Bill travels to Ft Dix, New Jersey for testing. He travels to Philadelphia on a pass and spends time with the family of a fellow soldier from boot camp at Van Dorn. He continues to get lots of letters from family and friends.
Bill often refers in his letters to his grandpa. Anna’s father, Henry “Val” Wing was born in 1864. He lives with Anna and her family. His wife, Evana, died in 1936 at the age of 68. At that time Anna was living in Pennsylvania and couldn’t afford to attend her mother’s funeral. Ruth Banis Nance recalls Val Wing as a sweet and pleasant man who always has time for the Banis children. He liked music and played the fiddle.
On the US Front:
- U.S. Economic Stabilization Director James F. Byrnes orders a temporary ban on the sale of shoes until February 10. Then through June 15, people could purchse one pair of shoes only by using “Stamp No. 17” in war ration book. House slippers, ballet slippers and baby shoes were exempt from the order because their production was not affected by the limited supply of leather.
- Russian pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff gives his last concert Knoxville, TN, and then cancels the remainder of his tour of American universities. Too ill to keep a February date, Rachmaninoff, who had become an American citizen on February 1, was diagnosed with melanoma and would die on March 28.
- Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll broadcast the final episode of their popular NBC Blue Network radio program, the original Amos ‘n’ Andy.
- At 4:30 pm local time, the Mexican volcano Parícutin breaks the surface of a cornfield. By the next morning, the volcanic mound is already 30 feet high. Within a year, the volcano would be 1,100 feet tall and would peak at 2,000 feet.
- The first “steel pennies” are manufactured in the United States. Because of the need for copper to be used for the war effort, the one cent piece is made of steel with a thin zinc plating to prevent rust.
On the War Front:
- United States’ VI Corps arrives in North Africa.
- Guadalcanal is finally secured; it is the first major achievement of the American offensive in the Pacific war.
- Munich and Vienna are heavily bombed, as is Berlin.
- U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower is selected to command the Allied armies in Europe.
Feb 7, 1943 — Fort Dix, NJ
Dear Mom & All
I just got your package & letter yesterday. So since this is the first chance I’ve had to write for a while I’ll try to make it good. I got two packages from you one from Ruth & one from Mae Jackson
Gee Mom everyone is sure good to me. Too good. And everything is so wonderful. I sort of wanted to keep them until Xmas but it wasn’t a case of what I wanted to do. I have to burn my letters as quick as ans. them. I sent a box of stuff home Mom. And in it you find a package or rather a pair of shoes that he wanted. That was a slick one. Tell him to ask me no questions and I’ll tell him no lies. It would look lots better if they were dyed black.
Say! You know Mom maybe there is something to this thing called prayers. I use them myself once in a while. I sort of believe myself that there was something more than luck that helped me get my furlough. The kids are great Mom Keep them believing in prayer. Since I’ve lived in the west I’ve learned to believe in them more than I ever did before. And it wasn’t a lady that had anything to do with it. Say I’ll get you some more Rabbits next year mom.
Say Mom one of the fellows down in Van Dorn in my old Co. lives here in Philadelphia and he wrote and told my buddy & I to go up and see his folks. We did Sunday night and talk about a swell time. They are Italian people and they treated us just like we were their own. And everyone talked at once. They cried, laughed and Heavens what a time. We had just eaten supper and still they insisted that we eat a big meal. And you know how the Dagos like wine. Well the old man, Ralph’s Dad poured us full of good wine. Then Ralph’s girl friend came down and we had to go up to her place to see all the folks & have supper & wine. Oh Boy! Are they swell. Now we’ve been invited tomorrow for supper and Sat & Sunday for the weekend. I’ll swear we really had a good time. They won’t let friends or guests spend money so we were safe that far. They’re Rich people so money doesn’t mean a thing to them.
Well so Paw is good at dressing chickens is he. Say Mom where do you think you’re going to get all this money that you’re going to send. You save that and use it for your own troubles. Hell I can get along without a pen and knife. Besides maybe I won’t even need them.
Well I’ve got 20 other letters to ans Mom so good bye now
And lots of love to all
Bill
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