Tag: Shepard

January 19, 1943 William Shepard to home…

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January 19, 1943

Dear Mother:

I received your letter and the form. It is filled out like you designated. Thanks a lot mother, as I want to get all my insurance and affairs settled before I leave the country.

School is about over for me, and now Ill be getting down to business, which is keeping the planes flying and administration of a group.

Ill probably be in Pendleton Oregon in a few weeks barring any unusual event. I would love to come home, and If I can I will.

 

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My time is kind of short tonite so Ill close. Tell Pop hello for me and you two keep good care of yourself. I heard a few things that Ill pass on:

  1. Rationing will really hit in a few months
  2. “A” cards will be cut to 6 gal a month.
  3. “B & C” cards will also be cut, but how much I dont know.
  4. Foods will get hard to find especially meats etc.

If you can sell the place perhaps you should. Say Ill have to pay income tax, teh! teh![laugh?]

I made about $1500 last year in spite of being in the army. Well so long mother & remember I remember you all.

Your son
Bill

1942[?] William Shepard to Home…

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

I am posting two letters today that do not have dates on them. They both appear to be most likely from earlier in 1942, when my grandfather just started his military training. I figured I would finish up the 1942 letters to Dick and Dad before continuing with those from 1943. Interestingly, my grandmother was pregnant with my mother during all this time gramps was writing these letters to home during his military training, and not once is the pregnancy mentioned in his letters.

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[1942?]
Pvt. William A. Shepard
Flight 404 T.S.S. 592
Keesler Field, Miss.

Hi Mom

Received your letter yesterday. If you havent already done it send my bathing suit and strap. If you are thinking about coming down wait for 4 weeks and Ill be through my basic training, then I can get a pass. Be sure to bring Lois and let me know beforehand. After 3 mo. here I go to either St. Petersburg or Ft. Benning Ga. I am going to have Lois come down in a month or when ever you can come down. She can live here easily on $10 to $12 a week. Had drill and shots in the arm lately. Say if you can get a shoe shine kit send one down as I cant find any here. I told Lois to sell the car if she wants to. I think it would be best. I won’t be doing any flying here thank gosh. Well Ill close now and send this. I may try to call up Sun. If so you will bet the call before the letter.

Your son
Bill

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[1942?]

S.O.D.  A.A.F.C.C.
San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center
San Antonio, Texas

Dear Mother,

Looks as if your son could be a ground officer, not a flyer. And I expect to be gone before long. It was a good thing that I came home. It was swell. Here is $75. Ill send the rest at the first of the month. I could send it now, but I want to hold it in reserve. Swell weather here. Having good time

Your son
Bill

January 2, 1943 William Shepard to home

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Jan. 2-1943

Dear Mom,

I liked my presents and thanks a lot. Hope you all had a happy Christmas.

I think that you folks back home have been falling down on the job, all of you. Dad hasn’t been feeling well for quite a while and why in the —- do you all let him work like a horse. I know the answer, because you cant stop him, but you have to now. The way it sounds in letters, is that dad is getting worse, so please take care of him, take him to a doctor or clinic and if he needs a rest, make him take it.

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I know how hard it is to make him do anything, but we all love him and dont want to see anything happen to him.

I am going to get flying if I can because it isn’t any more dangerous than what Ill be doing anyhow.

I know all about the insurance mother. You was swell to take it out for me because I couldnt afford it then. I appreciate it and I cant tell you how much. If I shouldn’t come back Lois & KW will need all of it, but Ill be back and I hope soon.

Everything is fine here.

Ill write again soon.

Love from
Bill

December 26, 1942 William Shepard to home…

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letter_shepardw_to_shepardwr_1942_12_26_p01[1942]
December 26

Dear Family:

Thanks for the christmas. I went down to Stockton and spent the day. I opened my packages there.

The ring is swell. I like and can use everything that was sent.

I arrived in Stockton about 1:00 PM and stayed until 7:30 PM. Uncle Bert has a nice home, family and business. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Stub came home and we went around to all their friends. I met a lot of peopled they looked alright to me.

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I hope that everyone had a good christmas at home. I was able to get your present Lois and will send it right away. I had it ordered through the PX and it was about 30% off on price.

Ill close now to go to class Goodbye all.

Bill

December 20, 1942 William Shepard to home…

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Dec. 20, 1942.

Dear Mother & Father,

Ive never been away from home on Xmas, until now. Yet you have my best there, Kenny and Lois. Please try and make them happy without me this Christmas. It makes me feel pretty bad to think Im not there but Id feel worse if I wasn’t in the Army.

You have been wonderful parents to me and I know it. I was so relieved and happy when Lois wrote & said that she was at home. I want you to want her to stay there until you & she can come out. Don’t come alone Mother, bring Lois with you.

