Year: 1944

2/27/44

Dear Family:

Another Sunday.  It surely does bring back vivid memories of the Sundays we all used to spend with each other.  Perhaps, those days will come again.  I surely am hoping and praying that they will.

I am feeling ok and I trust that you are.  Maybe I’ll get home in another year or so.

Should have some more pictures for you one of these day’s.  Don’t look for them in a couple of weeks, it will take a little longer than that.

Boy: I am surely getting tired of all this nonsense out here.  Surely will have plenty to tell you when I do return.

We haven’t had any mail now for quite a spell but I suppose it will all come at once.  As yet the package hasn’t arrived as we are quite a good distance farther than before it will probably take a good time for it to arrive.

How did Bobby like the souvenirs I sent him?  Believe me I surely do miss those children and all of you.  Must close now and get a little shut eye.

All my love,

Leo

Captain L.J. McLoskey

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March 1 1944

Dear Folks & all:

It has been about eighteen days since I have heard from you.  I hope and pray that everything is ok with all of you.

As yet I haven’t received your package but don’t worry about it as I know that it will be along one of these days.

The evenings are pretty cool but the day’s wow! The heat is teriffic.  From 1100 until 1 500 it is almost unbearable.  The weight has surely gone off of me this trip.  I could stand it.

Heaven only knows when I will be able to get home and see all of you.  Looks now as if it will be 1945.  However I haven’t given up hopes of it being yet this year.

I am now living with the same fellow I did before.  We have a tent set up.  It isn’t to bad.  Reminds me of the time we took the fishing trip with the Law’s up to Wisconsin.

Am anxiously awaiting a letter from you.  Give all my regards to everybody.  There just isn’t anything I can write except that I miss and love all of you.

All my love,

Your son, Leo

Captain L.J. McLoskey

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Cannot find the letter for this envelope?

12 March, 1944

Dear Folks:

Received your letter today that was written Feb 7, 1944.  I can’t understand why you haven’t been hearing from me.   I have written you quite often.  Perhaps my mail has been delayed along the line someplace the same as yours has.

Loren Hay’s stopped by to see me this evening and I showed him some picture of you and also of Roberts family.  I know that he is very homesick to see his family but he just got overseas so I am afraid it will be quite awhile before he gets home.

Am glad that “Bobby” likes to spend the night with you.  He surely is a swell looking boy.  Anne and Mary Alice are also not to be sneezed at.

Hope that you have recovered from your colds when you receive this.  I am feeling ok.  They are now feeding me multiple vitamin tablets and I do believe that they are helping me as far as my tired feeling goes.  However, a good visit with all of you is what I need the most.

Received the college calendar.  Thanks.  I can surely use it.  At least I now am able to know what day and date of the month it is.

Will write to you just as often as I can and if you don’t get them very fast you will at least know that more of them are on the way.

Praying that this finds all of you in the best of health.  I will close for this time.

All my love,

Your son, Leo

Captain L.J. McLoskey

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17 March 1944

Dear Folk’s & all:

Received your letter dated March 2, 1944 with the clipping in it entitled; “Lines to my Captain.”  Mother I don’t mind telling you that it brought tears to my eyes.

The picture was taken where I am now located.  The Major and I are pretty good buddies.  He is quite a character.  He is also on the Colonel’s staff with me.

We surely do have some gorgeous sunrise’s and sunsets.  They are very hard to describe.  All I can say is they are beautiful.

How did Bobby like his souvenirs?  About every other evening I get out all the family pictures I have with me and look at them.  I’ll admit I am plenty homesick and fed up with it all and I know that I write the sentiments of several other thousand men overseas.

I’ll certainly say that Algie got a furlough plenty fast.  Guess the army operates differently than the Marine Corps.  Well, more power to the men who can get home to their families.

Mother I know you will worry regardless of what I write you.  But, I am ok and try not to worry to much.

Dad, you tell Charley Johnson it is so damn hot here that at times I feel like going native and just wearing a burlap bag.  Also, tell Carter Stanton I do smoke a fresh cigar now and then.

All my love,

Your son, Leo

Captain L.J. McLoskey

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March 22, 1944

Dear Folks:

This is my sixth letter to you this month and if I had written to you as often as I had wanted to and as often as I think of you it would be my six  thousandth.

I mailed Bobby and Anne a Japanese ten yen note so I am mailing you this one.

As yet I haven’t received any of the birthday boxes but as I thought I had written you in my last letter it will be coming along one of these days so don’t worry,

I got a letter from Aunt Minnie Hay’s yesterday.  It was mailed on Feb 27, 1944 with only a three cent stamp so it made very good time.

Received your letters of Feb 25, 14, and 17^th yesterday.  Believe me I surely was glad to receive them.  Thanks a great deal for all the stamps.  I can surely use them.

Mother, you said it I surely could go for some of that roast pork and browned potatoes.  That’s not all, those scalloped oysters would surely be mighty fine.

Yes, it surely will be swell when this is all over and we can return to the ones we love.

Would like to answer some of your questions but due to censorship regulations that is impossible.

Here it is almost the end of the month again.  I wonder often what the future holds in store for all of us.

Mother in June I will have completed twenty four months overseas or two years.  Maybe they will send me home one of these day’s.  However, there are plenty who have been over longer than I.

This finds me well and I trust it will reach all of you the same.

All my love,

Your son, Leo

Captain L.J. McLoskey

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March 27, 1944

Dear Folks:

The time surely does go very rapidly.  It must be because I am so darn busy.  I see the last time I dropped you a letter was March the twenty second.

