to last the weekend but I don’t think I will mind it but I do love butter but won’t mind going without that or anything else if it will help the soldiers out or whatever reason it is being rationed for. I had a card from Mrs. Ellsworth Saturday and she said they were moving again to another camp and Charity just hated to go because she likes it so well where she was. Mrs. E. said she would stay with Charity for a little while at the new place but I wonder where she plans to go then. I hope she won’t go back to Leila’s. I had another nice letter from Elizabeth today and I’m so glad we have started writing to each other. Tomorrow my cleaning woman comes but it will be her last day but then I’m getting another one. Elmer thinks I’m crazy but there is another woman I can get two times a week who will clean the house and do all the washing, that is, Jimmie’s washing and everything I don’t send to the laundry and also fix dinner at night and all she charges is one dollar a week. She isn’t supposed to start until next week since I have this other one coming this week so by then she may forget to show up but I don’t care if she does because I wasn’t going to have this Mary come any more after tomorrow anyway. Well Folks, I want to get a letter to Bob written and I should write to Florence too because I waited almost three weeks before writing the last time and she let me know what she thought about it in her letter today. She said to please excuse how she acted though but she was so sick of winter weather and they were running low on oil and the house was so cold that it made her mad at everyone. It really must be awful living in that cold climate, especially when you can’t have a warm house. Well goodnight Folks, and I’ll write more later and send all Jim’s letters to me and I will return them to you. With Love, Helen