Author: Bob

 

Capt. T.G. Leske

633 T.D. BN.
APO304
Fort Lewis, Wash.

8-18-43   (Postmarked Aug 18 1943, Yakima, Washington.)

Miss Jane Axtell
538 S. Normandie
Los Angeles, California

 

Hyah Jane! 

 

Your last letter overwhelmed me with its length but I sure a not going to try to match it.  In fact, I think the main reason for writing so soon is that I want to have a letter from you when I get down to Oregon.

Today the truck convoy moved out for the maneuver area and tomorrow morning I, together with several officers and the remainder of the men, shall go by train. Nothing but the best for Leske.  Our final destination is Hole-in-the-ground.  Know where it is?  It seems that the first part of the name is very well suited to the area.  We supposedly will be some sixty miles away from the nearest town, which should all toward a very plain and healthy life, also boring.

You mentioned that you didn’t know why I wanted to transfer from the 71st.  Well, for sometime I have been trying to get assigned to a Maxilto-facial Surgery Course at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington with no good results.  Naturally, men with hospital units had priority as, being with infantry, I wouldn’t have any call for such work.  In a period of six months, there has been an allotment of only one for the whole IV corps.  Our division would not send any of its dental officers to any schools or allow them to transfer out.  I was the first in three years to get out voluntarily.  The Army setup would not allow higher than a captain dental with a infantry regiment and I was getting tried of seeing line officeres who were still evading the draft or were anywhere from private to 2nd looie when I was a captain, now wearing bars.  I was one of nine original officers left out of 77 and it was too comfortable a set up.  While on the post I was assigned to a clinic which ran like an assembly line putting in silver fillings all day and plenty of them – amount not worth.  Griping!

You asked for it and there it is!!

 

Goodbye for now

 

Ted

 

Capt. T.G. Leske

633 T.D. BN.
APO304
Fort Lewis, Wash.

8-6-43   (Postmarked Aug 6 1943, Tacoma, Washington.)

Miss Jane Axtell
538 S. Normandie
Los Angeles, California

 

Hello Jane!

 

If you think your typing was difficult to read just wait until you finish wading through this.  For a desk I have my knee and a magazine and am sitting on a wobbly cot.  You see, I am in a new outfit and they are here on the firing range at Yakima and we just don’t have all the comforts of barracks.

By this time you are probably  angry with me, again, for not writing sooner.  But, you see, I was on leave back home in Jersey.  Manage to get a plane reservation and went right straight through both ways without getting kicked off.  Had quite a bit of fun while home and also a hell of a lot of work as my brother, also a dentist, got his commission and duty orders so I had to help him clear out his office, pack equipment and furniture, and do a hell of a lot of running around.

My plane trips were good, also.  Stewardesses were very chummy.  In fact, at four o’clock in the morning I was playing rummy on the floor of the tail of the plane with the hostess and another girl.  Of course, it probably would have been much nicer just playing with the hostess on the floor but I think the air line has some sort of regulation against it.  I was even allowed to go up into the cockpit with the pilots and spent a nice hour there with them, telling stories and asking a lot of questions.

My transfer came through on the same day I was to go on leave.  I damn near didn’t get to go as the [unreadable, maybe 71st] no longer had the right to give me leave.  As the outfit I was going to was not in Fort Lewis at the time, matters became more complicated.  Finally 4th corps gave my leave about an hour and a half before the plane departure from Seattle.  What a hustle and bustle!

After making up my mind I wanted to get out of the 44th Div. I started working for it and now I am with this outfit.  I don’t like it at all but after all I have been here just one day.  The size, too, is strange to me – 650 men, 34 officers, 17 men in the medical detachment with just one medical officer and myself. (71st – 3600 men , 177 officers, 125 men in medicine with 8 medical and 2 dental officers)

Hear the story of two morons walking along and a pigeon flying overhead made a deposit on one of the morons’ head.  The chosen one said "Gee, I wish I had a piece of toilet paper."  Whereupon, the other moron said, "Don’t be silly, you would never be able to catch that pigeon."  Well?

Gonna get a ride into town and mail this.  Let’s hear from ya.

 

Ted

 

New address 633 Tank Destroyer Battalion
APO 304
Fort Lewis, Wash.

Going to be here in Yakima until the 18th and then we are going down to Bend, Oregon maneuver area.

Capt. T.G. Leske

71st Infantry
APO44
Fort Lewis, Wash.

7-9-43   (Postmarked July 10 1943, Tacoma, Washington.  Written in pencil)

Miss Jane Axtell
538 S. Normandie
Los Angeles, California

 

Hyah Jane!

 

Pencil and paper looks sort of silly but I have a good reason. Last Monday I rammed a long dental drill into my finger trying to get it out of a worn handpiece.  Inflamation, infection, vacation, pencil and scrap paper.

So you have reached the stage of "the hell with you".  Tsk, tsk!  Fie, shame, finger pointing, children and mothers pointing, crying aloud.  "Nasty girl, nasty girl." What wouldest they have me do, fair maiden with the new chaff???? [unable to read] (by the way, where is my picture?)  Shall I tell Army City Hall that I just can’t play their way and go my merry way to California?

