Jack wanted to go deer hunting, pure and simple.
Sept 22, '43
Dear Ma
I received your nice long letter yesterday so I will try to answer it.
You may some day learn to listen to your little son. I am glad you went up and got your glasses. I told Florence that if you didn't go up and get them that she should break your old ones so you would have to. I guess you beat her to it.
I sure haven't been doing a darn thing at work for the last 2 days. I might as well not have been there for no more than I did. It sure gets tire some just sitting around for 8 hours & doing nothing. Well may be tonight will be a little bit better, who knows.
They tell me they are planning on taking 700 workers out of the yard between now & the first of the year. I don't know but I think I am probable include in that group. They say the are calling in all deferments on guys from 18-25 so it wouldn't do me much good to have a deferment. It doesn't seem to make any difference what rating you hold or how much of a family you have if you come between the age limits.
I got those pictures ok but I discovered one happens to be missing. I am sure the fellows here would enjoy looking at it and would compliment me on such good picture taking. How bout that picture of Bo.
I got Wayne's new address too late I had already sent him a letter – hope he gets it.
Sat
I imagine you have been wondering why I haven't been writing. Just lazyness.
Now listen & get this straight. I want you (right now so I can get it by Sun) to go up to the Folks and go up to Wayne room and get me a little 30-30. It is sitting near the left hand side of the rack. The barell is a darker color than the rest of the guns looks like stove blackening on it and it chips off. Then get dad Kruse to go out in the shop and see if he can find 2 boxes of 30-30 shells, first try the big box under the lathe. I imagine they are in there it will say 30-30 on the box. about the gun it has a price tag on it that says $12 or $15 I forget just what but its between $10-$15 make sure the shells fit the gun. Now as 2nd and last resort if for some reason you can't do the other. Take my gun out of the box & ask Dad Kruse for about 20 shells for his gun tell him I want some hunting loads. He has some for his Krug also make sure they fit. Don't send either gun in a wooden box put it in card board.
Maybe Glady could call Mr. Woodall he will help if he is in town. I want to go deer hunting next Sunday if possible so please dear Ma don't put this off till this after noon or tomorrow. I would have sent you a night letter but was afraid you wouldn't get it till Mon & I hope this is there by then. I hope you can get the 30-30 together it is a lighter gun & etc. Please try & send it. The 30-30 will be out in the shop so try hard to find them.
I am sending you $30 to cover the cost of handling and packing. I'll pay the express.
Well I'll close for now & hope like LLL that the gun get here on or before Sat. Ask about air express if it is not over $3.50 send it by that.
Jack
Put in Hunting Knife
Notes:
- I'm assuming that the $30 he is sending just means it's over and beyond what he would normally send her, because ya gotta wonder why he is willing to spend $30 shipping for a gun worth $10-$15. ($30, by the way, is nearly $450 in today's dollars.) In any case, it's obvious he reeeelllly wanted to go hunting!
- Dad Kruse is his grandfather, his mother's dad.
- Glady is his aunt, his mother's sister.
The next letter is to Bo.
[postmarked October 4, 1943]
Sun
Dear Bo
I'll try to answer your letter that I was very surprised to get.
We went to the show yesterday. I came home and went to sleep about 6PM & got up about 8AM. I sure am tired I just don't get enough sleep I don't think 14 hours is enough for any body so I am in bed again hoping to get 6 or 7 hours more sleep befor I go to work.
Say listen please don't tell Ma because I don't want her to worry but I ask the draft board yesterday when I would get called they told me some time in November. I figured it would be around then but that is more or less official. I think I try to get in the ordnance when I do get in. Now please don't tell Ma. You know she will just worrie & I ain't going to write & tell here any thing about it till I am in for sure. When you see a letter to Ma with the stamp upside down you will know I have received my induction papers.
We had a pretty nice day today the sun came out & nearly blinded me I just am not use to such conditions. I guess I just have owl eyes & web feet. It sure hasn't been raining around here much of late. You can tell it too every one has a cold, it seems when It doesn't rain every body just has a tendency to come down with a cold.
We went out to Curts today & had a chicken dinner so we didn't do so bad did we. After you get the hang of it you can get quite a few meals out of people.
Say about Nene just lay off that poor little baby or you will have her wanting to go out and get drunk next. So she finally let Jim kiss her well now don't rub it in she's like her big Bro. she just don't go in for that stuff.
You ask if I met any good looking sailors boy have I, I met 3 from Kans. One of them is on the plump side but is he a wow, & I do mean a wow. These boy on the Enterprise have been in every major battle in the Pacific & they sure know there way around. They brought a bunch of boots on & you can tell one as far as you can see him, one ask me where the "head" was so I ask him he he knew the boat very well & he said no. I told him to drop down the first hatch & etc well he didn't even know what a hatch was and went out a door so to be mean I just let him go. Who am I to tell him any different. Those guys sure are easy to get lost too. When I am going on a job I have to keep in low gear so they can keep up with me.
Tell Ma I received her letter that she mailed Thursday it sure came though in a hurry, also tell her I'll try to write her soon.
Jack [with a flourish]
Notes: "boots" is slang for those freshly out of boot camp.
And the pay off to the gun-begging:
Oct 22 43
Dear Ma
May be I ought to drop you a line to let you know I'm still alive. I have been deer hunting just about every day & we I get home (if I do get home) I am so tired I can hardly walk. Yesterday I slept about 13 hours, but the day befor I had 3 hours sleep & the day befor that I had 5 hours sleep - so you see I really had earned a little sleep. Sat morning I went out to one of the welders house & stayed all day Sat & Sun. I sure had a lot of fun, Sat night we went out & they got drunk. I was afraid of getting sick so I didn't. We stayed up til 2 AM Sun & then got up at 8 I then went to sleep around 7 and slept till around 10. It really think I start finding out what a bed is for I haven't been in one enough lately to really know. Sun I went out in the bay and picked up some oysters. We fried and ate them. They were small but good. They do have some big ones on her fried they are about the size of the palm of your hand. I am going out again some day when it is sunny & take some pictures out there - it sure is pretty.
We haven't had much luck as far as deer hunting the only thing I got was a heck of a cold. (ok yes and a boil on my cheek & I don't think it was the same place Bo had hers because you didn't say anything about her having a hard time sitting down)
We did catch a big salmon in the creek day befor yesterday - the salmon are just starting to run & it is easy to reach down & grab one. The one we got was a dog salmon they are ugly but pretty good eating. I guess thats the kind they smoke. If I had my camera along I would have taken a picture of it.
It has been raining almost every day since I got my gun & it sure makes it miserable to hunt even after it rains because the ferns and underbrush hit me just about the waist.
Well as I don't plan on going out tomorrow & am sleepy I'll close now.
Sat
Well I guess I am going hunting again today, I'll have to get that buck today or tomorrow or never Sun is the last day.
Well we moved over on the West Va last night and really put out for a change.
I hear Louie comming so will have to close and I will try to write you a nice long letter next week.
Enclosed $25
Jack
Notes:
The $25 he sent with this letter was equivalent to $372 today.
The U.S.S. West Virginia was another battleship heavily damaged at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Sadly, more than 100 crew were lost in the attack. The ship sank in the shallow water but was recovered and moved to the shipyards in Puget Sound where Jack and others repaired her.
The salmon he reached in and caught was was a dog salmon, otherwise known as chum salmon. He didn't get a picture of it, but here is one:
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| USFWS |
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