Pvt. August Haferkamp 36684775
Hq. Co. 3rd Bn. 135th Inf.
APO 34 c/o PM, New York, N.Y.
Italy
Aug. 4, 1944
Dear Mother:-
I received your V mail letter today that you wrote me on July 21st and I was glad to hear from you. I've been wanting to write you the last few days but I put it off thinking I would hear from you soon. I also got a letter from Dora today and she sent me some clippings and I'll send them on to you.
So Henry Lee got the letter I sent him. I bet he was surprised to get it wasn't he? I wonder what is keeping Fred from writting. Surely if he is real busy he could find time once in a while even if it was only a V mail. I wrote him 2 or 3 weeks ago and as yet I haven't received any answer. If he would write and let me know where he was located or at least give me a hint I could go and visit him as I'm sure I could get away for 5 days. But the way it is they move those replacement depots so much and they have many of them. I wouldn't know where to start looking for him. So the Martini boy wrote his Mother and told her I wrote to him. I finally answered his letter a few days ago. He may have been close to me at one time but I don't think he is now. I heard his outfit was back taking a special training. So was Collie's and I expect to hear soon that they have made another landing somewheres.
I wrote to Collie and answered his letter a long time ago but never did hear anymore of him. I know his outfit hasn't been on the lines fighting for some time now.
To bad about the accident at No. 7 mine. Seems like every few months something like that has to happen. I bet they were a mess. I think I know all 3 of the fellows. Dora sent me a clipping out of a St. Louis paper about it.
So the grass fires are starting at home again. I guess there will be a lot of them as dry as it was. You must of had a rain & storm a while back as I saw in our "Stars and Stripes" paper where the bridge at Chester fell in the river and was caused by lightning. Bill had the right day off if he was home the day of the 2 fires. I had a letter from Harry Kuehnen several days ago and I wrote him a long letter back giving him a line. I think I wrote him 7 or 8 pages. He & I usually write each other V mails but I was in a writting mood so I wrote him a long one. He is pretty good about writting even if he doesn't say much.
The other day we were all issued 4 - 12 oz. cans of beer. It was Schaefers beer brewed in New York. It was the first American beer I had since I left the States. We had some several times that was made over here in Naples. Wasn't much good.
I got paid a few days ago for the month of July. That made 2 pay days in several days. I sent Dora $25.00 from my first pay and kept the second in case I should go on a pass one of these days. We didn't get our $10.00 increase yet but will next pay with back pay. They are paying those in combat back pay to last January. I won't get so much as I didn't go into combat until after the middle of April.
This coming Sunday my Regiment is having a parade and citation and are going to award the medals to the fellows who have them coming. That's when I'll be getting my "Bronze Star" medal that I have coming. With this medal we also get a ribbon to wear on the pocket of our blouse but of course we have no blouse. We can wear that when the war is over and we head home. I have several campaign ribbons coming now also. This parade will be lead by the 34th Division band and all ranking officers will be there.
Dora said in her letter yesterday that she had a letter from you and you sent her Freddie's address. She was going to make a package of 8 cigars and send them to him. She sends them to me that way and I don't have to request them. She sends them 1st class mail for 12 cents postage.
I think I told you about the meal we had last Sunday. Well Monday we had a better one yet. We had roast turkey with dressing, corn, tomatoes, gravy; breach & butter; apricots; chocolate cake, and lemonade. We had all we could eat and there was turkey left. They are really feeding us good while we are here in this rest area. We have one cook that makes wonderful cakes & pie.
Every night there is a movie and several nights a week they have a U.S.O. stage show or band music before the movies. The other night at the U.S.O. show there was two American girls in it who sang many songs. It was great to see an American girl again as they were clean and dressed neat and that's more than you can say for most of these Italian girls. The most of them look like they haven't seen any water for months. Even if they haven't the clothes they could at least wash and keep clean.
I went for a shower bath this afternoon and thought I would get a clean O.D. shirt and pants but I never. They never had my size. Looks like they don't keep men size clothes as I've always got trouble getting size 36-33 pants. I did get new sock and also new underwear. We get these every time we take a shower.
I quit writting for about an hour and went down to hear a dance band that they had here for us. There was some swell music and singing. They say there is a good movie on tonight so I may go for a change. I've only been to one once and then didn't stay until it was over. You know I never did care much for shows.
They are sending a lot of fellows into Rome on 5 day passes again. If they don't stop it soon again I may be up for my turn before long.There are about 4 in the wire section ahead of me now yet. That is why I wish Freddie would try to let me know where he was and I could hunt him up in those 5 days. Now that we are in a rest area we can nearly always get a 5 day pass if we have relatives over here that we want to visit. When we go back in combat I may not get a chance to go.
I ordered myself a new pair of shoes today as the pair I have are going bad. I hope I get combat shoes instead of regular shoes as that would do away with wearing leggings. These combat shoes are about 6 inches higher than regular shoes and this part has only two buckels. It's a lot better and saves time. Tomorrow we can turn one blanket in to get cleaned. I have 2.
Well I told you all I know so I'll have to close and I will write you more later. Write when you have time as I enjoy hearing from you all. So long.
Love,
Gus
This letter was postmarked August 8, 1944, and on the front of the envelope my aunt wrote "received Aug. 16 -44." She also wrote and circled "Aug. 4." This is because on August 16 they received three letters from my father, one he had written on August 4 and the others written in the following days.