Tag: william

March 3, 1943 Lizzie to Dick and Dad

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Casa Traude Arizona
3-4-1943

Dearest Dick: will write you I get so home sick to hear from you and see you.

How are all of your family and where is your boy that is in the Army My Bob is in Algeras Africa I have had two letters from him he was shipped across the 3 of October all the rest of the children are OK. accept Joe and he is still sick but a lot worse than he was when you and Jess were here.

How is Jess I am going to write her.

I am sending you a picture of Pats two children and  Bonnies baby and one of Jeanne she is almost grown the picture of Jeanne isnt very good but you can tell what she looks like anyway I will put a cross on[?] Bonnies babys picture and the other two are Pats babys.

Dick I sure wish you could

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come to see us. This old war has made things hard for us and I think it is going to be a lot harder before it is over.

I am sure having a tuff time and Joe sick so I cant work. I have give up all hopes of him ever being wll so I just have to make the best of it.

Donna & family are in Clifton Ariz her husband is on the defence work they have rented their home in Phoenix and bought them n a 27 foot trailor house to live in they come home real often and I am so glad we get so lonesome.

Well I must close I have to go to the store I do hope you will ans? I love you with all my heart send us a picture of your self iff you have one to spare bye bye with love Lizzi.

NOTE: I am not sure who Lizzi is in relation to Dick and Dad. Relation, friend. She is not a sibling to Dick because Dick had no sister named Lizzi or Elizabeth, only a Lydia. (Lydia was married to a Charles William; they had a son Charles jr. and possibly a daughter. It also appears that they always lived in Ohio. So…not Lydia).

ALSO NOTE: My old man insists on getting credit for noticing that Casa Traude is probably Casa Grande. I never said it wasn’t : ). I write what I see.

March 20, 1943 William Shepard to parents…

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Pendleton Field Ore.
March 20, 1943

Dear Mother & Dad

Forgive the lack of letters, but Ive been very busy. Working 18 to 20 hours a day the last week. Lois didnt get many letters & she telegrammed as you did. Dont worry, I just didnt have time. I have a fleet of about 100 trucks & fighting vehicles with 130 men to take care of. I have my own garage to keep the trucks & reconnasaince cars & jeeps up. We service & check them every 1000 miles. There isnt any other officer in my section to help me, so I have quite a job keeping everything going. In addition I also keep a fleet of dump trucks on a construction job. I have enough work to keep five men busy.

How is everything at home? I’d like for the war to be over so I could come back & relax. The next best thing is for home to come to me. Im looking forward to you & Lois coming out to see me. We can find a place to live even tho it is high rent. You can have a nice visit while you stay because this country is beautiful.

How are you Dad? Put in a word or two in the next letter. Ill close to work

Your son
Bill

February 27, 1943 William Shepard to home…

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Pendleton Field, Ore.
February 27, 1943,

Dear Mother, Father, Herm & Ruth
[Translation – Dear Rachel, William, Herman[brother], Ruth[sister-in-law]]

At last I have time to write. Everything is going along alright as it can go. I am learning an entirely new job. I have studied for everything except transportation. I have a swell bunch of men to work with. About 125 of them. $500,000 to $750,000 worth of equipment. I have charge of the repair and dispatching of all the vehicles and the record keeping, many of my men are non-commissioned officers who have at least 2 years service. Im in a good outfit.

My box arrived, thank gosh. Ill send you some pictures of me in my field equipment soon. You know the pack an’ everything. I was issued a pack, bedroll & a lot of equipment. Sure is good stuff. I think I’ll bring it home with me if I can.

On some of my trucks & jeeps I have 30 calibre  & 50 calibre machine guns. They sure are “honeys”. Ill bet they could puncture a jap[nice language gramps!] to suit anones[anyone’s?] taste.

The weather has cleared up here. When I first came here is was foggy all day, but now

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It is clear.

The other day I had a car break down way up in the “Rockies”. I sent  a wrecker crew up and decided to drive up myself. It was a beautiful drive. 2 ft snow on the mountains and what scenery. It is beautiful out here.

Lois will be coming out in a few weeks, as soon as I can find a place. Homes are hard to find and rent is high, but I want her to come out and she want to.

