France
Dearest Hon-
My life is a series of naps. I wake up to eat, to smoke and to write. I haven’t done much reading yet, but it will come to that soon. Can follow the news very well here by radio and the “Stars & Stripes.” Today they say the U.S. was blowing its top yesterday over a false peace rumor. Must have been very disillusioning if it was taken seriously. General Eisenhower agrees with me (!) that the war here will end as an occupation rather than as a formal surrender. You know, the German people don’t like us even a little bit. It is a peculiar feeling to conquer a German town. Often we just punch a hole for a column thru the main street. All civilians line up along the way and watch us go by. But it’s not like the parade thru France. They are cold, sullen, with not a flicker of softness. Occasionally a woman stands crying her heart out as we go by, but usually all of them, even to little kids just able to walk, stand with a white handkerchief in their hand and stare in a defiant way that curses us more than if they said anything. We return the animosity and never take our fingers from our triggers. We take their towns, but they are not defeated. There’s no surrender in their attitude, only the white flags show that right now they are unable to shoot back. In most towns there are a great many Poles, Frenchmen, Russians, etc. that are used for labor. They greet us enthusiastically, but we take no chances even with them. I have always made friends with the children in other countries, but it would be “fraternizing” in Germany. Sometimes the little ones flock around me as if they know I’d like to be friends with them, and it is hard as can be for me to be tough and shew them away. German babies are as cute as anybody’s!
Spent quite a lot of time today in trimming my moustache. It got pretty long and ragged there for a time, so I had quite a bit of cutting to do. Maybe I cut off too much. I’m trying a new style now. It doesn’t take long to change from one to another. I have had it for quite a long time now, haven’t I? Never have yet found just the style that I like best. We’ll have to decide when I get back – after all, it is at least half yours, Hon. I keep it for you.
You know the radio I have here. The only station that comes in well on it is Radio Luxembourg. Now Radio Lux. is a good station except that it tries to give pleasure to peoples of four different languages. This forces it to spend ¾ of its time giving its identification to all concerned, and now, since the invasion it has decided to add English translations to its announcements. That further complicates things, but we could take that if they didn’t insult the Americans by making them in Basic English for our benefit. I’ll probably be fluent in all four European languages soon, but will forget all English words of more than two syllables. Well, c’est la guerre!
I hope that in the letters you have sent me you have told me all about your music teaching and your K.T.C. [Keene Teachers’ College] reactions. Does it seem like old times to be back at school? And what have you learned from teaching music? Hope you found it as much fun as you expected to, Hon. You have certainly been busy according to the last letters I received, and I am glad because it no doubt makes time go faster. No doubt you can find some real enjoyment in a lot of it, too. It would be a fine thing if the time before we are together again could be profitable and enjoyable, and not just a passing of days. For me, tho they have not been enjoyable, the days have been full of experiences of real value. My sight-seeing has been limited, but I have met people, seen things, organized activities, and felt reactions that are more powerful than any I had known before. I’ve seen a lot of the realities we talk about, some even more stark than I thought they could be. You’ll be able to tell more than I how much they changed me. One thing I know is the same, Hon, – the way I feel about you. Also the things we want to do and have. They are the same and they are the important things. I’ll always love you, dearest, and wherever I go or whatever I do you’ll be the one I’m thinking of and working to get back to. And when I do get back we’ll fulfill all the dreams we have. In fact, just seeing you will be realizing my greatest one.
All my love, always,
Wallace.
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