Hey! Soldier - A Letter From Dad April 7th, 1942

About This Letter:

From: Gustave Lutz (Dad)

To: CP.L George F. Lutz

Co. C. 6th BN.

Camp Wheeler G.A.

Letter Transcription:

Apr. 7 1942

Dear George.

As I understand it, you wil be on problems all this week and chances are you will not get this letter.

I thought that once you had your 13 week basic training you would be through with Problems. How come you start all over again.

With the drafting, sign painting, overseeing the tool room and going out for problems you will not have a thing to do all week.

We did not go out to Mastic over the week end and in fact we didn't go anywhere at all therefore I have not got much news to write you. Grace was up on Gene's birthday and came up again Saturday and Gene and Grace went out to some florist and bought some plants for Mother and also Grace's Mother.

I spent half a day Good Friday getting an identification card, issued by the Coast Guard which permits you to go either deep water fishing or bay fishing. I have heard plenty reports that the fishing is very good. (word unreadable) As yet I did not get to do any fishing. Gene just can't wait to get a chance at those big flounders.

I have a secret method if getting those ceiling boards up all by myself. I think I wrote all about it in my last letter to you.

We have had some very nice weather there last four or five days. Real Spring. In fact none like summer. It was seventy eight degrees today.

As I said before, I didn't have much news. Any way I used four sheets saying nothing so will close now.

Love, Dad

Editors Notes:

I personally find it interesting that some of the letters George receives often times don't reveal much of the happenings that are going on. I suppose it also depends on the writing style of the individual, but in this letter we can see that Gustave knew all about the florist trip with Grace and Gene, but didn't really go into much detail. Where as Grace explained the entire trip in great detail when it came to her letter. I'll certainly concede that we have no way of knowing if there were other letters written, and I suppose we will never know my great grandfather's secret trick for putting up ceiling dry wall all by himself, but either way, it must have been nice to just simply receive mail that let you know that family was thinking about you, even if they did't really have much to day. Never knowing my great grandfather, I can't really tell if he is writing the letters because he really wants to, or if he is being prompted by George's mom. Another consideration in regards to the letters, is that it actually cost money to send them. Granted it was only 3 cents to mail, but there was also the cost of the actual paper, pens, and envelopes. Now a days we tend to forget that rings were in short supply and they didn't have a way to send electronic messages back and forth.