February 4, 1945 Sunday

France

Hello folks--

That man Riley never had the life I have here at the hospital. I have had a chance to do so much reading on current affairs and, particularly, on Russia, that tomorrow I am taking a class on Postwar Russia for the Education Dept. here. They asked me to take some of the classes and the chance to keep busy appealed to me. The Information and Education Dept. of the army will expand greatly as soon as the was is over. Unless I can get out right away, I may try to get into it then. 

Of course, we are following the news closely, but we aren’t counting on the war in Europe ending right away as many people back home are alleged to do. There are an awful lot of Germans and they seem determined to fight right down to the last corner of Germany. At least, the ones I saw were, and they didn’t lack a thing in the way of equipment. More power to the Russians—but if they win the war soon and alone, I’ll be pleasantly surprised. 

The mail situation here is “something to write home about.” I haven’t received a letter for a very long time. I know there must be plenty on the way, but they got pretty well mixed up on the way and never did find me. I hope my letters get to you, but like Hattie Davis “I never received those letters you wrote.”

While I am at the hospital, which has all the necessary offices and forms, I am looking into the army extension study program. Probably I’ll be caught without time to follow thru on it, but I have applied for an extension course in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota. I thought I’d start the wheels rolling, anyway, and see if I couldn’t swing it. The mails are so slow that I may be able to do so by the time the lessons start coming.

I have no chance to spend money here, so I’ll enclose a little curio as a curio for you, a franc is worth about 2 cents. I had a whole set of souvenir money from England and France, but it was lost at the same time I lost my wallet and identification. This is invasion money, of course. Old French money is much bigger—1000 franc noted are about the size of this piece of stationery [9” x 6”].

Here’s wishing every thing at home is in shape. Happy Birthday, Ma, tho this will be late. Bye for now,

Love,

Wallace.