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I will probably be at H B Hatch’s on Xmas. They invited me down, so I won’t be alone.

Have a merry Xmas with a lot of love from

Your son
Bill

December 17, 1942 William Shepard to home…

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12-17-42

Dear Mom:

In order to put my personal affairs in order I want you to do this for me.

  1. Get all my insurance policies out and send me the following details for each policy
    1. Name of Company
    2. Number of Policy
    3. Amount of Policy
    4. War clauses if any in policy
    5. Double indemnity or not
    6. Who is designated as beneficiary?

It would clear matters up if you could & would transfer the policies to me. Then I could arrange for the government to pay the premiums for me. Lois could then be assured of getting prompt payment. As it is matters will be mixed up.

Louis should be my first beneficiary
Kenny ” ” ” second ”

They are my family mother, and as I cant get any more insilian[?] life insurance I want them

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to be my direct beneficiaries. I have money enough and am capable of taking care of it now. The government arranges for premium payment.

I want to arrange all my personal affairs so that If I am killed there won’t be any delay or trouble in settling my estate. This is war and there is a chance of me not coming back so I would thank you forever if you could arrange for this.

Write me right away because I have to have all my personal affairs cleaned up in as soon a time as I can. It is one thing that the US demands of all officers.

Everything is fine here Im getting along swell. The weather is foggy now but It’s still better than Miami Beach. Tell everyone hello for me. Ill be seeing you.

Your son
Bill

December 17, 1942 William Shepard to home…

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12/17/42

Dear Mom and Pop:

Excuse the paper. Ill try to clear up everything. I was commissioned 12-9-42 and started for California the same day.

We traveled by pullman, cost me $110.75 for the trip. As an officer you get travel pay, so that will compensate for it.

Arrived here in Sacramento 12-14 or 15-42 Traveled thru Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

After I arrived here I found that I had been selected to attend the Army Engineer School here (providing I can pass the entrance exams.) I had to talk my way into it. My classmates are all graduate engineers, one a metalurgist, another an aeronautical engineer.

There are 15 men selected every 3 months I believe. The classes are very small and you really get the works.

Classes are about 15 hours a day , 6 days a week 5 hours in airplane mechanic work course per day 5 hours in aeronautical engineering per day 5 hours administrative engineering per day, full schedule isnt it?

It is a wonderful opportunity and I dont see how I ever made it. I must be good and dont realize it. Seriously, I am tickled to death.

It means that the government is giving me an education, then will put me in a real job.

I will get a field or maybe two fields to supervise the engineering work. I probably will be made an assistant engineering officer until I get the hang of it.

Tell Herman I will have to be a “Baird” it is an office job but I think that Ill like it.

The quarters here are swell. Officers have the best of everything. I had to bring some more clothes here.

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Well I dont have much more so Ill close be sure to write me. Send all correspondence to

Lt. William A. Shepard Jr.
Engineering and Supply Officers Training School
McCelland Field, California

Keep the home fires burning. Love to all

Your son
Bill

P.S. I graduated 441 in the class of 3620 at OTS in Miami Beach.

Please don’t tell anyone outside the family anything about the school ??st[Just?] that I am going there.

December 8, 1942 William Shepard to home…

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

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12-8-42

Dear Mom & Pop

You wont get any letters for a while so this is the last, probably before Xmas.

Graduation tomorrow, then I get shipped to my new post. I meant it when I said to ship all my Xmas packages to Lois’ Uncle Berts. Ill be within a stone-throw of his place.

If you mail them there, all in one big ^or small box. I can pick them up.

Everything is fine here, the weather is beautiful. I am taking a sun bath while writing this.

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I dont suppose Lois will be able to come out until after a start in life, then perhaps you & her can come out. I can have a home ready by then.

I sent all my old army clothes home. Pack them away where the moths wont get them.

Ill tell you that I have a swell job in the army, I got an assignment that will probably keep me from active fighting duty. I will be pretty far back of the lines, so Lois can stop worrying.

Tell everyone hello & I love you all.

Your Son
Lt. Bill

November 12, 1942 William Shepard to home…

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11/12/42

Dear Mom

Same old story here. everything is going OK so far, but keep you fingers crossed.

If and when I graduate,
It will be Dec 9.

Some facts:
You can not come to the hotel I. stay in because of military laws. contact me by calling the South Seas Hotel and they will get me.

I cannot get to to see anyone only on Saturday from 3:00 to 3:00 Sunday. Hope you are well. Give my love to all, no more time to write

Bye
Bill

October 27, 1942 William Shepard to home…

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

4075650123_8cfb82abdd_o10/27/42

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