Dog Tags & Paper Hearts
Letters sent from my grandfather to my grandmother during his time in the service (1944-1945), with cultural and historical context.
Dog Tags & Paper Hearts
Voices
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Who knew there'd be a part two???? Something a little different this time. Hope you enjoy.
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We're gonna have a lot of fun tonight, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00Welcome to Dog Tags and Paper Hearts, the chronicle of my grandfather's letters home during his time in the service. I'm your host, Don Frega, and in each episode we'll travel back to a time when swing bands ruled the airwaves, ration books shaped the dinner table, and handwritten letters carried love across oceans. Join me as we uncover the stories, sounds, and surprises of an era defined by courage, change, and a touch of romance. From the battlefront to the home front. On today's episode, The Waves, Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life, the $64 Question, Reet Pleat, and a Tree Grows in Brooklyn. So pull up a chair, snuggle up with your Chihuahua, and let's rewind the clock together. Because the 1940s weren't just about war and worry. They were about hope, humor, and heart. This is Dog Tags and Paper Hearts. I've mentioned before that I have not read these letters prior to reading them for this podcast. Well, it turns out that Johnny wrote this current letter as part two to last week's letter. So this one was also written on February 22nd, 1945. This time, instead of bringing you the day's news, I've got something a little different. I found some audio recordings of soldiers' messages home from 1943 and 1944. These audio letters home, recorded directly onto physical records, are fascinating relics of wartime personal history. They were the 1940s equivalent of leaving a voice message for your loved ones. Servicemen would go directly into a recording booth, often at a USO facility, military installation, or a commercial recording studio, and speak into a microphone. Their message was recorded directly onto a small phonograph disc, which was then packaged and mailed to family members. The recordings were generally only a couple minutes long, and the records themselves don't resemble the vinyl of today. These were lacquer-coated cardboard or similar lightweight discs, and these were specifically designed to be mailed. All the recipient needed was a standard record player to hear their loved one's voice. An interesting side note here, the recording studio was often a piece of technology that was fairly widespread at the time, a contraption called the voicograph. This self-contained recording studio was a tiny booth, roughly the size of a small closet. I provided a picture on the dog tags in Paperheart's Instagram feed. Keep in mind, for someone in 1944, hearing a distant loved one's voice was a much bigger deal than it is today. Telephone calls were expensive, technically difficult over long distances, and not something a soldier could casually make whenever he wanted. Overseas telephone communications were particularly limited. Consequently, mail was the emotional lifeline of military service. The Smithsonian notes that soldiers often regarded mail as an essential connection with life at home. The audio record added a dimension not found in letters. These recordings allowed you to hear a voice you may not have heard in months. You heard your loved ones breathing, his laughter, his quirks of pacing, and that could be enormously powerful. Keep in mind, too, that these were being recorded directly onto disc, so you really couldn't go back and edit them. So, for today's episode, I am excited to bring you three of those recordings. First up is Corporal Mitchell Blacharsky, a medic stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington at the time. This one is interesting for its on-the-fly nature. It doesn't sound like Blacharsky planned what he was going to say, and the recording captures his style of speech, which just doesn't come through in a letter.
SPEAKER_07And uh it's a real nice place. Uh here's uh John Bradley.
SPEAKER_05I wouldn't let this guy carry on too much that way.
SPEAKER_07I hope you enjoyed it very much. I hope we don't know the soon. I think this is gonna be a problem for you to solve that. And um I don't think I have very much more to say except for we have a lot of rain here. Still love you. Keep on writing because I'm I I wait for those letters every day.
SPEAKER_00Next, let's hear from Warren E. Gerstencorn, a private in the U.S. Army. This was recorded at training camp at Fort Belvoir, Virginia in 1943. Gerstencorn seems to have scripted this one a bit more and takes a more serious tone. You'll hear a lot of the same themes Johnny has expressed in his letters.
SPEAKER_03It's well to get this chance to talk to you again. Keep it on a long distance phone call, too, and it'll last much longer. But I sure would like to hear your voice once more. There's a must be report that I haven't said in my letters, but I thought of you very much anyway. Same old routine from revelation to chat. Movies, letters, and show once in a lot. Funny thing though, I sort of like it all. But I hope you both feel as well as I do. You let it be my happiest moment. I think you have to be a soldier to realize what I mean. How about that camera one of these days? No way, boy. Remember, meet you everybody and tell them all to write. I'll answer as soon as I can, though time is very precious here in the anime. Be sure to write and let me know how I sound. You can play this record over and over while I'm away. Other boys like to talk to their folks too. So go out for now and good night, and that's what you are.
