Name/Title
Spalsbury: #75 Letters Home March 9,1944Entry/Object ID
2021.2.319A-FScope and Content
Letter Home from Pvt. R. C. Spalsbury, 17135556, Btry A - 778th AAA Auto.Wpns. Bn (S.P.), Camp Haan, California to his father Mr. George C. Spalsbury, 806 South 11th, St. Joseph (10), Missouri. Post Marked MAR 9, 1944, 4:30 PM, Camp Haan, Calif., 6 cents Air Mail stamp
This letter is addressed only to Robert's dad recognizing his upcoming 60th birthday.Context
Wednesday Night -
8 March 1944
Dear Pop -
What do you know, "Old" boy? Well, you'll hit 60 years next Monday, and I'm writing this to wish you happy birthday. Also to let you know your gift will be a little late in arriving. I was down at the Camp General Store the other day and tried to get the manager to let me buy a box of cigars. But all they'll sell you is a single cigar, unless you're going out on a field problem or out to Irwin for firing. So they said my reason wasn't sufficient. As a result, I'm waiting till I go into L.A. and Hollywood this weekend.
I guess you've gotten the letter which I wrote you folks last night, thank you for sending the money. It was really nice of you to send it so quickly. I'll fix it up with you when I get home.
Mom's nice long letter came this afternoon, and I enjoyed reading it. Tell her I thought it would "scare" her when I threatened to borrow the money from the Wenzs. Ha-ha! She's cute. -
Depend on Foster Smith to get into something like the Finance Dept. Oh well, I guess he deserves it - I believe he was studying accounting at M.U.
Mom asked if it wouldn't be better to be in Headquarters Battery. No, I thought so at first, but don't think so now. Headquarters Battery is smaller than A,B,C, and D - it only has about 120, whereas the others have about 150 or 160- And the Tec 5s in Hq. Btry have been pulling Guard and K.P. T/5s Maraute and Killian, Hq. Btry Personnel Clerk and Battalion Classification Clerk, both have been absent from the office one day apiece in the last week or so because they were on K.P. -- Besides, A Btry has the reputation of being the best Battery in the Battalion, and I'm inclined to think it is! I like it much better than Btry. B, and think it has a better bunch of fellas that B. So I'm perfectly satisfied here.
Mom asked about Robert Rogers. Tell her his home is Pueblo, Colorado, but he was a freshman at the U. of Nebraska when the Army "got" him. He's not the student type, though quite intelligent. He confessed he went to college just to play football and to belong to a fraternity. He turned down the A.S.T.P when he was at the Pasadena J.C. S.T.A.R. Unit last July in our group. Rogers' Battalion shipped out last week to Muroc Air Field, where they're attached to the 5th Air Corps.
Tell Mom not to worry too much and not to plan too much about entertaining Duane & me on furlough. We don't expect a lot of fancy stuff, etc., but just a nice quiet welcome - - - etc.--
I haven't seen many movies of late. I've been having more fun doing other things, and besides, I owe so damn many letters that I hate to waste two hours at a movie, unless it's an exceptional one.
Mom wrote you folks saw "Edge of Darkness" and "Destination Tokio" recently. They were both reputed to be very good. I know all the fellas and the officers, also, raved about the latter when it appeared here about six weeks ago. Unfortunately, I missed both of 'em.
So the Army finally caught up with Herschel Hochman. Ha! I thought it would be odd for them to switch him to the Air Corps for good, knowing the Army as I do. The Army eventually catches up with these "overseas-dodgers." A lot of 2nd Louies in the 778th have gone to the Air Corps, and believe me, most of 'em flunked out and were sent back after a coupla weeks at Santa Ava.
Which reminds me, Technical Sgt. Robert Scringeour, the Sgt. Major (or highest ranking non-com) in the Personnel Office, received his orders today to report to an Air Field at Amarillo, Texas. He's been attached to the Air Corps for some time. He's convinced he'll be coming back in a few weeks, though, since he lacks the mathematical background necessary for success there. He just has 3 years of high school. I guess his job will be "held open" for him, in case he returns. And he probably will.
