September 1, 1968
September 1, 1968
Time: 5:16 P.M.
Hi Larry,
How are things? Everything and everyone is fine here at home. Dad has been grouchy. The other day, Vicki and I were getting ready to go to Indianapolis and Daddy got real mad at me, as mad as he used to get at you, even, and then he said I could not go. He made me so damn mad, I really do hate him sometimes.
Today is Sunday and we went shopping at K-Mart. Mom bought a lot of stuff for Tresa for her birthday September 18th.
Last night, I went to McPhearson’s to a dance. It was a lot of fun. They had two good bands there.
Dad just got through taking a picture of me writing this letter. Then he took a picture of Mother. Now Mom is trying to picture him, but they already ruined three pictures because the bulb didn’t flash. Finally, the bulb flashed. Shock! I think this camera he is trying out is the one he is going to send you.
July 4, 1948 – Amelia, Charlie, Joanna and Larry
Taken July 4, 1948, this photo shows Amelia and Charlie (Larry’s mother and father) at a 4th of July picnic. We’re not sure which baby is Joanna and which one is Larry. They both look the same to us!
Update: According to Larry’s sister, Tresa, the woman in the background is Amelia’s mother and Larry’s grandmother, Grandma Sacilowski.
August 30, 1968
Friday, Aug. 30, 1968
9:00 A.M.
Hi Larry,
How are you? I hope you are getting along ok.
Everybody around here if just fine. I’m sitting here eating some rye bread that we got at Indianapolis yesterday. We went to the State Fair yesterday, too. We went to the building where the cows and chickens and the bulls [illegible]. Remember when you were about 9 years old and you went to the State Fair with Mommy and Daddy? Well, you were standing right next to a bull and the bull went moo-moo. You ran to Daddy and he had to pick you up because you were scared. Yesterday, a bull mooed at me, but I didn’t run to Daddy. I ran to Mommy. Last night, we filled 28 jars with green tomatoes.
August 29, 1968
August 29, 1968
Time – 8:30 AM Thurs.
Dear Larry:
We have WHUT on and he said that it is 58° degrees outside. It is ideal sleeping weather. Everyone is still asleep but Tresa and me. We are both sitting here in the kitchen writing to you. I didn’t get a chance to write yesterday because I was busy all day washing all my windows. I thought that I had better do it while I still have some help around the house because next week the kids will be going back to school.
When Dad got home from work he brought with him a big tub like the ones you kids used to fill up with water and take baths in outside when you were little. [an example of these tubs is pictured below] He also bought some onions and cabbage with the mangos and hot green peppers in the garden, we all got to work last night and cut them up in the tub. It’s been down in the basement all night, so tonight we will put them in jars. So when you get home next year you will have some green relish to eat with your sandwiches.
Jean and Charlie, July 1946
Larry’s parents, Amelia (Jean) and Charlie, a little over a year before he was born.
August 27, 1968
Tuesday, August 27, 1968
9:15 A.M.
Dear Larry:
How are you doing? Tresa and I are sitting here in the kitchen watching Joanna put fingernail polish on. Today is her day off, so she and Tresa are going to clean her Mustang.
It is really cool here this morning. I almost turned the furnace on, but I didn’t because it will probably warm up during the day. It looks like we are beginning to have Autumn weather.
Karl just got up and is getting ready to eat a bowl of cereal. The kids are going to school next week, so we will have to start getting up early.
August 27, 1968
Monday Aug 26, 1968
5:30 P.M.
Dear Larry:
I was going to write to you yesterday but since Carol wrote to you, I thought I would take a rest. As you probably know and Carol wrote you, yesterday was her 15th birthday. Since it happened to come out on a Sunday, we had a pretty nice day. We started it off by going to the 10 o’clock mass which Karl had to serve. Then, after church I stopped at Pay Less and got a few groceries and when we got home we hurried and went to the Little League picnic which was at the Meadowbrook Park and Karl’s team got a trophy. I baked Carol a German chocolate cake. We had her birthday party when we got home from the picnic. Dad and I gave her $20.00 to buy her some school clothes. I suppose she probably told you that I got her a gift from you. The cake was good and there was only one big piece left over when we started to cut it. I said that if you were home the whole cake would be gone. Carol J—– and Barbara H—- helped eat it.
August 22, 1968
August 22, 1968
Thurs. 11 P.M.
Dear Larry:
Received your letter saying that you are on top of a mountain. What do you do Larry? I hope that you are real careful. The mailman just went by and what do you know, we got another letter from you, and as you know, we were very glad to get it. About every time I talk to anyone they always say that you would be silly to reenlist. The sooner you get out of there the better, and I imagine that by the time the year is up you will be ready to come home.
Dad just called from his route and asked me to put a couple cartons of beer in the refrigerator for him so he will have some cold beer when he gets home from work. Boy, it has really been hot and humid here all week. The weatherman on T.V. said that we are going to have more of the same for the next few days. It won’t be long till September will be here and school will be starting again. Maybe by then the weather will be cooler. Sure glad that you getting a little relief from the heat.
August 19, 1968
Monday
August 19, 1968
Dear Larry,
Hi! How’s everything going? Has it been raining there all the time lately? It’s been real nice around here for the last couple of days. I’ve been off Saturday, Sunday, and today and it’s been hot as hell.
Well, the mail just came and Mom got a letter from you, Carol got one from Larry T—–, and I got one from Tim C—–. We really hit the jackpot today.
Everyone around here sure does miss you. Gosh, it will be three months pretty soon. Time seems to be going by pretty fast. How about for you?
Mom’s worried a lot now because you’re up in that mountain. Is it very dangerous? Do you drink just beer? You aren’t really going to reenlist, are you? Just being over there in ‘Nam would scare me.
Not a whole lot has been happening around here, as usual. Same old shit as before. It seems as [if] everyone is gone in the service and there still isn’t anything to do.
August 18, 1968
Sunday, August 18, 1968
9:45 A.M.
Dear Larry:
I thought that I would start writing to you right now and if I don’t get it done, I’ll finish it when we get home from church. We are going to the 11:30 mass since Karl has to serve. Joanna just left for the 10 o’clock mass because she wants to lay out in the sun when she gets back. Tresa went to church with Sara because she is going with them to see The Sound of Music this afternoon.
We all went to confession yesterday (Sat.). Joanna didn’t want to go, but she did.
Do you ever attend mass where you are at? You never write about it so I just wondered. I hope that you have the opportunity to go to confession and mass and communion once in a while.
