07-29-1945 Potato Sticks, Jack Benny, and Don’t Be a Bunch of McGee’s

Transcription

29 July
Parsberg, Germany.

Dear Mother & Dad:

Today I received four packages.
That makes 6 that I have received
altogether. There were two boxes of
cookies and 2 boxes of assorted canned
goods and the potato sticks. Boy!
Those potato sticks really taste good.
How I wish I had a steak to go
with them. Things are a little
better around here now and my
needs are not quite so acute.
However, keep the packages coming
they are always welcome.
I have not written lately
because I have been very busy
working on the plans for a
recreational park that we
built here. We put the German
POW's to work on it and it
was finished last Sunday. We
named it after one of the
officers who was killed in action
with us at Gotha. We had a grand
opening with the division and
and all kinds of sporting
events. The day ended with a
U.S.O. show in the evening.
(over)

I was very happy to hear of
Georgie's marriage. I should like
to write him a notice of
congratulation but I do not
have his new address. As soon
as you have it will you send
it on to me. I wish I could
have been there. Who knows?
Pretty soon I may be an uncle.
A couple of weeks ago
I traveled to Kelheim and
saw the Jack Benny show. It
was almost as good as a
letter from home. It was great to
see real American civilians.
Before the show started, Benny
was out in front horsing
around with the boys. He was
dressed up as an M.P. Also in
the same show was Martha
Tilton the singer, Ingrid Bergman
the move actress and Larry Adler
the famous harmonica player.
Of course, Benny played the fiddle
and not at all badly. The highlight
of the show was a "love scene"
between Benny & Ingrid Bergman in
which she pounded him on the
chest with her fists, pulled his

2
hair and wound up with him
laying flat on his back on the
stage. When it was over, Benny
said, "I dont know whether she
won the Academy Award or the
Golden Gloves." Commenting on the
destruction of German cities, he
drew a roar from the audience
when he said, "Say, fellas, how do
you like what WE did to
Nuremberg." With a great big emphasis
on the "we." Another good quip came
when he said that he used to
play football in the Nuremberg
Stadium. All in all it was a
very good show. "Information Please"
is going to be in Kelheim this
week but our Battalion is out
of gas so there is no transportation
to get there. I guess we'll miss
it.

We transferred a lot of high
point men to the 9th Armored Div.
which is going home, and in
return received a lot of low point
men as replacements. They were
welcomed to the Div. by Col.
Hayden Sears of Chestnut Hill, Mass.
who is the commander of CC
(over)

The Colonel's speech was made in
the rear of Bn. Hqs. right
underneath our window. Shades
of Gen. Patton! What a vocabulary
that man has got! I heard
words that never even knew
existed. He minced no words
in letting us know what he
thought about the Krauts. He told
us if they gave us any trouble
to beat some brains into them.
"However," he said, "I don't want you
to become a bunch of McGee's, who
had 11 court martials before The
Stars and Stripes got Congress to
come to the aid of the poor bastard."
It was one of the most colorful
talks I have ever heard.

I am enclosing a few pictures
of our meeting with the Russians.
Save them for me. Don't go
lugging them around. I am very
much dissappointed about the
loss of that Yank cover. Well
so long for now.

Your Loving son
"Oby"

P.S. Please send another package.
New address - Bn Hqs 51st AIB etc.