Letters from George

Editorial note: this letter contains language reflecting the prejudices of its era; it is preserved unedited as a historical record.

Dear Marian France Aug 3

I just got a letter from you sent the twentieth of July and today is only the third of August so it got here pretty fast considering the moving around I've been doing. Don't forget to write to this new address from now on. My old outfit is coming home and since I don't have enough points I won't be with them. Instead I came to this outfit that no doubt will be here for a long while.

I have got a pretty soft job here though. I'm working in an office. I'm still in France and still in the middle of nowhere. We are in tents along a dusty highway between Reims and Laon. These cities are about forty miles apart and we're just about in the center.

I was through this part of France before but everything was different then. They had plenty of wine, champagne, and cognac, and they were so glad that the war was over for them and that their homes were still standing that they were giving us all we wanted. There were plenty of nice looking little French girls too that thought we were great.

Now after almost a year, we come back to find that the drinks they were giving us they want a fortune for and those cute little malamouselles mademoiselles? now have american indians for boy friends. Very few niggers ever got close to the front lines so that is the reason we didn't see any

of those Frenchies going with them before. Most of those girls don't even want to speak to a white soldier now and the feeling is mutual.

There are no N.C.O. shows around here or anything. The only entertainment is one movie they have in a shack. I go there every night to pass the time. Sarah probably got the idea that I was homesick because I wrote that the time was really dragging. It is just the change from bringing us back from such a wild life in Germany to this morgue in France.

They gave us a physical exam when we came here to see if we could still move around. We removed our clothes and went in to see this Doctor. I let my shoulders sag even more than they normally do and put a sad look on my face. When the Doc asked me how I felt I told him about ten things wrong with me. I came out of there happy, figuring he would list me as 4F. When my card came back to me though, he still had me listed as 1A. He must not have believed me.

I have been waiting for the points to be announced. Last night they announced that they aren't dropping the points. That means that I am stuck here for a good long time. I hope they send me back to Germany to finish this prison term because I'd go nuts if I have to spend all of this time around here.

Well Marian, I'll write again soon and I'll be seeing in about a year from now. Give my best regards to Nick and Gary.

Your brother George