Western Union Telegram
New York, New York
PS14 FT16 = New York, NY
29
MRS R A Morris
Box 163 Thatcher Arizona MRS R A Morris
Max.
These are the letters written from Corporal Max Blazzard home to his family in Duncan, Arizona from 1944 to 1945 during his service in WWII.
Monday, June 16, 2014
December 30, 1945
Max.
November 30, 1945
Camp Chicago, France
November 30, 1945
Dear Mother & all,
I had begun to wonder if we were ever going to get out of
Germany. Just as we started to leave to come down here – our orders changed at
the last minute and we were delayed for ten more days or else we would have
been on the boat now. Boy it was snowing like the devil the night we left
Nuremburg. Every time the train stopped, we would jump out and throw snow balls
at the German civilians. It wasn’t too bad coming down in those box cars this
time (40 & 8’s) cause we put stoves in them and built bunks just before we
left. Guess we would have froze if we hadn’t. Anyway it wasn’t bad coming down
and we had a lot of fun. These French would buy the shirt off your back if
you’d sell it to them. It seems funny getting back into France. We could all
speak the German language pretty well when we left and have forgotten most of
our French. We didn’t have much time to learn to speak the French when the war
was on. Come to think of it, we were in Germany a year – liking a week.
This is a big camp here – mostly all tents. It is fixed
up something like the camps back home and isn’t so bad. We have stoves and cots
in our tents. It isn’t as cold here as where we were back in German, but cold
enough. It was foggy when we came to France and that was when we left and guess
it always will be. There are big recreation buildings and theaters here and
even places to buy ice cream, candy, cakes, etc. The prices are just a might on
the high side though. The ice cream is 48 cents a dish and it is about like
sherbet but we think it is pretty good. The cakes are good too. They are
fountain cokes – 16 cents a glass and damn little ones at that. Oh well we can
stand most anything now - - even this damn guard. Guess you know how rough that
is one a cold night Dad? Well I am guard now but I wouldn’t stay out in the
cold for the general himself. I decided it was a good time to write letters. It
is after twelve now so it is December 1st. This is my last relief. I
pulled my last two hours guard in the kitchen eating pork chops with the cooks
– we are old buddies – the cooks are me. For good I think from the looks of me.
At one time just about the time the war ended I was down to 191 pounds but now
I weigh 230. Do you think Rosalie will still have me?
It isn’t certain how long we will be here yet. We are
supposed to sail sometime between the 8th and the fifteenth of
December but you can’t never tell. We won’t be home by Christmas but we are all
planning on being there by New Year’s so that won’t be so bad. I think I will
be discharged at Ft. Bliss, Texas there at El Paso. That won’t be bad. If it
isn’t there it will be at Ft. McArthur, California. We won’t be here very long
cause they usually shoot the troops out of here pretty quick.
Mama get Rosalie a Christmas present for me cause I’ll be
too late. I just wrote to her. I won’t write anymore letters to either of you
after this one. I am swearing off writing. Darn I got a shot today and my arms
is sore. Don’t think I have many more left, they have shot me for everything in
the books. Ha.
Don’t feel bad cause I’m not there for Christmas cause
I’ll be happy as you if I’m on my way. I’ll just wait and wish you all a happy
Christmas when I get there. Hope you are all well.
Love to all,Your son,
Max
November 14, 1945
November 14, 1945
Dear Mother, Dad, &
Girls,
Our moving orders came today and we are to leave Friday
and go down in France around
Reims . That isn’t too far from Paris Camp
Chicago France
This is the most beat up German typewriter that I ever
used in my life. I still haven’t got Norman France
Love to all,Your son,
Max
November 7, 1945
November 7, 1945
I guess it’s about time that I was writing a few lines
and let you know what’s going on over here. They finally called for the 69
pointers and I am on my way home. It will take quite a long time though. If
nothing happens I should be home the last of next month sometimes. We left Munich France
You might just as well stop writing or sending anything
now Mama cause it will never catch up with me. I hate to go without mail but we
can all stand it for a while. We wouldn’t get the mail if the folks at home did
write. I will keep writing a letter now and then until we get in the states.