SPEAKER_00And last but not least, the giddy, playful Ralph Miller, pharmacist's mate in the US Navy.
SPEAKER_01Greetings, Mr. and Mrs. Summer. This is July the twenty-first, nineteen forty-fourth.
SPEAKER_04I told you on the phone it was just because I was uh a little student or something, but it wasn't true. The reason I called you the other night was to tell me I was trying for a 30-day leave. However, it didn't go through, and the doctor went past it, isn't it my doctor passed it, but the captain wouldn't pass it yet. However, I'm gonna still try and get a leave before I ship out this time. They tell me it's pretty hard to get out of California though because of the train transportation and everything else, but I'm still gonna stick trying and maybe I'll be home before even this war is over, and back in the war is over. I hope. Well now I can go on and tell you about all this here good music if you can hear it out there. Can you uh how's the record coming on? Can you hear the record music out there? Oh beautiful music out there, beautiful music, beautiful girls in front of me. Hmm, how do you win and putting it over here in night little smile so uh I'm gonna turn the record over now, let's uh okay, we're back on the air again, she says, so I'll have to start talking again. They stopped the music on me now. Everybody can hear me. Even the girl over here, she's reading something and smiling. I don't know what to think about. Where are you playing this about? Now the pearls, I guess. Well how's everything at the cottage? Down there at the boat and everything, man. I'll be glad to get back home again. Take life easy. I don't know, the spell of the weather has got me under the skin here. I'm beginning to get a small cold and throughout the nostrils. Let me farm us just made for myself here pretty soon. So they get a very nice state, they're all a very good state, and I like the way it's laid out. I don't know how long it's been dead, but I like the way it's laid out. Let me kidding them, and they've got a camagerous so big they're with a hash marks. You have to salute them when they go uh one turn my dog standing over last night to see what type of blood I had. Oh wonderful town, a wonderful town. They got two legs on that's one they got in so lovely. Mr. I don't know what to say now. I'm wondering, besides I'll probably be picking up another ship before along, probably another LST, too, and be shoving them out. Oh, yeah. Don't hold your brother waiting for that, uh, I might be back and be taking my feet for the rest of the duration. No, there's nothing the matter with me. I'm I'm perfect condition. Nothing the matter with me at all. Besides a little lovesick, you know how things get you down here. Once you come up here to an USO and see a couple of little girls smile at you like this here. You know what I'm saying? Smile to me the niggas. I don't know what I can do. Well, somebody waving up pencil so I'll have to shove off in any minute now. Big mother ain't done with you.
SPEAKER_00And now the letter. Friday, February 22nd, 1945. Hello, Toots. Here's part two, continued from last night. Still love me? You better, because if you don't, I'll be very blue. And when I'm very blue, it doesn't become me, because I look better in brown, but not in a study, because when you study, it's usually about something, and if I know something, I'll be too smart for the army. And the Navy won't have me, 'cause the Marines don't want me, so I'll go join the waves. So you'd better love me, don't you think? Or do you? Well, now that that's settled, I love you. I adore you, I worship you, I idolize you. Get the idea? You're my woman, woman, so hang around. I might be home someday to present my claim. But you ask, when will you be home? Ah, I answer. Sweet mystery of life, I cannot solve thee. Screwy? Of course I am. I'm nuts about you, babe. Guess where I've been all day? That's right. Give the lady sixty-four dollars. KP kid, they call me, but I don't mind. I at least had enough to eat that day. Pardon me, but can you read this? Good. Now you tell me what I've written. Let's see if I can't do better. Maybe if I slowed down just a trifle, I might be able to liven up the letters just a wee bit better. But I can't write slow. I'm trying to keep up with my thoughts, and now they're way ahead. Oh well, come what may, you can always get a tailor-made straitjacket, one with a replete, drape shape, or genuine cool suit. I do sound crazy, don't I, darling? But that's the way I'm getting. Hanging around this part of the country is enough to drive anyone crazy. I call this part of the world Mother Nature's miscarriage, and I'm sure you would agree with me if you could see. But it would be better if you didn't. It might mark that sun we're going to have someday. Don't let that last remark scare you, dear. I'm only daydreaming again. I got a letter from you today, and I do