Aunt Mary’s Christmas Fruitcake Arrives in Time for the Holidays

February 29, 2012 Leave a Comment

When I was growing up, I always looked forwarded to receiving my great-Aunt Mary's Christmas fruitcake. I have no patience for people who don't like fruitcake — because they haven't had my Aunt Mary's. I still miss it. It was moist and delicious. It looked something like this, but it had nuts in it too. Reading this letter feels like creating another connection to the past with my Uncle Babe, because I didn't know that Aunt Mary had sent him fruitcake too.

Dated Nov. 28, 1943; postmarked Dec. 17. I had my letters out of order, so this is transcribed out of sequence.

Dear Folks,

I am well, happy and safe and I hope you all are the same.

I received a letter from Bib today and he mentioned something about me asking for you to send me some reading material. Well, if you get this before you receive the air mail letter in which I asked for a package, or before you mail the package and only then, send me some interesting books of any sort.

Don’t make a special package of it because it takes too long to get here.

I also received a package today from Aunt Mary. It contained a fruitcake or some kind of cake and toll house cookies. That finishes things. I don’t care if I never get another package now.

That’s all folks.

Love and kisses,

Frankie

PDF: Aunt Mary’s Christmas Fruitcake Arrives in Time for the Holidays

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A Letter Addressed Directly to His Baby Sister for the First Time

February 28, 2012 Leave a Comment

Dated Nov. 29, 1943; postmarked Dec. 18. This one is addressed to Babe’s baby sister Rosemarie. It is also noteworthy because it is the first time I’ve seen him sign off as anything but “Babe.”

Dear Rosemarie,

When are you going to send me that picture you promised for so long? Tell mom and pop that I want a picture of everybody, too, and I want one from Vince. I would write to Vince myself, but I got a V-mail from him a couple of days ago telling me not to write because he was being moved to Colgate. I hope he stays there for a couple of years yet.

I hope you get the Christmas card I sent to you all. It’s not beautiful to look at, but the sentiment is there anyway.

I’ll close now, Rosemarie, so take good care of yourself.

Love & Kisses,

Frankie

PDF: A Letter Addressed Directly to His Baby Sister for the First Time

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The Day After Thanksgiving, Happy for the Feast He Enjoyed

February 27, 2012 Leave a Comment

Not Babe's Thanksgiving in 1943, but an edition of 'The New Yorker' published the day after this letter.

Dated Nov. 26, 1943; apparently in the same envelope as the previous letter, postmarked Dec. 31.

Dear Folks,

I am well, happy and safe and I hope you all are the same.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day and I’ll bet I had just as much to eat as you all did. I had turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, olives, cake, peas, dressing, bread, jam and coffee. That meal was so tempting I just had to go back for seconds. That was one of the best meals I’ve had since I’ve been in the army.

For a change, it didn’t rain today so everyone took the golden opportunity to wash clothes and take a bath. Very refreshing indeed.

As an after-thought, you can put a pipe in that package I mentioned previously. You can send the last pipe I bought and its accessories, if it is still around.

That’s all for now, folks.

Love & Kisses,

Babe

PDF: The Day After Thanksgiving, Happy for the Feast He Enjoyed

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‘All That Was Left of the Place Was a Huge Pile of Stone and Debris’

February 26, 2012 Leave a Comment

Location of Eboli, Italy

Dated Nov. 24, 1943; apparently combined with another letter in an envelope postmarked Dec. 31.

Dear Folks,

I am well, happy and safe and I hope you all are the same.

I received four letters today, two from you all and one from Vince and one from Gene.

In one of your letters you said my cousins lived in Eboli. I rode all through that town about a month and a half ago. All that was left of the place was a huge pile of stone and debris, but the people were living there anyway. If I had known then that they lived there, I undoubtedly would have seen them. However, I might drop down that way in the future sometime and see them.

Send some air mail envelopes with the paper I asked for previously.

Love & Kisses,

Babe

PDF: ‘All that was left of the place was a huge pile of stone and debris’

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‘I’ll Bet Italy Is a Nice Place When It Doesn’t Rain’

February 25, 2012 Leave a Comment

Dated Nov. 23, 1943; postmarked Dec. 2.

Dear Folks,

I am well, happy and safe and I hope you all are the same.

I received two packages today, one from you and one from Aunt Mary. I don’t know what made you put the olives in, but they sure do taste good. As a matter of fact, I was hoping you’d put one can in every package. Those caramels are good, too, and I like the way you are keeping me supplied with cigarettes and gum. Aunt Mary’s package had the hard sausage and caramels and candy bars and gum in it. That was treat, too.

I’ll bet Italy is a nice place when it doesn’t rain. Right now, we are slopping around in mud up to our knees. It’s that thick, gooey, slushy stuff that you pick up more of every time you take a step. All we do here all day long is building fires to dry the mud off of our feet. The reason it takes all day to dry our feet is because we have to plow through the stuff continually to get enough wood to keep the fire going. Then again, it’s a long, muddy walk to the kitchen from here. Read more of this post

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