Dear Mother,
While I have a little time, I will answer all of your old letters. The dates on them are as follows. April 9, dad’s, 19, 21, 22, 24, 252627, 28, 30 May 2, 4, 6, 7.
Also before I start these letters I want you to thank Mrs. Dilty & the Millens for their birthday cards. I haven’t the time to write & thank them. I am way behind in my correspondence as it is.
Well dad your letter is the first one to be answered. I can’t tell you how pleased I am to hear from you. Mom rights just about every day for the both of you, but your letters are few 
and far between. You ask if I was going to vote. No, because it won’t do any good, and it’s just a waste of time and too much trouble to go to. So may the best man win. The soldiers are so disgusted any way that they don’t care what happens. All we want is to get home. Of course maybe some of the noncombatants will want to vote. They would! So you came out about $10.00 to the good and the basketball tournament. Good for you. That yard of yours should really look pretty by now. Some day I will be home to help you tho.
No mom, I don’t think Ray will be sent over right away. He has more schooling to go through. He has just been trained as an officer, now he will have to train with the Enlisted man and learned to be a leader. He may make it over some day.
Yes Ernie Pyle write some plain facts about the combat soldier and he has no use for the noncombat. Sorry mom but I’d didn’t even know anything about a radio program here. It was here for the rear echelon group. Pour Russel Law must have been nicked pretty badly, but at least he is through with combat. I’m sure glad I’m not in the infantry. Wow that’s rough.
About those comic books. Don’t send those goofy kind as I never read them. I would rather have those fantastic kind like Superman, Batman, Robin and, Blue Beetle. Some of them are Okea such as Dagwood and Blondie, Elmer Fudd or some regular comic books.
Boy that Bernadine is getting to be a big girl. I could hardly believe my eyes. Some of the letters that I had missing came through OK, but I destroyed them as soon as I receive them as we were pretty busy and I had no way to take care of them, so that’s the reason some of the February dates were missing. I usually get all of your mail and packages.
Yes we had fresh beef while they lasted. They were Mussolini’s cows so we didn’t care. Go ahead mom & use some of my money for the blinds, they will be much prettier and will make the house look swell. Here money means nothing to you. Don’t worry about me not having any money. A house to live in is more important, and I suppose I’ll live the rest of my days in good old Champaign and in that house if I have to buy it from you and dad, ha ha. Owning your own house is the only way to live, and what’s good enough for my mother and dad is good enough for me.
About Rita’s mom, I like her an awful lot, but if she doesn’t want to write to me that’s her business but I never right to her either unless she writes to me. I would say that she could write if she wanted to so it’s up to her.
I couldn’t get over Francis Pickard getting married and neither could Snook. She must be about 16 isn’t she? It was also a shame about Margaret Trees. She was a swell kid and I imagine Dale is pretty broken up about it. I received all of my boxes from everyone. The trouble is everyone sends them all at once. I would like to have some more hot tamales and popcorn. Most of the boys they go home on rotation have been wounded so they get to go first. The percentage is so low that it will be a long time before I make it. So don’t count so much on me coming home. George Sandford got a lucky break didn’t he. I had a letter from Paul Wilson, maybe I’ll get to see him again one of these days. Snook and I got together again the other day. I guess this is about all for now. We had another wonderful ball game the other night 1 to 0. Goodbye to you both and don’t expect too many letters from me as I am pretty busy. I’ll write when I have time. I love you both from the bottom of my heart and someday I’ll be home. By by
Your Son,
“Chick”
PS. Here is my European Campaign ribbon. I have four stars to go on it but haven’t received them yet. I’ll send them home some day.