I bought the March Coronet magazine and read the article by Pvts. Pimental and Oettinger. It was very good. I noticed they spelled his name with an "e".
I must write Grandma Whinery and Aunt Esther letters. I owe 'em both.
Tell Mom I hurriedly went thru the Mission Inn at Riverside on Saturday afternoon about a month ago, and intend to go thru it again when I can spend more time there. That's the place she's heard so much about, and wanted me to go thru so badly.
I saw Hubert Speer at the Guild-Canteen last Saturday night. Haglund and I talked to him for awhile, then he finally went to bed. Said he had to get up early and go over to Pasadena to eat dinner at his Aunt's. Haglund and I don't think much of him, although we tolerate him. We don't want to hurt his feelings. Maybe one of the reasons Mrs. Speer acts so funny is that she feels slighted because I don't run around with Hubert. But that's silly - - ------.
I've owed Kathleen and Barbara for so long, especially Kathleen. However, I've sent her several postcards, and a program to "The Drunkard," that melodrama I saw weekend before last.
In one of Mom's letters she said something about using Army slang to girls. O.K., I'll try to tell 'em more about it - they'd love to know the things we say in the Army! Ha-ha!
Enclosed is a carbon copy of my transfer from B to A Battery, and another article I ran across about the A.S.T.P. deal. -
Don't worry about my new address, because T/5 Joe Corapi, the Battalion Mail Clerk, always give us our mail before it's distributed to the various Batteries. Mom said she hesitated about sending me a letter because she wasn't sure I'd moved yet.
Mom made a misstatement when she said in the letter I received today: "$50.00 + living expenses seems a fair amount to have a good time on when you only have weekends." That's the point - I do not get $50.00 monthly. I used to only get about $23.00 monthly when I bot a 25-dollar bond monthly, and only just this last pay day - Feb 29th - did my new pay start (only $12.50 deducted for a bond monthly.) So from now on I'll get about 28 or 29 dollars monthly.
I've owed Duane a letter for a long time. I must write soon.
Well, Pop, again happy birthday and your little present will arrive in a week or so.
Love, Bob
[Note - written along the left-hand side of the back of page 2: P.S. The new job is fine, and Cpl. Hall is a good boss to work for. I'll elaborate on my job when I come home on furlough.]Collection
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Category 08: Communication ObjectsArchive Items Details
Title
Letter Home from Pvt. R. C. Spalsbury, 17135556, Btry A - 778th AAA Auto.Wpns. Bn (S.P.), Camp Haan, California to his father Mr. George C. Spalsbury, 806 South 11th, St. Joseph (10), Missouri. Post Marked MAR 9, 1944, 4:30 PM, Camp Haan, Calif., 6 cents Air Mail stamp This letter is addressed only to Robert's dad recognizing his upcoming 60th birthday.Description
Handwritten letter home to parents back in St. Joseph after being called up to serve in the US Army during WWII. Pvt. Spalsbury, at the time of this letter, has completed Basic Training at Camp Callan, California, was stationed for a short time with a STAR Unit for ASTP (Army Specialized Training Program) soldiers in Pasadena, CA then moved to engineering training at Loyola University in Los Angeles, CA. After flunking out of the ASTP program, Robert was briefly stationed at Camp Roberts, located in central California assigned to the Infantry Replacement Training Center. Robert is stationed at Camp Haan in southern California, a U.S. Army training camp for Coast Artillery Anti Aircraft gunners. At the time of this letter, Robert has recently been transferred from Battery B to Battery A since he began working as an office Clerk in Battery A.
This letter is two pages, front and back, written in blue ink on very thin plain stationery (likely Air Mail stock). The matching envelope is equally thin and shows signs of deterioration along the edges. The pages are folded in thirds.Dimensions
Height
10-1/2 inWidth
7-1/4 inRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Robert C. Spalsbury
