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