April 22, 1945 Sunday

Hosp. – France

Dearest Hon,

What do you think? A lone V-mail found its way to me today, so I spent most of the day reading it. You don’t know how good it made me feel. First word I’ve had from you for almost 7 weeks.

It is the V-mail you wrote directly to the hospital, and you were a little worried about the card that was sent to you from the “casualty” branch. I hope very much that any questions you had have been answered long before now in my letters. I didn’t want you to be left up in the air about me at all, Hon. The first letter, a V-mail, that I sent you was written from here after I had been evacuated over the long route back. I don’t know if I wrote it the 26^th or 27^th of March. If I didn’t mention my wound on the 27^th, it must have been the second or third one I wrote. The first one I wrote told just where I was hit and all. I also sent a V-mail to Laura and the folks and later on to Bob, telling them. 

Maybe the wording of the card upset you. It said “slight wound of left thigh and back.” That is right according to the medics, but misleading. The only wound worth mentioning was just above my left knee, which is technically the thigh. It passed thru the leg, making two openings, one on the right (inside) of my leg and one just on the left side of the back part. In addition to that, there were two abrasions on my back. Just slight cuts made by very small pieces of shrapnel, because I was so close to the blast – it could even have been the concussion that caused them, because it did blow me around some. For completeness, there was also a little puncture at the base of my left thumb (that fated left hand), and a piece of metal (which I sent you) in the calf of my right leg.

There, that should answer any questions you have about location. Everything but the main one was all well and forgotten long ago. That is O.K. too, just two lines about so long -------------- [a line about 1.5 inches long with dots on either side to show stitches]. It is a little hard to do a knee bend but I improve each day. I’m O.K. for duty as soon the doc gives me the word.

I hate to think of you worrying, Hon, and wish there was something I could do. It doesn’t hurt to get wounded, I can say that. None of them have given me nearly as much pain as you have, on occasion, on a blackhead raid! That is literally true. And rest assured I take advantage of all available cover at all times. There is no need to worry most of the time, and anyway, we’ve got so many more nice things to do that we haven’t the time for that. I love you and lean on you very much – you do the same for me. 

All my love, 

Wallace.

April 22, 1945 Sunday

Hosp. - France

Evening, Hon,

I think I have been anticipating the date on my last few letters. Got a day ahead of myself somewhere along the way. This is Sunday, and it has been a full day for me. With the schedule you are folowing it would be a holiday, but it was the most active day I have had for about a month.

Yesterday the Red Cross called and asked if I would serve on a committee to arrange an Enlisted Man-French Girl dance. I got two other officers to work with. All we had to do was take some trucks to nearby towns and pick up some French girls and a G.I. orchestra. Brought the load of giggles here and turned them loose on about twice their number of enlisted patients. Most of them were pretty rural specimens, but the dance was a big success. Lasted from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., then my “committee” rounded up our charges and took them back to their home towns. The Red Cross was the guiding spirit. They do a fine job here at the hospital, and my opinion of the R.C. has risen again. Went to church this morning with a few of the officers. I’ve made some good friends here – my type of people, that is the kind I hope we know after the war. “Red” Anderson, Slim Snedicor, a young fellow named Lindstrom from N.Y.C. We went to a good service, and enjoyed our resounding bass to the hymns. 

I have been learning many things evenings lately in discussions with my own division’s assistant intelligence officer – an experienced government lawyer who was assistant to Biddle [U.S. Attorney General, 1941-1945], charged with all anti-propaganda and espionage work at the time the war broke out. He has been a finance lawyer in Berlin for several years, and was on the inside legal work in the old “Morro Castle” case, and the 50 cruiser-for-land-bases deal that Roosevelt made with England. He was in charge of filing FBI reports on Japanese citizens in California and had to OK personally the first 3000 arrests after the outbreak of war. His name is Pendergast. Intelligent and worldly, he can teach me a lot, and I feel free to ask him many questions each day.

I love you very, very much, Hon, and hope you love me, too.

Always all yours,

Wallace.