Your letter mentioning your vacation sure gave me ideas but none of them will work.  I still must go home and after that I won’t have the leave nor the money to help you spend your free days.

A pilot took his airplane up in the air to frisk [?]
Such a silly lad was he
his little *

Too hard writing with a bandage forefinger sticking up like a distress signal so so long and [unreadable] luck

Ted

Capt. T.G. Leske

71st Infantry
APO44
Fort Lewis, Wash.

6-14-43   (Postmarked June 16 1943, 4:00pm, Tacoma, Washington)

Miss Jane Axtell
538 S. Normandie
Los Angeles, California

Hello Jane:

Might I say, right at the beginning, that your love letter did not measure up to expectations.  Surely you, of all people, should be able to do better.  And to sign a supposed love letter plain "Jane" – fie!  Why I have read better class-room passed notes written by mere amateurs.

Things have been so darn dull around here that it is hard to write a letter. You are familiar with out weather; I’m in a clinic all day; stay home most nights; you know I want to see you: my leave is still hanging fine; my brother going into service, wants to see me before I leave; still trying for the school in Washington, and there’s my life.

I’m bored, I’m restless, I’m dissatisfied, I’m in a rut, I’m nuts, I’m tired, I’m saying so long.

 

Good Luck

Teddy

Capt. T.G. Leske 71st Infantry APO44 Fort Lewis, Wash.

5-28-43   (Postmarked May 29 1943, 5:30pm, Tacoma, Washington. Air Mail)

Miss Jane Axtell 538 S. Normandie Los Angeles, California

Hello Jane!

Here I am again.

Your card shamed me into sitting myself down and giving myself a good talking to.

Time out for a bull session.

Now that that is over with and I again concentrate I find that my lecture to me was unkind to I, as the real reason for not writing was that I was waiting for that real nice really sentimental love letter that ya spoke of in your last letter.

I’m going to wait and see how ya do for I haven’t received any thing of that sort for years.

Nite!

That guy

Ted

==============================

Note, enclosed in this envelope with the letter was the following typewritten note.  I can’t tell if the note was from Ted or whether my mother added the note to the letter for some reason.  On the back of the note is a sketch of a woman labeled “Alice” in my mothers style.  It might be a draft of the sentimental love letter mentioned in Ted’s letter.

Capt. T.G. Leske

71st Infantry
APO44
Fort Lewis, Wash.

4-1-43   (Postmarked May 3, Tacoma, Washington. Date on letter a mistake?  Should it have been 5-1-43?)

Miss J. Axtell
538 S. Normandie
Los Angeles, California

Greetings:

Did you ever hear of the family of snakes that lived in some rocks on a mountain and one day one of the baby snakes crawled away to visit another family of snakes but soon came wiggling back to his mother and crying that the other mother snake wouldn’t let him play with her little boy and girl snakes because he wasn’t good enough.  Whereupon his mother said to him "Don’t worry about her.  I knew her when she didn’t have a pit to hiss in."

and the little poem:
M is for the many times you’ve made me
O is for the other times you tried
T is for the tourist cabin weekends
H is for the hell thats in your eyes
E is for the everlasting loving
R is for the wreck ya made of me

Put them all together, they spell "Mother"

And, brother, thats exactly what I am going to be.

With the answer:

F is for your funny little letters
A is for my answer to your note
T is for your tearful accusations
H is for hope that I’m the goat
E is for the ease with which I made you
R is for the rube you thought I’d be

Put them all together, they spell "Father"

But, sister, you’re crazy if you think its me.

Old or new?

Your story of the packed busses makes me think that there is something wrong with your tale of a woman stepping on your toes.  What’s wrong with the men around there or don’t they appreciate thrills?

It seems that your alchololic consumption is a integral part of your schedule.  Or is it just part of a "bar system" of meeting people?  Speaking of that, you haven’t told me lately whether or not the notes(sic) have been catching up with you.

Your coming to California idea sounds good but I haven’t been home in a year and a half so it would mean not being able to get home for some time as both my leave and my dough would be extinct.  Perplexing, huh?

Aren’t you suprised at having a letter so soon? Its Sunday, a beautiful day, no place to go, no ambition to go, and you on my mind so this is the result.

Thats all for now,

Good luck,
Teddy

Capt. T.G. Leske

 

71st Infantry
APO44
Fort Lewis, Wash.

4-23-43   (Tacoma, Washington)

Miss Jane Axtell
538 S. Normandie
Los Angeles, California

 

Hellow Puss!

Its been quite a while since I heard from you.   Have they "frozen" writing paper or stamps down your way?

Nothing new has popped up here yet except that my plans for getting back East were just ruined, although I haven’t given up yet and am going to try a new angle.  Very disappointed and heartsick, but such is life.

Its raining to beat hell outside and I don’t feel like writing but I did wonder why I haven’t heard from your as this is a truce of the most honorable sort, no?

An answer, please – yes?

Remember

Ted