I pray each evening that all of you are well and that they will send me home for a leave before many more months are gone.

This evening I am plenty tired and sleepy but I wanted to say hello to all of you before I took my bucket bath and retired.  If only I could stop in for a short visit with all of you.  Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

I got four letters from Libby today dating all the way back to Feb 17, 1944.  She surely does write one swell letter.  Believe me Robert was one lucky fellow when he got Libby.

Wow!  Surprise! Surprise! The man from the message center just left and he had two letters from you people.  They were dated March 8, 1944 and March 9, 1944.  It is now almost nine o’clock (pm) but this corporal told me he brought me the mail because he figured it was from my family and because I was always looking out for the men.  It really made me feel very good as a matter of fact so good that tears came to my eyes.  Yes Mother, Marines I do believe are tough in name and physically only.  Their hearts are the same as any other individuals.

The plans for the kitchen look very good.  I know both of you will like it.  Thanks, dad for the Veteran of Foreign Wars card and for paying the dues.  Also, thanks for the stamps.

I have so many things I could tell all of you but I simply cannot write.  By golly! We will have a big celebration when I do return.

Am enclosing a couple more snap shots.

All my love,

Your son, Leo

Captain L.J. McLoskey

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March 29, 1944

Dear Folks:

As April the sixteenth is your thirty eighth wedding anniversary I am now enclosing a check for you to do with as you see fit.  I only wish that I could spend it with you.  Hope you have a pleasant day and many more of them.  I envy both of you.  Who know’s, perhaps somebody will marry me when the war is over.

I have had a rather severe throat the past two day’s.  The doc has some fancy name for it but I believe I have been smoking perhaps a little to much.  We have been rather busy lately and with long hours my chewing and smoking help me keep awake.

Hope my letters have been getting to you sooner than I receive yours.  However, considering every thing I do believe we are fortunate that we get mail as often as we do.

Maybe they will decide to send some of us home before long in order that we won’t become as the Marines put it: “rock happy.”  That is one with a stare in their eyes and a far away look from being on an atoll too long.

Don’t worry about me as I am ok and hope this finds all of you batting a thousand per cent.

All my love,

Your son, Leo

Captain L.J. McLoskey

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April 2, 1944

Dear Folks & All:

Here it is another Sunday.  Another week has past and another month gone.  In another month you will again be getting out the lawn furniture and mowing the grass.

I got Mrs. Dickson’s package yesterday and it contained several good items of chow.  My tent mate and I ate half of them last evening.  As yet I haven’t gotten your box but don’t worry it will be arriving one of these day’s.  The mail has been slightly fouled up.

At the present time I have the duty at the Bn. C.P.  Will get off about six this evening.  It is now about one pm and I started at noon.  Each day they seem to add more and more on my duties but as I have said before I don’t mind as I am so darn busy all the time that time goes very rapidly.

Just finished dropping Homer and Ada a few lines and I also enclosed some pictures.  As I told Ada I can hear her and mother laughing now.  The day is coming when we will all be together again.

Hope you have a swell wedding anniversary. I’ll be thinking of you.  

Haven’t seen Bozz Hay’s in quite a spell.  Guess he is getting along ok.  

Got your letter of March 13^th yesterday.  That was pretty good time.  The picture you sent in the newspaper I am afraid wasn’t me.  Am sorry I can’t write you more but as I have said before it is impossible.  Men who are writing and giving their location are not abiding by the rules of censorship and the censor letting it go through is not doing his job.  I will always tell you whatever the rules permit.

Keep on writing as I love to hear from you.  I miss all of you.

All my love,

Your son,

Captain L.J. McLoskey

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4 April, 1944

Dear Folks:

I got your letter today that you mailed 21 Feb, 1944.  So you can se that the mail is sort of mixed up.  Anyway I am always glad to hear from you.  In case I didn’t tell you I did get the college calendar and thanks for sending it.

As yet I haven’t received the birthday box but don’t worry about it as it will be along one of these days.

I can’t understand why Roberts haven’t been getting my mail.  I have been writing.  They surely will get them eventually.  Let me know if you get the Japanese money that I sent you. 

Got a letter from Hazel Sorensen and she tells me that her nephew Jack is home on leave.  I’ll bet they were glad to see him.

Surely is too bad about Allan McCaslin’s wife.  Hope they are wrong on her diagnosis.

Had to leave Radio when I left as she was pregnant again.  She surely was quite a gal.  Got a letter from the officer I left her with and she again had a large litter.  My dog that I brought with me this trip is named “Boot.”  Will send you a picture of him one of these day’s.  He is quite a dog and as you will note a male, so I won’t have the trouble with “Boot” that I had with “Radio.”

As I have the watch at the C.P. I just finished dropping the Aunts and Roberts a letter.  It keeps me on the go all the time with all the duties I have.

Robert tells me that you took Bobby to the high school to hear Lynn Waldorf.  Sort of getting Bobby football minded young aren’t you?  I’ll bet he will make a good athlete as he is plenty smart and fast.

Hope this finds you all in the best of health.  My sore throat is all gone and I am again back to par.

The ants are also very pesky here.  They are the large red variety.  The fly’s are also very large.  We call them bull fly’s.

Give my regards to all the neighbors.  Sounds as if you still have plenty of laughs in the neighborhood.  Maybe you think I am not dreaming of the day when I can laugh with you. 

All my love,

Your son, Leo

Captain L.J. McLoskey

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