I was planning on bringing home some shells for the rifle
Dad, but if any man is caught with any he really gets in a jam and I don’t want
to get balled up now. Maybe you can get some made for it off the shells you
have. Wish I knew how you and Norman came out on your hunt. I hope Norman
Love to all,Your son,
Max
P.S. – I haven’t got
October 31, 1945
Munich, Germany
October 31, 1945
Dear Mother, Dad, &
All:
Boy things have sure changed around here in the last
couple of days. Yesterday morning fifty-one of the old men left for home and a
bunch of new men came in to take their places. There are only me and about a
dozen of us old boys left here in the battery. Things are sure balled up around
here and nobody doesn’t know anything. It won’t be long now before the rest of
us will be going, we are next on the list to go out. It wouldn’t be bad when we
left if we would go straight down to the boat in France and sail, but when a
bunch of men leaves this outfit, they go to other outfits that are going home
and are here a couple of weeks and there a couple of weeks waiting their turn
to move into the boats. Then while they are going here and there, they have a
hundred different kinds of inspections on their equipment and clothes. There is
always a lot of red tape in the army, it doesn’t make any difference what you
are doing. That is the reason why I don’t think I will be home until after
Christmas. See, I will most likely leave this outfit to start on my way home
sometime this month but it all takes so much time. Everything has to be just
perfect before you can push right on through with your discharge. Then say,
that men going home now are out of the army and on their way home discharged
inside of three days after they land in New York.
I would like to know how your hunting is coming along now
Dad---you and Norman and if Johnson and Uncle Floyd has got out their yet. I
have got my hunting license now. Three other boys and me are going out early in
the morning to hunt until noon. I managed to get a hold of a jeep and hell we
have got it all made now. When you have a jeep, all you have to do is drive
through the woods and shoot them from the jeep and it saves a lot of walking.
Hell, the battery commander even gave me a trailer to take a long. Ha he must
of thought that I (we) were going to bag a lot of game. He knows that I have
already killed an elk and four deer though.
Today is payday, the day you can hear those dice rattle
for three blocks. This is one month that I am going to put my paycheck right
down in the bottom of my sack, and there is where it is going to stay until I
climb off that boat in New York whenever that is.
You know that shampoo that you sent me in that package a
while back? Well I have been looking at it each time I go to take a shower and
saying, “Well I’ll use that damn stuff next time I take a bath.” I waited until
nobody was in the shower room then I slipped down and used it real quick before
someone came in and seen me. The boys would have laughed their heads off if
they had of seen me using that stuff. I couldn’t let it go to waste though.
That shampoo reminds of one of the boys when we first came into the army. This
kid was from the city and had always had his way. He had brought a pair of
pajamas from home to sleep in. The boys laughed at him so damn much that he
threw them away. Ha.
Well I will sign off for this time. Hope you are all well
and that everything is alright there at home.
Love to all,Your son,
Max
October 27, 1945
Munich, Germany
October 27, 1945
Dear Mother, Dad, &
Girls;
I
had a letter from you last night and thought I would answer it while I am on
duty tonight. I have got to write to Rosalie too or she will be quitting me I
haven’t written to her in a week. I have been hunting a lot this last week and
I have been putting everything off, I have been having so much fun. The last
time I was out, I only got one deer and it was another doe. That brings my
total up to four deer and the elk. I think I will lay off hunting for a while.
I am getting kind of tired of it for the time being and we are all either tired
of the meat or else too lazy to cook it. Now that Norman is there, we will just
see who tot the most this season - - - him and ad against me. I am glad to hear
that Hazel and Norman are there and going to be there a while. I hope they are
still around there when I get home whenever that is. That was good news about
Johnny being home too. I can just imagine how happy Aunt Lillie and he must
have been when they seen each other.
Damn, I wished I had of known that
Norman wanted a luger a long time ago. I could have got good lugers a dozen
times before but I didn’t have any use for one and didn’t even think about him.
