630 10/27/1944 Jim Erwin to Helen Carlson

Jim Erwin 497th Service Sqdn. 44th Service Group, APO 487, NY Friday, October 27, 1944

Helen Carlson 382 Robertsville Road, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Dear Helen, Two nice long letters have come from you in the past few days. Glad you got your car back but am wondering if it was just flooded or is broken again. Too bad you couldn’t use it even the first day after getting it from the garage. People do, and have for a long time, ordered things through the Sears catalogue. Your dress should come and imagine it will look nice. You worked for Sears for a short time once while we were in Minneapolis, didn’t you? I’m in the Day Room and swell music is coming over the radio. The news will be on soon so the place is filling up. We’re all anxious to hear more about the big naval battle in the Pacific. The O.P.A. should really sock it to those stores that keep exceeding the ceiling prices. The merchants there really must be getting wealthy. Our weather gets chilly every evening. The mornings are even a little cold. The days are still hot though and we keep on getting browner. Spending a day up in the mountains sounds swell. Hope you had a wonderful time. Yes, I remember the Hartmans. Especially Mrs. Glad wrote and said that she was going to Minneapolis for awhile. Ralph was going to be home on furlough. I wonder if the Hawks will give Cully the contract he is asking for. He certainly is in a position to ask what he wants. The people there really must be hillbillies. The men are supposed to keep their women by having them pregnant and taking their shoes away. Take a look and see if the women have shoes on. You said they’re all fixed up the other way. We do get magazines. They are usually old but there are quite a few around. Mother is going to send me the Saturday Evening Post. Our old A.P.O. number was given to us while at P.O.E. in the States. We are now at a permanent base so our number is changed. No, I don’t write to Shirlee anymore. She doesn’t write often enough to suit me so quit. The hell with her. If she isn’t married when we get home, I’ll look her up. Mother said she was sending me a Christmas package so guess I’ll have to write and thank her for that. Darn it, it’s our day off tomorrow but a big inspection is being pulled off so we have to work. This place over here is starting to smell like a hen house. They’re getting worse all the time. A couple of us had an opportunity to fly to China for the weekend but that was skipped too. I’ll sure never brag about being part of this group when the war’s over. The food is really swell here but at the last field we would get K-rations and eat them rather than the food served at the mess hall. it really was awful. K-rations aren’t bad if only eaten once in awhile. C-rations aren’t any good any time. I never did get to read, “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” You told me about it though. I would like to read it so if you have it would like to have it. The Valley of Decision too. Did Elmer get the job as boss of the drafting room? He should take it. That would be swell. The change of address won’t make any difference to the coming of our letters or packages. I’ll let you know just what packages do come so we can make certain that they arrive okay. It hasn’t rained for nearly two weeks. Doesn’t seem possible. Would liked to have been able to send you some Lucky Strikes but they won’t let us, Helen. The packages are all stamped For Armed Forces Oveseas. Maybe you’ll be able to get in good with one of the merchants and he’ll save you some. Will close for now and write again soon. With love, Jim