think I can wash your face in the snow, even with three bodyguards. In fact, I bet they'd help me. They'd love it. So there. Probably by the time I get to see them their brats, they'll be big enough to do it themselves. Golly how I want to see all you people. All I have of you is that picture taken three or four months ago, and that year old one of Sherry and Susie. I'd like to see how much change there is in them now. Big girls now, all of them. Golly, golly, golly, golly. Did I tell you that I went to the show last night? Probably not. Saw a tree grows in Brooklyn. It's good, but not half as good as the book. But you had better see it when you get the chance. I'm sure you'll like it. Quite a bit has been left out, and the picture ends sooner than the book did, but what they have done with it is worth seeing. It probably won't be up that way for quite a while, as we usually get to see the new movies about a month ahead of everyone else. Here I go again, Mrs. Mutt. Time for me to sign off again. You know, I think someone must be timing me. No sooner do I get three pages written and bango, someone flips the light switch. So I go and turn on the switch again just long enough to say goodbye. So good night, dearest. Kiss the kids for me, and here's a great big kiss for you. All my love. Johnny. I found today's letter to be something special. Johnny seems to be just a little bit slap happy in this one. It has more of a stream of consciousness flow to it. I think William Faulkner, but from the Midwest and without the alcoholism. So, allow me to decode some of the terms that Johnny drops in this letter. The WAVES. The Waves were a women's branch of the U.S. Navy during World War II. Waves being an acronym for Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service. The slogan for the organization was Enlist in the Waves, release a man to fight at sea. And enlisting in the Waves meant just that, taking over non-combat duties such as clerks and administrative personnel, radio operators, telephone operators, code and cipher workers, photographers, mechanics, aviation technicians, intelligence personnel, weather observers, medical personnel, and drafting and mapping specialists. I've included a link to a WAVES recruiting document in the show notes, and it's pretty fascinating. Some of the perks include $200 worth of clothes free. That's a bit over $3,600 in today's money. A reasonable salary with opportunities for promotions, including the ability to become an officer in the Navy. And contrary to what you might think, these waves earned the same pay as enlisted men. And one final footnote similar programs and opportunities existed throughout the other branches of the military. The Army had the Women's Army Corps, or the WAX, the Air Force had Women's Air Force Service Pilots, or WASPs. And for the U.S. Coast Guard, it was SPARS. SPARS being an acronym for Semper Paratus. That's the SP part, which means always ready. And that's the AR part. The Women's Marine Corps Reserve was known simply as the Women's Marine Corps Reserve. At another point in the letter, John Eve drops the phrase, ah, sweet mystery of life. This term comes from the 1910 operetta Naughty Marietta, composed by Victor Herbert, with lyrics by Rita Johnson Young. The operetta, set in 18th century New Orleans, was produced by Oscar Hammerstein and premiered in Syracuse, New York in October of 1910, before opening on Broadway in November. It became one of Herbert's most successful works, often regarded as his masterpiece, and the first true American operetta. The song was written specifically for the titular Marietta, a high-spirited runaway in the story. It was published in 1910 by M. Whitmark and Sons and has since been recorded and performed by numerous artists, including Bing Crosby, who popularized it in the mid-20th century. The title reflects the romantic and mysterious tone of the lyrics, celebrating the enchanting and unpredictable nature of love. Over the decades, the phrase has become a cultural reference point, often associated with the nostalgic romantic style of early 20th century American music. Next, the $64 question. Johnny writes at one point, Give the Lady $64. What he's referring to is a radio game show called Take It or Leave It, in which the top prize was $64. The show ran from 1940 to 1947. Why was the top prize $64? Well, the format was a series of trivia or knowledge questions in which, if you answered correctly, you can take the prize money or risk it for double. The first correct answer would have met the lucky contestant one dollar. Double that for the next answer, and the payout is two dollars. Then you go to four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, and ultimately sixty-four dollars. The show eventually made the leap to television as the sixty-four thousand dollar question in the nineteen fifties. Here's a taste of the radio show from 1942.