Now there as scarce as hen’s teeth. The boys that have got them are holding on
to them as if they were solid gold and are going to take them home with them,
but I will try to get him one. I won’t make any promises but I might run across
one before I come back and if I do, I will bring it to him. I can’t imagine
what use Norman has got of another pistol unless he wants to go around (keeping
up the good record of the tribe on our Father’s side) and make a little bigger
wind bag out of his self than he already has. Ha.
Here are some pictures that I have
taken around here lately. I figured that I had better take a picture of some of
the meat that I killed or else Dad would just think I was telling him a big
line of baloney. I wish I had of had my camera along with me just after I
killed some of the deer or the elk so I could have taken a picture of all of it
but maybe you will take my word on this much of it.
So you have got a tractor and are
breaking up lots there now huh Dad. Well, you should do alright doing that for
a while. Mama you better watch yourself or the first thing you know, you will
be owning that store where you work. Getting promoted - - - does that job pay any
more money than you were at?
I was down at the Zoo this afternoon
looking at the animals. I should have taken my gun down with me. There are all
kinds of deer and elk in there, not saying anything about all the ducks. All
the animals are sure in poor shape. I think they are nearly starved to death
during the war and not getting too much to eat now.
I can plainly see right now before I
write anymore letters tonight, I am going on a little raiding party down to the
kitchen. I am starving to death. Since I have been going out hunting and
getting a little exercise, I can’t get enough to eat for some reason I’m afraid
that I will eat you out of house and home when I get home. Well I am going to
stop for this time. Tell Norman and Hazel hello for me. I hope you are all well
and everything is alright at home.
Love
to all,Your son,
Max
October 24,1945
Munich, Germany
October 24, 1945
Dear Mother, & all:
I am sitting in our office as charge of quarters this
afternoon so I decided to write a little line to pass the time even though I
don’t have anything in particular to write about. I just got a letter from Mrs.
Whitaker---gad, but she writes a dry letter. I have to get a glass of water to
go with all of her letters, but I do appreciate her writing to me. She can
write a book and still say nothing.
It rained far a couple of days here but cleared up
yesterday evening. I decided to go out hunting again. I came back in this
morning. I didn’t have such good luck this time as I did before. I got two
deer, but they were both does. I brought in both of their hindquarters though
for us all to have steaks. All of the boys really go for these steaks. I didn’t
see near so many deer this time and no elk at all. I think it was because of
the rain and then it was fogy too where you couldn’t see very far. You are
going to have to do some real hunting Dad to catch up with me this season. That
makes three deer and one elk inside of a week. I guess I will continue to go
out until we all get tired of eating steaks or else I get tired of hunting. I
am going out again tomorrow evening and stay all night again and see if I can’t
have a little better luck. I am going to get me one of those big buck elks or
bust – that’s what I’m after.
There is a good deal open to men over here working in the
civil service after they have been discharged. This I the way it works. When
you are eligible for discharge (have enough points to get out) you can sign up
for this civil service for one year over here. You get your discharge and then
go home for a thirty day furlough and then back here to your job. And hell you
should see what they are paying. The lowest annual salary (this is just a rough
estimate) is over two thousand dollars a year and that job is being a chauffeur
and anybody can do that. I could get a job in the civil service over here as a
telegraph operator at about three thousand-five hundred dollars a year. That’s
over sixty dollars a week and your expenses isn’t very high either. Now tell
me, where could I make money like that there back home? This work is run on a
48 hour week basses. Of course there is always the idea of being away for
another year but a guy could sure save a lot of money in a year over here. The
pay on these jobs runs from the lowest of over two thousand to ten thousand.
All depending on what your job is. Don’t go getting excited now Mama, I am just
wanting to know what you and Dad think about it. I haven’t taken any steps toward
signing up for it or anything like that but I have been thinking it over and
wondering if I could stay over here out of God’s country for another year. Ha.
I think I will look into all of the particulars of this civil service business
though. A guy could most likely get a good job back in the states after he had
worked with the civil service here for a year. I just imagine that jobs is
going to be a little hard to get (at least a good one) in the next few years
back there.
I am looking for a letter any day saying that Johnson is
home and Norman is there and that you have all went off on a hunting trip. Well
I will close for this time. Hope you are all well and that everything is
alright there at home.
Love to all,Your son,
Max
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