Life in a Foxhole 6-28-44

foxhole-article-mary-anne-erickson

Life in a Foxhole 6-28-44

In this letter, my Dad starts out by saying there’s not much to talk about so he’ll just fill up space on the page. Then he proceeds to describe his daily life in his foxhole! Check out this fascinating newspaper clipping from 1942.

V-Mail
 28 June 1944

To Mary at same Riverside Drive address

Hi Cutie Pants – not a gosh darn thing I can write about, really, so I’ll just try to fill up a page. Took a bath and washed clothes (all in stark, bright outdoors, of course) all in one helmet full of water today. You think that’s good? Ordinarily I brush my teeth, shave & wash ears & neck, and usually wind up washing my feet (you take better care of feet than anything else in the Army) – all in one canteen cup of water!
Did I tell you that I bumped into Joe and a few other guys from basic? Yep. They’re just a few fields away from us. Mighty good to see them and get the news about all the rest of our gang.
Bill and I are gradually getting our little hole fixed up into a very comfortable little nest. We have about a bale of grass on the floor and cardboard (waterproof ration cartons) walls. We even dug out a shelf for stuff we can lay out. We’re worried about it being too good, however – as we discovered a colony of ants moving in! Really – eggs & all. We’re trying to head them off but they’re insidious. If all else fails, we’ll take off our socks and fumigate ’em.
How’s my lil ol’ Karen? Golly, but I’m anxious to get some mail. Say hello to Corny & Teenie, the Boardmans and naturally the menage. You know I love you. Here’s a big kiss —— Give Karen a bit of it.

Pappy

 

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