Life Goes On

Ray writes home to his girl SHIRL, shortly after a major turning point in the fight in the Pacific, from stateside

Transcript

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Hello and welcome to Letters Ray to Sherl, a World War II Love Story podcast. Today we're reading August 7th, 1945, and I'd like to add a quick note, just sold the first copy of the Letters book that I have available on Amazon. Self-published. First copy that was not my copy. I still don't have my copy. So that is pretty cool. But I am a novice and I am doing this for an old friend I used to know. My grandfather and my grandmother and my dad. August seventh, nineteen forty five. Sweetheart, you must have been thinking my thoughts when you picked out my ring. You sure picked out the right one. I like it loads. I believe it looks very handsome on me. The inscription inside is swell. Thank you, darling. I love your taste and I love you. I would have written yesterday, but we were fixed flying from 0200 to 1800 and the old fatigue was king size. The inscription if you really want to know you want to know what the real rings said One of 'em said how high is the sky, one of 'em said how deep is the ocean. They are no more. Oh one of 'em might be out there. One of them is not. I don't have them. I have a photograph of one. My grandmother's. Available on my Instagram. Carrying on with the letter. We made six radar bomb runs in Phoenix. I'll let you know how many hits I got when the pictures come back. Hardy just came in and saw the ring. Quote Hardy. Hmm, Roger. Accent on the Ur Roger. Six other guys piled in. Gee whiz, they all like it. My chest is well puffed up. I'm quite bejueled, one aren't I? Ain't I? Ain't I? Is uh saying colloquialism of the time Eddie's letter came along with yours. I burst out laughing at his PS Um Eddie was uh Shirley's little brother. Ain't my spelling atrocious? He's quite a guy. He discussed the weather the air corps, give me hell for not writing, said that you were listening to Claire de Loon, slightly misspelled, and signed it very formally with Edward. His PS on the ring was what a sparkler. I expect kid stuff from him. He always confuses me by writing series and grown up letters. Read all about the atomic bomb last night. It scares the pants off me. In this war it may not mean so much. In this war it may not mean so much. But if there were ever another, human life wouldn't be worth two cents. I'd much rather go forth to meet the foe barehanded or with equal-sized clubs. Sometimes I think that the world would s will someday destroy itself. Nothing seems to be fantastic anymore except my ring size. At any rate, it's a good thing we've got the bomb. I wouldn't take many of them to wipe out New York. It wouldn't take many of them to wipe out New York or Chicago. It may be a wonderful thing, but I still don't like it. You asked me before why everyone blamed the Empire State Building crash on the pilot. No, that was a story uh you'd have to look it up in um I don't think they use microfiche anymore or wherever there's a database of old news stories. Um, or maybe Google AI has it, but there was actually uh a plane crash at the Empire State Building in the 40s. I looked it up. Uh so this is uh not him just making a comment or he's not trying to speak in any sort of terms. It's unrelated to anything else. Alright, carrying on with the letter. Um let's see where are we Major Bong being killed was the answer. They both made mistakes. Maybe they were very slight mistakes. A matter of fact, or seconds, it was a mistake because there was no way to prevent them. Bong was one of those heroes of this war. He flew missions in both theaters and had to get killed in a routine flight at home. He overshot the field and cracked up. What could be more unfair or terrible? He also was killed because of advancement of scientific warfare. I've seen those P eighties. Their landing and takeoff speed is probably as great as a B-29's maximum speed. All in all it adds up to faster and more violent ways of killing or being killed. What the hell? And he wrote four question marks after that. Bill's letter described the incident at Silner Palm. If you had to knock over a couple of tables coming out, I could have understood it. But going in, my my you must have been thirsty. He also made a few comments and stuff in general. I wrote back to him, but I disguised the letter so you wouldn't know who it was from. Clever of me, what? Here I said very much in love with you, yet I am able to say, quote, darling, you are all wet. Unquote. I guess she had some fun. Me getting tired of traveling, sure when we've spent a couple of weeks in Detroit, Philadelphia, New York, Canada, Boston, Maine, Washington, Northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Little Rock, New Orleans, St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha, Denver, Santa Fe, Stallas, El Paso, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Cheyenne, Butte, Sun Valley, Las Vegas, Reno, Salt Lake City, Yellowstone Park, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Monterey, Mexico City, Panama, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, London, Paris, Havana, Trinidad, Puerto Rico, and Sipships to Palm Beach. Then I may tire of it, but I think instead I'd like to start all over again. It isn't a matter of liking with me. Travel is in my blood. This is some of the my planning, but I would like to spend our honeymoon in Palm Beach, Havana, New Orleans, Mexico, and Southern California. I'd like to drive our own car. The whole thing would last about six months. That's my dream, and I'm going to make it come true. I don't know quite how, but you wait and see if we ever have anything else ever we're going to have that. Of course, you have everything to say about it, but I'm hoping that you feel that way too. I think you'll like the Mackkin Islands. Lots of pine trees, like swimming and horse ri horseback riding. Might as well make some more confessions. I've been trying to figure out every way you and Lou can spend your vacations out in Arizona. The Arizona Inn is a resort hotel with swimming pool, dance hall, tennis courts, tables. Looks like a Spanish mission. You'd be sixty miles from Mexico. You'd go there for a week. It would be wonderful to my thinking. But there just ain't no dough in the corporation. I tried in every angle, even beat up my brains writing for some jump for readers digest, hoping to get the $300 they pay contributors. I guess I ain't very good. I can't figure out any way, so I guess I'm licked this time. You'll like Mackinaw though. I think it's the best place considering travel and all stuff like that there. After these two weeks you'll probably need a pre-vacation to gather up strength for your vacation. Honey, so help me. You ending up in the kitchen is unavoidable. I wouldn't say bedroom, but it kind of wall would be behind the curtain on the wall. The dining room is southernmost half of the living room. That leaves only one room we could possibly have. Well after all that, doesn't the kitchen sound better than that? I knew you'd make a comment on this kitchen affair. Leave us before leave us be beave us be for having an agreement. I shall continue to love you forever, even if you never again set foot in a kitchen. This strangely enough I mean okay Chuts. You're out of the kitchen now. Your letter give me quite an inspiration for Act three, but it will take me quite a while to write it out. The general idea is the bestest yet. It shall be my masterpiece. Say, I've seen other cartoons about that same dog. They do give me a bang. Whoops, gotta go. All my love and kiss to Ray PS I'll write to Eddie tonight. Okay Second letter Prize Promised Two Letters a Week in season three read by me Ray Conan's granddaughter. August eighth, nineteen forty five. My darling, this is supposed to reach you on the tenth. I haven't been into town lately and the PX has no cards, so I'm writing this to wish you a very, very happy anniversary. It's the only three months, but it seems like years since I've seen you. At noon Friday, you close your eyes when no one is looking, I'll slip you a kiss. It's raining out there and it's thundering and lightning, but it's nice, friendly way. I'm just sitting here thinking about you and getting happy. You know what's funny? I can't remember far back enough to when it I wasn't in love with you. It seems like I always have been and I always will. Very happy anniversary, sweetheart. All my love always. That might be her work anniversary. I'm not sure what anniversary that is. Interestingly. Well, if you are interested in real people, veterans' affairs, US history, World War II history, love stories, personal accounts, and someone who has displayed source materials publicly to reach out to help make this project go. Share this podcast with someone. Link to the book in the bio.