SPEAKER_08Let's get on with Pegadol Leviat before they put a ceiling on contestants. I just want to remind our guests this evening that should they win any prizes, they may take cash or war-saving stamps. And here is our first contestant who uh is Mr., or rather, Chief Philip Jakas of the United States Coast Guard. Welcome to Shake it or leaves. How are you feeling tonight?
SPEAKER_09Very fine, James.
SPEAKER_08Is this the first time you have been on our programs? Yes, sir. You're having fun. I mean you uh lights appearing on the stage, or this is something old.
SPEAKER_09First time.
SPEAKER_08Are you having a good time in Hollywood?
SPEAKER_09Yes, sir. Who are your favorites?
SPEAKER_08Don't you remember? So that was the wrong man I got a friend, Isaac. You know, I may turn out to be an actor myself. Sam Goldman and I were up for the last night working on several videos. He snatched me three times. So we see Roman. So what do we talk about tonight, uh Jacobs? What are you showing? Okay, here we go with football. You're to tell me what college football team is known by each of the following nicknames for one dollar. Ruins or you clans. Would you like to try another team? Yes, sir. Okay, the two bucks. What college football is known as the Ramblers or fighting hers? Correct, yes, what's the most dangerous game when I used to play? I know it's no one might face the fall off the fence. You have two buttons you might decide to fall. This game is known as color heels. Take it a leaves. You know your football. Just a little bit, just too much, just a little bit. Okay, for eight bucks. What team is known as gophers?
SPEAKER_09Gophers.
SPEAKER_08No helps. All right, you have eight dollars. You're on the eight-yard line. We're gonna try a quick run to the 16 Dell mark. Take your time now. Wait a minute.
SPEAKER_09Wolverine. Wolverine. Michigan.
SPEAKER_08Michigan! Take it easy, my friend. Now you have 16 cells. What do we do? You like to take it at 5 to 32? One more job. One more gas. What do you think you want to do? What do you mean by these?
SPEAKER_09That's a lot of money. I'll go for it.
SPEAKER_08You'll go to 62. All right, you're on the ten-yard line with ten seconds to play. You want to try the sixty-four dollars question? What team is called Panthers?
SPEAKER_09Panthers, no help, please. Panthers. Whoa. Whoa. Panthers. Panthers. Panthers.
SPEAKER_08Come on, the Panthers. No help, please. Did you hear that? The lady said pitch words. I heard it. I didn't hear it. You didn't hear this? Well, I'm gonna give you an alternate. Would you like an alternate? 64 bucks?
SPEAKER_09Yes.
SPEAKER_08Here we go. What team is known as the blue devils?
SPEAKER_09Blue devils. Blue devils. The blue devils. Yeah. The blue devils.
SPEAKER_08The blue devil. Well, I can't paint pictures for you. I'm sorry. Do you know the post car? Oh, I'm sorry. Do you know this one? The blue devil. You have to get on. I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_09Can't get the blue devil.
SPEAKER_08The blue devils, okay.
SPEAKER_09The marines.
SPEAKER_08The marines, no, I'm sorry. The blue devil is Duke University. Better luck next time. Stand by for the jackpot.
