July 8, 1945

Egling, Germany

July 8, 1945

Dear Mother, Dad, & Girls:

            I got a good long letter from Rosalie tonight and she told me so many new things that has happened around there. Nearly all of the kids from around there are married and turning out kids like rabbits. In every letter I get from her, someone else has been married. She said that Bertie has a baby boy now. Naomi and Harold are going to get married in August too. I guess you have already heard about Eddie Whipple being hurt. You said something about his ship being hit by a bomb or something. Well, he was hurt in the explosion—his eyes were what was hurt.

            I was out hunting again today and again this evening but didn’t have any luck. We didn’t even see one. Another kid and I got one of the prettiest little bucks the other night that I have seen over here. He had six points and was sure fat. We have a little room of our own here in this Inn, that is four of us, and every night we have to have something to eat when we all get in from whatever we are doing. We usually have deer to fry but when we don’t have any we get some potatoes or eggs. This isn’t a bad place to have to stay in but it gets tiresome doing the same things over and over all the time. We are losing a lot of our men in the morning. They are leaving for the Pacific. They just couldn’t stand for this kind of doins that we have around here and all the chicken so they volunteered to go down there. We sure hate to see some of them go cause we have all been together for so long and came through this war alright and will most likely never meet up with them when we all get back home. One man left for home this morning too. He was one of the men that had enough points. He was married and had two or three kids so we were all glad to see him get to go although we will all miss him. When any of the boys leave, it is just like losing part of the family, I guess you know hot it is Dad.

            Mama I want you to have another set of prints made of the last pictures that I have just sent home, the ones of the concentration and of the plane. I won’t have the negatives to send home for at least a month, so see if you can have a set of prints made of the pictures that I sent and then you can send them on up to Rosalie. I let one of the other boys borrow the negatives to have himself a set made and it will be sometime before I get them back.

            Here a while back I wrote to Mrs. Whitaker and was telling her about Rosalie and her job there at the office and I said that she was getting gray hair trying to run it like it should be. Well the old lady was in Duncan one day with Charlie and she said that she just had to go in and see how Rosalie was and what she was like cause she hadn’t ever see her before and I always talk so much about her. Well she says--- “Max, you was wrong about your girl, she hasn’t got a gray hair in her head and is just as pretty as ever so she says don’t worry about her anymore.” The dear old soul was serious about the whole thing too.

            Well how is the house coming along now Dad? I would like to see it now and give it my inspection. I will be glad when I find out what whether or not you got your rifle that I sent, but I guess it will take a long time to get there if it does. It is really a dandy gun if you can just get the shells for it. I hope you are all well and everything alright. I have got to stop and get a letter wrote to Rosalie it is nearly twelve o’clock. I am just lucky that I’m not on guard tonight or I wouldn’t be up this late.

Love to all,
Your son,
Max