639 2/13/1945 Jim Erwin to Sadie Erwin

Jim Erwin 497th Service Sqdn. 44th Service Group, APO 487, NY Tuesday, February 13, 1945

Sadie Erwin Box 44, Enumclaw, Washington

Dear Folks, Your nice letters keep coming in and I get farther and farther behind. I really enjoy getting the clippings you send with the letters. In a news broadcast last week, they said that Bishop was leading point man for all service teams in the country. Nothing seems to slow him down. If he gets less than twenty points a night he has had a bad game. The daily and Sunday papers arrived the same day. Getting each day’s funny papers is swell. Am really glad to have them. In Elizabeth’s last letter she said that she was getting married the tenth of March. I think she is crazy and wrote and told her so. She hasn’t been going steady with anybody in the past year we have been writing. The fellow is stationed there close to Columbus and is expecting to ship out. Haven’t written to the Armstrongs. Will have to do that soon and congratulate Vivian. Was surprised to hear about Phyllis having a baby too. Everything is still going along fine. The bookkeeping course that is coming from the States hasn’t arrived yet but should soon. The weather has been wet and cold. Thought it was going to clear up but looks like rain again now. We’re trying to rush the outside games along so the tournaments will get finished. I still haven’t written to Shirlee. Don’t know whether I’ll take your advice and write or not. Just don’t have anything to say to her. She is a nice girl and I still like her but can see her after the war. Dad’s nice letter came a few days ago. I’m always glad to know how things are going on at the yard. The morning he wrote the temperature was 17° above. That is unusual weather for you there. Hope you didn’t have much of it. Having the crew cut down to fourteen men doesn’t sound good. Hope they don’t decide to make more cuts. A teacher once told me that if leadership and responsibility are given to loud, boisterous, unmannered, non-cooperative people, they turn out very satisfactory and agreeable to all. That seems to have been true in old George’s case at the shipyard. At least you say he has quit drinking. Read the news this morning and saw that Chicago won a game. Maybe it’s a start even if it is late in the season. Also that Washington State beat the University. Having a new muffler and plugs put in the car certainly cost enough. Guess it’s typical of all things these days. The high school sent me their paper. They really are looking sad as far as athletics is concerned. They have had a bad time ever since Chuck Smith left. I’m on the Red Cross recreational council. Last night we had a dinner meeting. A very nice chicken dinner. Had chocolate ice cream for dessert. It was really nice. Kenny Schweickl should like it in Gulfport, Mississippi. I have been through there several times and it looks pretty nice. It seems as though the northern boys always end up down south. It would be nice if Helen were close by so he could visit with her. He no doubt will or already has a girl there though. Klappsa was certainly fair about Pop taking the car. He won’t mind doing it again now. No, the Courier Herald doesn’t come very regular. The past few weeks quite a few have come in but have all been three and four months old. It would be better for you to send it first class. Would come as fast as the letters do then. It was nice of Bernice to write. She writes to me as often as anybody. Very nice girl. Wish you could meet her sometime. There are still four packages I know of that haven’t arrived. Hope they weren’t lost. The back porch must be nice now that it is enclosed. It should have been done for you long ago. I still don’t like them and the less to do with them the better. I still owe money that I borrowed for my furlough. Really spent way too much but had a wonderful time. I really want to try and save some and as soon as things are all cleared up, will send money home each month. Chuck’s eye is practically as good as new again. He has trouble with it once in awhile but even then it’s not bad. He is very happy that it wasn’t lost. The new Red Cross club is very handy. Usually plenty crowded too. Our Day Room is fixed up very nice though so the fellows use that too. We have a ping pong table in it and that is always in use. We took the bar out altogether. Think it was just as well. We get guard duty about every two weeks. The tour of duty is only four hours so isn’t too bad. We pull it more often than anybody else which doesn’t make us very happy. Captain Beck is still in the hospital. He is coming along fine and should be back soon. There is a possibility that he might return to the States and get a discharge. He is over age so it would be easy to do so. Believe he is forty-two. I would like to have some underwear shorts. This summer we will probably be wearing trunks very much and the G.I. issue underwear is too long. I still have a few pair that you sent earlier but won’t be enough. There might not be any available for you to purchase though. I haven’t written to Stella yet. Thank her for the swell Christmas package. Bet she thinks I’m awful. Received a nice letter from them recently. The girls must be getting real grownup. Will close for now. I’ll probably hear from you today or tomorrow. Your letters are very prompt. With love, Jim