As I move many of my dad’s Navy letters to a digital format I will occasionally provide samples as shown below. I picked this one simply because it was from the set of letters from 1942 which I thought was lost. Also most of the language from the letter is original. I changed a couple items to make it more readable, but it is mostly original. I think you will find a few mentions of people you know, know of, or are related to…at least if you’re from Baca County. Here you go:
November 11, 1942
Dearest Mother Dady and all:
Here goes to write you a few lines in answer to your letter, was more than glad to hear from you again. How does this fine all of you? I am up and around and back to duty and feel fine. Hope all of you are the same.
Has Ray got all of his corn taken care of by this time sure hope so. I had a letter from June and Louie yesterday send me some pictures of Vance Lee, looks like quite a boy, He is really laughing in two of them.
Is Burt and Homer still there with you? I had a letter from Sis Utt the other day. She wrote me a nice letter, tells me lots of news. Yes I have got me a letter from Cecil sence he got back from leave.
I’ll bet that was rather exciting when the horse ran away with Sonny on the wagon I guess it was lucky that it never threw him off.
So Junior, Mary, Ethel Fay, Vernon all went on their honeymoon. Is Vernon and Ethel still living with her folks. I wrote about all I know, so will close for this time answer real soon
Love
Charles
NOTE: When he references corn in the first part of the letter he is referencing Broomcorn. Bert (Aldine) and Homer were a couple of hired hands. Sonny is my Uncle Harold Brooks and the horses were Lucky and Brownie, pulling a Broomcorn wagon. Uncle H. tells me that they never figured out what spooked the horses, but Granddad Walter yelled at him to jump off but instead he hunkered down and stayed on the wagon until they quit running. Junior and Mary are Junior and Mary (Homsher) Doyle while Vernon and Ethel Fay are Vernon and Ethel Fay Amrine
Below is one of the pictures of Vance Lee, dad’s nephew similar to the one referenced in the letter above. This was in Dads Navy pictures but the date on the pic is after the date on the letter.