7/8/43
Dear Folks:
Received the cigars, gum, peanuts and cough drops yesterday. Thanks a million. I surely do appreciate them.
The weather is rainy again this evening and it has really been coming down. Honestly! You people just can’t realize how hard it rains and how awfully hot it gets.
The clipping I sent to you was about me loosing my cuspidor out of my jeep. It was so small you might have dropped it. If I am not mistaken I believe that I sent Roberts one so you can look at theirs.
Mother, that surely was a swell snap Leota sent me of you in your Easter outfit. You surely do look swell. The pictures of the children were also very good and so was the two of Leota.
Suppose you had a big time the fourth of July. We had a little better chow than usual that evening. In other words it wasn’t all taken out of cans.
The latest dope I have gotten it will be some time before I return to the mainland. Guess they figure my men and myself are made out of steel or else they figure we are rugged like our blitz buggies.
We are gradually getting in better shape each day on the atoll but still life isn’t any bed of roses. I have gotten so used to ants and insects crawling on me that I don’t even pay any attention to them any more. All of us kid each other and as a whole we are folly in spite of what we know the future has in store for us. I try to run my outfit as a family and of course I am the father. I call all my young lads son and part of the time they call me pops. When I have to be military I really can and all my men know when I am joking and when I am serious. As you know we can’t be serious all the time.
Was it possible to have any fireworks at all for the children? I don’t imagine it was but was just curious.
My goodness that storm you had must have been a bad one. I always liked “Rusty” Williams and I know the community will also miss him. Monmouth has surely had its share of deaths recently.
Did Aunt Ella get the shells I sent her? Golly I sent them over a month ago she surely has them. I also sent Prof. McClenahan at the college a box so he could use them in his Geology class.
I am feeling ok and I hope this finds all of you the same. I try not to worry to much about all my responsibilities. Although I will admit some nights when I have a chance to get a little extra sleep I have a hard time sleeping as I keep wondering if I have done all I was supposed to during the day and if I could ease the burden on my men any or how I could make their living quarters more cozy.
Glad you liked the magazine. I thought it was quite a compliment to have my outfit represent the Marine Corps in it.
Write whenever you have time and again thanks for the cigars and the other merchandise in the box.
All my love,
Leo
1st. Lt. L.J. McLoskey
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