Tag: letter

October 27, 1942 William Shepard to home…

On By jenbumannIn letter, letters, Shepard, UncategorizedLeave a comment

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Dear Mother & Dad:

Received the candy and we (roomates have eaten it. Thanks a million. I am just finishing guard duty and have no news. Weather is find and I’m OK. Ill close & write some more this evening.

Well I just came of the last shift of guard duty. I will be an upperclassman tomorrow and will not be subject to guard and orderly duties. They take the guard business serious in the army and especially so along the coast.

I don’t know whether you know it or not, but I have bought my offer uniforms. They will cost about $200. There are so darn many expenses going to O.C.S. It isn’t like

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being in the army as a private. We have orderly fees we pay the men who helps to hop up the hotel, and we pat about $10 a mo. laundry. Now they want us to put $25 apiece in a kitty to get class rings and throw a banquet but I don’t thin that I had better. The uniforms are really bit tailored to fit. One blouse, 4 shirts 2 pr. pants, overcoat, cap and etc. Its a good start towards an outfit.

I won’t be able to get a leave to come home. They have cut them out. I won’t get one until I have been in the army 3 mo as an officer.

I don’t know where I will be and won’t know.

If you can get gas you should come down for my graduation. It will be about Dec 5-10. Don’t bring the car unless you can get the gas because it is dry here.

Love to all, Ill write later, your son
Bill

October 12, 1942 William Shepard to home…

On By jenbumannIn Shepard, UncategorizedLeave a comment

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October 12, 1942

Dear Mother and Father,

I am 1/4 through now. I hope that I get all the way through. They are washing out men right and left here. 20% fail. Ill tell you next week what my average is, as they  give us a point average this saturday. The weather is fine. I dont know anything new, so write me and tell me about home. Id sure give anything to be back there, that is anything except peace of mind and my conscience which wouldnt let me stay home when I have a job to do. I would like to see Kenny & Lois and you, my parents but I guess I’ll have to wait, and if Im lucky I will get home Christmas. If I make it I should be commissioned about December 5-10. We have real

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patrol duties here and carry loaded rifles an pistols. I drew it last wednesday night and I suppose that I’ll get it again this week end.

Ill write later so until then

Love
Bill

October 3, 1942 William Shepard to home…

On By jenbumannIn letter, letters, Shepard, UncategorizedLeave a comment

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October 3, 1942

Dear Mom and Dad:

Everything is O.K. The weather is fine. The school is the best I know of. We are very busy but Ill try to drop a line once in a while. Here is my address in case you want to know.

O/C Shepard, WA
Squadron 11 Group B
A.A.F.O.C.S.
Miami Beach, Florida
C/O South Seas Hotel

We don’t get out o the hotel only about once a week, then just for an hour or so. Dont come down

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to see me because I wont be able to get out at all and we are allowed no visitors. Ill try to get home for Xmas as I should be commissioned on or near the 15th of December. I will probably go on to school from there.

How is everyone at home? Hope O.K. Tell Ruth and Herman the news as I dont have time to write anyone really.

Goodby
Your son
Bill

September 15, 1942 William Shepard to home…

On By jenbumannIn letter, letters, Shepard, UncategorizedLeave a comment

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September 15, 1942

Dear Mom & Pop:

Im off to Miami. I expect to get there the 18th or 19th of Sept. Should get my commission by Jan 1. Ill probably go for flight training after I finish there.

Hope that your cabin is taking shape. Ill bet that you are having a swell time. Catch a lot of fish.

I don’t have much time so Ill have to close. I’ve just been rated a corporal so thats some extra pay.

I wrote you several letters but  they came back because I don’t get free mailing privileges in Canada.

Ill write later

Your son
Bill

July 13, 1942 William Shepard to home

On By jenbumannIn letter, letters, Shepard, UncategorizedLeave a comment

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July 13, 1942

Dear Pop & Mom,

Just received your package & thanks a million. In answer to your letter. I wont be flying, or studying either for a while. I wont be flying at all. as it looks now.

Ill probably be a ground officer. Lois will be coming down here to live in 2 or 3 mo. She is working at Rikes in Dayton. We are going to stick all our money in a sock so she can come down as soon as she can. after she gets here the $62 goverment and the Bell Co. checks will keep her till Im commissioned & then Ill get around $250 a mo. Im going to try to stay here on training personnel.

They need a lot of men on that anyhow. I like it fine and am having basic military drill & other work. Ill probably teach it for a month or so starting in about 3 or 4 weeks, then go to Officers Candidate

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School in either Miama, St. Petersburg or Fort Benning.

How is everyone? tell them all hello. & tell Carl if he gets in the air corps to do a few things & he’ll get ahead

  1. Keep his mouth shut
  2. Keep his ass out of head quarters
  3. Do what they tell him

You have to do them all to.

Well Love to all and write

Bill

July 11, 1942 William Shepard to home

On By jenbumannIn letter, letters, Shepard, UncategorizedLeave a comment

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July 11, 1942

Dear Mother and Dad;
First time that I have had time to write for a long time. Please send me the following if you haven’t already,

  1. all if any of my white underwear
  2. 3 pr. new work sox, also my sweat sox.
  3. handkerchiefs
  4. house slippers
  5. Picture of the family and one of Kenny

Well thanks for the bother, I suppose I’ll get the swimming suit today, but the mail is a little bit erratic.
We have been drilling just about all the time and its getting hotter here. I think Ill go swimming tomorrow and cool off. Tell Charlie & Lydia I have 3 pals from Marion Theodore Ochs, Underwood and Burr. they are O.K. I also know quite a few fellows from Dayton.
Tell me about home when you write again & say hello to Dad and if he dont read this.
Ill have some time later if you come down. Aug 1 will probably be a busy time for me but I can get a few evenings off. Well Ill close now. Tell Ruth & Herm hello

Your son
Bill

 

A new thing

On By jenbumannIn letter, letters, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Because I want to keep things lively on my blog I have decided to enhance my blog posts with letters. So starting today I am going to be transcribing old family letters. I will post only one at a time. Some might be boring, some cute, some short, some long. Either way I thought it would be a fun way to add interest to the old blog. This will generally be in addition to my regular weekly posts, or occasionally the post for the week. Although I think if there is a dearth of family gossip to post about I will share several letters in a given week.

I am going to start this week off with Dick and Dad’s letters. The earliest ones we have are those that my grandfather wrote in the early 1940s just after he had signed up in the military and was finishing up his school.

This particular letter has no exact date, it it believed to have been written in about 1942.

Corrections from readers are always welcome. Also I will be transcribing the letters as read –  including no punctuation, comma’s etc, as best as I am able; sometime habit makes it hard to deliberately make mistakes.

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Pvt. William A. Shepard
Flight 404D
592 S. S.
Keesler Field, Miss.

Hello Mom,

Cant telephone here right now so Ill write if Lois is at home around there somewhere get in touch with her & tell here where I am. I am writing her at Dayton. You can see where I am & what I am in by the address. Ill write and tell you next wk whether Ill be flying bombing or in the ground crew. I sure was a surprise to me because I thought I would be in the signal corps but here I am in the air corps. Right on the gulf of mexico by Biloxi, Miss. Time is short so you spread the word around for me I have to go to bed. Write you Sunday. This is Friday.

Your son
Bill