LETTER #58 - 6 JANUARY 1945

Uncle Louie Homebound!

My Little Notes:   

Uncle Louie will be coming home soon for a visit.  He definitely sounds happy about that!  He also is just about done with school.......finally, and then he can start getting hours "working on the line".  Funny about him having 2 girlfriends (maybe a future Mrs. Thomsen?) and little Lorraine Williams getting hitched.  

Sad to hear about a possible suicide on Mr. Asmussen.  He must be a neighbor or friend.  I tried to find anything more on this, but the only possible lead I found was a Carl Asmussen who died in 1944 at the age of about 39 buried at Irving Park Cemetery which is close to where they lived. 

Also, he mentions about my Dad playing the "sweet potato".  I never heard of this, but apparently it is a wind instrument called the ocarina or sweet potato which is like a flute with 4 to 12 holes.  I guess shaped like sweet potato.  Below is a link to a short 30 second ditty of someone playing the sweet potato:

A short ditty of someone playing the sweet potato!

Definition of an Ocarina

A "sweet potato" from the 1940s.

LETTER #57 - 31 DECEMBER 1944 FROM RAY KUBICK

My little notes:
Looks like Uncle Louie's Army buddy, Ray has finally made it down to Boca Raton Army Air Force Base. As you recall, he stayed behind to do extra classes.  Sounds like he is looking forward to a new school, new learning and his "gal-friend" Ada Jean in Miami!

A 1940s bathing beauty ~ maybe Ada Jean looked like this!  

LETTER #55 - 21 DEC 1944, LETTER #56 - 26 DEC 1944 & XMAS CARD TO BROTHER TOM

My Little Notes:  I thought I would wrap up 1944 with the rest of the letters and a Xmas card since they are all connected to the holiday.  The first letter above, he mentions he "chewed the fat" with Al.  As you recall Alvin Lloyd has been with him the last few training bases.  They are not roommates at this point, but still at the same location.  He mentions George Friendler (sp?).  I think he was a neighborhood friend.  Sad that a friend he knew was killed in action in Italy.  Italy was a heavy battlefield at that time.  Wonder how he felt being just barely 19 and hearing a friend killed and he has yet gone overseas...

I like his drawing of his "Pop" and the wool underwear!  And he mentions that they should have received a Xmas card from Ward which they did and I posted it in the last post.  

The next letter is a short note, but talks about Christmas and how this was his second one away from home. He also mentions just 2 weeks left of school! 

Outside envelope of the letter below.

This cute Christmas card contained 7 envelopes that got smaller and smaller that Uncle Louie sent to my Dad.

1944 Christmas Seal on the back of the addressed envelope.

Inside the last little envelope was a 1944 penny!

LETTER #54 - 15 DEC 1944 TO HIS BROTHER TOMMY AND A CHRISTMAS CARD FROM CPL. R. WARD

Christmas Card from Cpl Richard Ward who is also at Boca Raton Field in Florida with Uncle Louie.

MY LITTLE NOTES:   Not much to add.  Posting this about the same time frame as the letter in December, some 69 years later!  Sounds like Uncle Louie is ready for Christmas.   Uncle Louie mentions that he would like some sunglasses for about $10.  Seems a bit pricey to me!  Also, he mentions about the shutters being added to the house.  When they moved to the house in 1938 there were no shutters.  Below is a before and after pics of the house:  

The house as it originally looked in 1938.

Same house in 1963.  Note shutters and detached garage.

Grandpa Thomsen holding a huge mushroom!  He was known to take walks in the nearby forest preserves and bring home his finds!  You can see the shutters in the background.

LETTER #52 - 1 DEC 1944

Love the little corporal stripes drawing!

My Little Notes:  Sounds like he is just steps away from being a corporal.  It has been about a year now in his training and schooling.  He sounds ready for Christmas and looking forward to his furlough in January. 

He mentions Billy Becker which I assume is a neighbor or family friend.  I don't have any information on him. Also, he mentions that his mom is trying to fix him up with Lorraine.  I have a picture of Lorraine and I believe they did go out briefly, but sounded more like friends.  Perhaps we will hear more about her later. He is smart I think not to get involved with a girlfriend at this time being in the Army Air Corps!  He writes on both sides of the paper and the paper is thin, so I hope you can read the letter.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress history:  Link to the history of the B-17 Flying Fortress

B-17 plane

Army Corporal Stipes

Picture taken about 1945.  Left to right:  My Dad (boy), friend of Lorraine's, Lorraine, and my grandmother.  Note the picture on the back says "ex" for Lorraine! 

LETTER #51 - 26 NOV 1944

Tom-tom drum toy 40s-50s style

My Little Notes:  This is a letter addressed to my Dad.  Not much to add.  The brochure was with the letter and explains the tour that Uncle Louie and Al took.  Not bad....a 3-hour tour for $1!  At least it does not end up like on Gilligan's Island and their 3-hour tour!  

I always knew my Dad liked Native American artifacts and their culture.  I did not realize it was even when he was a boy.  The picture below is part of his collection of arrowheads that he had found years ago.  He framed and made this and I have it proudly displayed in my living room.  Many of these arrowheads came from all over like Texas, California, Missouri.  He also found quite a few in Illinois and near where we lived. He learned from a friend how to find them.  He said you had to have the feel or sense to find them.  Also, a few years ago we had some looked at by a local archaeologist group.  Surprised to find out they were over 5,000 years old and some even older!   I thought maybe from the 1800s.  That was quite the shock! 

A collection of my Dad's arrowheads that he found.  Also, the frame is handmade by my Dad.

LETTER #50 - 23 NOV 1944

Newspaper article on Alvin's brother, Robert Harold Lloyd wounded in action - Greeneveille Sun Newspaper - 10/24/1944.  The paper says Germany, but Uncle Louie wrote Al said France.  (There was another article on this page of another service man in France, mix up maybe).  Also, crazy seeing where Al is at because that is exactly what the letters are saying and we are at the moment with the letters, at Baco Raton, Florida.

MY LITTLE NOTES:

I got to thinking of that song, "I've Got A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts"!   According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia online, it was composed in 1944, same time as this letter.  Thought it was appropriate with Uncle Louie sending coconuts to everyone~! 

"I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" is a novelty song composed in 1944 (as "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Cocoanuts") by Fred Heatherton, an English songwriter and published by Box & Cox Publications (ASCAP). In 1949, it was a top-ten hit in the U.S. for Freddy Martin And His Orchestra with vocalist Merv Griffin and sold over three million copies.^[1] The following year, it was a number-25 hit for Danny Kaye. It celebrates the coconut shy (coconut toss) at funfairs."

Great rendition of the song by Merv Griffin (maybe 1949). Gotta love the hand and eye movements!

Sounds like he is shipping out after his schooling there.  Looking ahead in the letters, looks like he will ship to Pope Field, Fort Bragg in North Carolina in February, 1945.  Looks like I better get cracking on those letters so we can get there!