SPEAKER_00At one point in the letter, Johnny uses the words reet pleat. Reet pleat is slang for the sharply pleated trousers of a zoot suit, with reet being a dialectical or mispronounced form of write. The first known usage was from Zora Neal Hurston's Story in Harlem Slang from 1942. The passage reads, So Jelly got into a zoot suit with the Reet Pleats and finally got out to skewer around and do himself some good. And finally, Johnny mentions seeing the film A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of those classic novels that you've likely heard of, and perhaps you've read the book or even seen the movie. What you may not realize is just how popular the book and its main character were in 1945, particularly among servicemen. The novel was distributed widely to servicemen as an armed services edition, and these servicemen connected with the homesickness and sadness experienced by the main character, Francie Nolan. The book was so popular that even those who hadn't read it would recognize the name Francie Nolan, just as people today might recognize the name Harry Potter, even if they hadn't read the book. The film version, directed by Ilia Kazan, was released in February 1945, at a time when Betty Smith's 1943 novel was still enormously popular. The story centers around a poor Irish American family living in a Brooklyn tenement around the turn of the 20th century. The father, charming, affectionate Johnny, is unfortunately an alcoholic who can't reliably support his family. The mother, practical and disciplined Katie, works relentlessly to keep the family afloat. And caught in between these representations of hard work and the romance of what can be possible is our central character, 13-year-old Francie. Francie loves books and dreams of something beyond the cramped, impoverished neighborhood in which she lives. The image of a tree growing amidst the concrete jungle it is their tenement neighborhood as a metaphor for Francie herself, something capable of surviving and growing despite being surrounded by poverty and concrete. The movie differs quite a bit from the book, whereas the novel covers roughly 17 years of Francie's life, from birth through adolescence toward adulthood, the movie compresses everything into roughly one year, concentrating primarily on the period when Francie is about 13 years old. While bringing a vast scope of time into a more manageable time frame, this also results in some oversimplifications of the characters. And possibly one of the greatest losses is that of Brooklyn itself. The minor characters, the neighborhood personalities, the immigrant experiences, ethnic tensions, schools, churches, shops, and street life so vividly depicted in the novel are utterly absent from the film. Despite these significant changes, the movie was well received and proved to be a huge hit, though it did have its detractors. Does it stand up today? Yeah, though more as a nostalgic favorite than as a powerful film in its own right. In contrast, the novel continues to be read as a classic coming-of-age story and was included by the Library of Congress in its Books That Shaped America list. The top song in the U.S. on this date, February 22, 1945, was Rum and Coca-Cola by the Andrews Sisters. Since we've already covered this song on an earlier episode, I'll instead focus on the song at the 84th spot on the list of 100 most popular songs of 1945. That song is Good Good Good by Xavier Cougat and his Waldorf Astoria Orchestra. Released in the spring of 1945, Good Good Good, that's you, that's you, eventually reached number six on Billboard's Airplay chart. The tune was written by Alan Roberts and Doris Fisher and was essentially a tin pan alley pop song composed with Cougat's trademark Latin flavored orchestration and tropical rhythm. The lyrics are about as complicated as the title suggests. In fact, the opening refrain is good, good, good. Sweet, sweet, sweet, fine, fine, fine. Yum, yum, yum. And that simplicity was part of its appeal. As we've learned through exploring the popular music of this era, Americans love their sentimental songs. But occasionally they wanted something light and happy. Cugat's record provided that breath of fresh air, a breezy little escape that became a wartime radio hit. It's not one of Cugat's enduring standards, but it offers a nice snapshot of what Americans were listening to during those final months of World War II. Xavier Cougat was born Francisco de Assis Javier Cugat Mingal, and I might have butchered that, for which I apologize. He was born in Girona, Spain in 1900. His family moved to Havana when he was a young child, and Cuba proceeded to shape his musical identity. A child prodigy, Cougat was playing violin with a Havana Symphony Orchestra by his early teens. He eventually came to the United States and initially pursued a career as a classical violinist, but he discovered that he could make considerably more money and have a lot more fun playing popular music. Cougat also worked as a cartoonist and caricaturist for the Los Angeles Times. He continued drawing while trying to establish himself as a band leader in Los Angeles. By the 1930s, Cougat had become America's best-known promoter of Latin dance music and acquired the nickname the Rumba King, although he also played sambas, tangos, congas, mambos, and the cha cha. He brought Latin music to the masses, though his attempts to make them accessible to American audiences caused some to criticize him as commercialized or watered down. Cugat hired a young Desi Arnaz who sang and played percussion with the orchestra years before going on to star in I Love Lucy. Dinah Shore made one of her earliest recordings with Kugat's Orchestra, and Kugat's bands featured other important Latin musicians and singers, including Miguel Valdez and Tito Rodriguez. Kugat also appeared in several films, sometimes in a speaking role, but more often in an uncredited role as a band leader. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention his pet Chihuahua Pepito, with whom he was frequently photographed. Pepito also appears on at least one album cover and even had a children's book written about him. Thank you for listening to Dog Tags and Paper Hearts. You can find links to information contained within this episode in the show notes. I've also provided a link to my Spotify playlist of number one songs during the course of this correspondence. That playlist is also titled Dog Tags and Paper Hearts. Please keep the feedback coming by emailing me at Dog TagspaperHarts at gmail.com. And most importantly, if you have a story from World War II and you'd like to share that on this podcast, drop me a line. We'll make that happen. And please check this podcast's Instagram for photos connected to this episode. Until next time.