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.
July 7, 1968
Sunday Nite
7-7-68
8:30 P.M.
Your time 9:30 A.M. Mon. morning 7-8-68
Hi Larry–
How’s it going, boy? I sure miss you. Every time I go out in the garden and pick some green beans or onions I always think of how you think I put it over on you when you turned that sod over. We’ve been eating onions since the first of April and green beans since 3 weeks ago. Thanks, Larry. I’ve got 13 tomato plants out and they’re coming along. There is one tomato 2″ in diameter. We’ll have a nice garden this summer.
Larry, this is the same old routine back here. Boy, I sure wish I could trade places with you and be only 20 years old and have the whole world by the ass. I think in my 50 years of life, the most memorable events happened when I was in the service for 7 1/2 years from ’38 to ’45. You know, Larry, I wouldn’t take a million dollars for what I’ve experienced and I wouldn’t give a nickel to do it over again.
April 28, 1968
Anderson, Ind.
April 28, 1968
Hi Larry,
How are you getting along at Fort Sill? Well, Uncle Deda got out of the hospital Saturday. Today, Dad, Mom, Karl, me, Carol, and Carol R—– went to see the new part of the hospital. Carol stayed all night down Carol R—–. When we were on the tour, Carol and Carol R—– kept going out of line to look inside doors. Then they went inside a telephone booth and I went with them. Then we got lost. We lost our group. We kept looking for it until we found a group. It was the wrong group. When we were exploring the hospital, we saw about five different groups. None of them were our group. We went upstairs to the second floor. We were really lost. Finally, we got to the [lobby]. But, before we got to the [lobby], we were down [in] the basement of the hospital. Then we waited in the [lobby] until we found our group that had come back. Did you know that Danny H—– died in a [wreck]? He died 5 minutes after Joanna saw him. He hit a semi truck. We went to see his car. It was the black Chevy. It had about 3 or 4 inches between the [steering] wheel and the seat. The backseat was over the front. His blood looked like jelly. We went to see him and his arms and legs were broken. His head was mashed. He had a lot of make-up on. It didn’t look like him. The only thing that looked like him was his hair. Joanna and Mommy will tell you more about it. Well, I have to go now. You’ll find more about it when Mom and Joanna write to you.
Your sister,
Ellie
April 28,1968
Sunday Evening
Dear Larry:
March 13, 1968
Thursday Night
March 13, 1968
9:15 P.M.
Dear Larry,
We got your letter this afternoon and we were expecting it. We wondered if you got there ship-shape with that little jug you had with you. Did you share it with the boys and did it fortify you for the 1 1/2 hour jet trip? About the time you got to Ft. Sill at 10:30 P.M., mother, Carol and I were still awake in the motel. I fixed us a Coke (the kids were asleep) and Carol and I were talking and it awoke mother and she joined in the conversation. I had the tape recorder on and she didn’t know it. We were talking about our visit with you and the beers we drank together.
June 1956 – Cub Scouts Enjoy Trip To Kokomo By Train
This newspaper clipping, probably taken from The Herald Bulletin, shows Larry (middle row, third from the left) and his sister Joanna (to the left of Larry) with their other St. Ambrose Cub Scout friends. On Saturday, June 26, 1956, they took a train trip from Anderson to Kokomo, IN where they went on a tour of the Kokomo Police Station and jail. Click the image to enlarge and read the entire article. Larry was 8 years old in the picture.
February 21, 1968
Wednesday
February 21, 1968
8 P.M.
Dear Larry:
A few lines to let you know that we didn’t get any mail from you today. I thought for sure we would get a letter today since you didn’t call Sunday. I was telling Dad that I sometimes think that you didn’t want to write to us. Here you have been there for 7 weeks and so far we only have 3 letters from you in that time. I just can’t believe that they keep you so busy that you can’t even write to your family and let them know how you are doing and what’s happening. I think that is why dad isn’t writing to you. When I was talking to Mrs. H—– yesterday, she said she gets mail from her son and the way he writes they are keeping him busy, but he has time to write to his family. What’s the matter, don’t you have any stamps? I sent you a couple in one of the letters.
February 1, 1968
Thursday
February 1, 1968
3:30 P.M.
Dear Larry:
Well, another day and no mail from you. It is exactly 4 weeks today that you left home and we have had only one letter from you. Dad is really mad because we haven’t been getting mail. In fact, I am beginning to wonder if we ever will get any mail. I don’t mind you calling us some Sundays but you can’t tell us much on the phone like you can in a letter. There are lots of things you could write about and all of us could read it. But when you phone you forget what you said and I can’t remember everything you said. So, Larry, will you make it an effort to write to us? We are really anxious to get some mail, even if is a short letter. What are you going to do with the book of stamps Dad sent you? So there is no excuse for you not writing and if you want to get letters, you had better get on the ball and write some.
January 28, 1968
Sunday
January 28, 1968
6:30 P.M.
Dear Larry:
Just got through with my washing. I hate to do it on Sunday but it was so dreary outside that I felt like doing it since there is not much else to do. It sure made me feel a little better to hear your voice on the phone, the only thing I hated was to say good-bye.
Dad isn’t home from the [Polish] Club yet, boy, when he goes to those meetings he forgets to come home. I know that he will be glad to hear that you are getting savings bonds every pay. I forgot to ask you on the phone, but did you get paid yet? I’ll bet you don’t go anywhere so you don’t have to spend any money. I think its a good idea to save some of it.
