Letters from George

Belgium Jan. 23, 1945

Dear Marian

The other day I received two letters from you and your Christmas card. That day I got about fourteen letters, two packages and some Christmas cards. All of my mail seemed to come in at once, what a day. I got that Christmas tree card to that day. That was all right. All of the fellows in our squad looked at it and thought that it was really clever.

I'm sorry about not writing more than I have been. I feel like a heel when I get letters saying I have not heard from you for a month. I know that you worry when you don't hear from me for a long while. It's not that I'm just too lazy to write. I can't explain it to you but lately I've been in some tight places where I couldn't write. As soon as we get a short rest I get cleaned up and write but we haven't been getting hardly any time off at all.

The last time I wrote to you I think was right after Christmas. It probably sounded more like a sob story than a letter. At that time I wasn't in such a good mood because I was on a lonely guard? post and eating canned rations. We didn't get our Christmas turkey until after New Years.

The day before Christmas I got two packages. One was a fruit cake from John's wife and the other was the package from Alice and Ruth? and [?]

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that little surprise. Maybe that didn't come in handy. We were living in a forest and it was cold as hell.

Tommy Coleman saw me over here but I never saw him. We were working at a place where he is stationed for quite a while. He saw me a couple of times but wasn't sure it was me so he didn't stop me. After we moved out he asked a fellow from my outfit about me but it was too late then so he left his address for me.

I am all stacked up on cigarettes now. I got most of them from you sisters at Christmas. They were really appreciated. For a while we couldn't get any at all but now even the Army is giving them to us regular. At one time there was only one fellow out of fourteen of us that had a pack of cigarettes. We all got a couple of drags out of each cigarette he lit. They caught a couple of soldiers in Paris that were in the black market selling butts that were supposed to come to us. That is probably the main reason we weren't getting any. You won't have to send me any more because I'll have enough for the duration.

(I wish you would send me some of those cookies that Mick's mother made.) Before I took a long while for them to get here but they were still in swell shape. I don't believe they aged at all, you know how much I like them.

That cartoon you sent about sad sacks getting a V-mail? was good. That is just about true too. I don't exactly hate them [but it's] better than no

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mail at all but we call them de-hydrated letters. We eat de-hydrated potatoes, milk, and eggs.

You asked me about Normandy. Well I was all through there. I believe I saw just about every city and town in Normandy. Most of it was on foot too so I know that place just like I know the towns near home.

Well Marian, this is about all I can think of so I'll close now. Write as often as you can. I'll write as often as I can but I don't promise that it will be very often.

Best of Luck to You, Mick and Gay.

Your brother George