Say mom how about getting the insurance straightened out for me & write & tell me how it is. I want to pay it myself and would prefer to pay the General office wherever it is. Fix it so I can pay it up quarterly, and send me the data.

Well I’ll close wishing I could see you all.

Yours
Bill

February 24, 1943 William Shepard to home

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Pendelton Field
February 24, 1943

Dear Mom,

Enclosed is my income tax return and the $4.00 I owe on it. Please take it or send it immediately to the place you took or sent Dads. This is important because it must be in.

Everything is O.K. except that Im busy. The country here is beautiful. I know you all would like it.

I am a transportation officer. The only job I never thought of. I have 80 trucks and about 50 different trailers to supervise. I handle the maintenance ships and dispatching with a force of 90 men. This field isnt so large, only about 2000 men. Ill have to close now and get to work. Write & give my love to everyone. Dont forget to send the tax return in right away

Love
Bill

January 31, 1943 William Shepard to home…

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January 31, 1943

Dear Mother & Father:

How do you like our daughter? I bet that she is as homely as K.W. was at first. Ill have a family when I get home.

Dont you know that you civilians have a hard time of it? I have been wondering how you get along without gas, coffee, sugar and many other things. We have it pretty easy in the army. All the T bones & coffee we want. Funny thing that we dont take advantage of it. Nearly everyone drinks milk and goes easy on meat

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and sugar.

Dont worry about me looking thin. I weigh about 184# now and seem to be gaining. I have many friends and keep busy.

Say, Lois mentioned something about a package, and I havent received one since Xmas. What was it all about?

Please dont worry about me. Im healthy and happy. If my unit goes overseas Ill be glad to go with it and I wouldnt want you to want me to stay here in a swivel chair. I want to go where I can do some good so I can help end this war.

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Im not in a dangerous job and its a good place to be. Please dont worry about me. If you want to worry think about the children and mothers of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Greece, France, Norway & Russia. Some never had a chance. If I can help, in my own little way to keep the horrors of war away from my own loved ones I am going to jump at the chance.

I didnt enlist because I thought I would be drafted, it was a convenient excuse. I enlisted because I was afraid of what could happen.

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You wouldnt want me to be a slacker would you? I see too many men who pull strings to get to stay here. Thats enough though. You understand, Im sure.

I will try to write more often now that my schooling is about over. I finish here Thursday. If I can get a plane home Ill fly, but If I cant, it isnt any use trying to get home on 7 days leave.

Give my love to all
Your son
Bill

January 27, 1943 William Shepard to home…

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Finally the letter we have all been waiting for, mom’s birth.

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January 287, 1943

Dear Mother,

I received your telegram this noon. Im relieved and happy. We have quite a family now don’t we? You & Lois & K. W. and Susan can come out the last of Feb. if everything goes OK.

Im trying to get to come home but I may not make it.

Mom Im sending ten dollars home and I want you to go to a flourist and arrange to have him deliver Lois a few flowers each day she is in the hospital.

Send only a few, but get real

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good ones. If you can get an orchid each day. (If they don’t cost too much) If you cant, get a few roses 1/2 doz or like) use your own taste, but get something good and have them sent each day. Im enclosing some of my cards to have put in with them. See to this right away please mother.

Im real busy so Ill have to close. I appreciate all you’re doing mom and you know it.

Ill send Lois some money the first of the month.

Let me know about everything

Your son
Bill

January 22, 1943 William Shepard to home…

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January 22, 1943

Dear Dad:

I was happy to hear from you. I hear from Lois all the time but she dont tell me much about herself.

I bet Kenny is a circus. I would like to see him. How much does he weigh now?

The weather here is bad. We had a blizzard the other night that blew over a hundred homes down in Sacramento. Its raining now, as it has been for a few day.

I don’ know for sure whether or not I will be home. To many things can happen to definitely say one way or the

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other.

One more week to go, then Ill have another school behind me. This school is one Herman would have enjoyed. We have been tearing airplanes & engines apart and putting them together again. We wont have to do it as officers, but we will know how it should be done, and can better supervise it.

How is the house & farm? How are the Fritschis, Boltons and Fishers? I offer wonder about the folks at home. It seems like a long time ago since I was home. Dont work to  add Dad. Ill see you soon

Your son
Bill

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…

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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