Wartime Love Letters

Johnny (May 18 - 22, 1944)

May 18, 1944

Dearest Sweetheart

This is a short quick letter as I havent to much time to write a great deal to night. We had quite a trip here we landed in Ogu Drill hall at about 9 oclock this morning and right off the bat Ray Gorham + me found we are in the first Draft out of here. We sleep on the drill hall floor tonight and ship out to morrow and we don't know where we are going. There are several fellows from 229 but not any Forest Grove or Edmond Forest fellows. I sure do hope they don't ship us very far from home sweetheart because I had my heart set on being home with you again in 2 weeks. I do hope they ship us where we can get home for a week end. You won't be able to write me until I write you from my new station and just as soon as we arrive there I'll send you a letter so I can hear from you. In the meantime sweetheart keep your fingers crossed and pray I'm not shipped to far. I love you more than ever sweetheart. If such a thing is possible and please tell sonny I'll write him to as soon as I get to where I'm going.

A million sweet kisses sweetheart and all the love in the world. I never realized How much you could really mean to me until we have to be seperated. I do hope it will be all over so we can be to gether without a war keeping us apart.

All my love                                                                                                                                                                              Johnny

Sunday Morning   May 21, 1944

Dearest sweetheart Ella Mae + Johnny

Well sweetheart I have been shipped a long way from home as you can see by the address.

I arrived in sampson on Thursday morning and went to the drill hall. There I found out that I was on the first draft out. So was Ray Gorham and several other fellows from 229 whom I know real well. There are 4 of us that are bunk mates right to gether and there are 3 others that are only a couple of bunks away. Ray is not in our Room but he is in the same building down stairs so I see him any time. Well to get on with what went after we were examined for the first draft. We had to be ready to leave sampson at 1 oclock Thursday afternoon and we went to the draft hall with our sea bags and taged them. The tags were for Newport R.I. and after we had them on the freight car. They told us there was a mistake and to report at 8:30 P.M. so we did and got on the train thinking we were going to Newport. Later we found out we were headed to Norfolk. We rode on the train for 1 hours and then hung around a landing platform waiting for our ship to pull out for Norfolk. Its about 3 hours ride on boat. We had supper on board and was very good. Last not we got our barracks and bunk and we don't know how long we will be here we may go to school here or else go aboard ship and go out to see some where to may be shipped out of here for another place. Write me please honey at this address and if I leave the mail will follow me. I may stay here 1 day or I may be here for weeks so write anyway. I'll write you every chance I get where ever I am I sure hope I don't go to sea for a while but I may go any minute.

But nevertheless I'll do my best where ever I am. Just pray for it to soon be over so we can be to gether again for life.

I love you sweetheart so much and wished I were stationed where I could at least get home for a week end sometime but it doesn't look good now. I guess I won't be able to see Barney unless I get transferred some place closer to home.

You can get plenty of liberty passes here but what good are they when you can't get home. Theres a nice town here but I have no desire to go to it so I am not looking for any pass. There are certain areas restricted and they might get out of bounds and get panicked. Not for me.