2000 Charter Member of WWII Memorial

(Written on the back of the letter welcoming me as a charter member.)

1-26-01

Dear Kit,

This is where I spent two years away from my good wife and Jack, We Kitty and Jack had to leave a beautiful 2 bedroom brick house on the corner of 33rd and Blaine Streets, NE, with a screen side porch with a Rattan sofa and chair.

To pass the time as a soldier, I would help Joe Coleto the cook, handle the mail call each day, and wrap packages for those who were sending German articles home. I sent a German Uniform that Kitty's brother Charles wore to the St. Anthony's dance.

I kept my name on a pass list. One night I went in the army truck to Inssbrook, Austria to an opera, just to get away for an evening.

Trudi Schreyer, was a great friend who took me and my friend Tom Hammond climbing the Zugapit Mountains in Bavaria with her 2 girls, Seagrid and Hertha and her son Hubert. I could not climb now as I was 26 years then. When you reached the Mountain Top Inn, the Manager would give you a card signed by him that you had officially reached the mountain top.

I was able to get R&R in 1945 to Nice, France to a great week at the Negresco Hotel with free metro rides, free meals in the hotel accompanied by a good sized band to play our requests all arranged by General George Patton, 3rd Army Chief, who planned this for all 3rd Army in combat for a year, to go to the French Riviera.

I also had a 3-day trip to Paris where we had free rides on the Metro, that stopped at the Notre Dame Cathedral, and all the special places.

I was able to send Mom 3 V-Mail letters a day as I could write them on my lap.

I'll close for now as I'm running to the end of the page.

Love you always,

Dad and Mom