[The following is a 4-page letter written by Willie Jones to Rudy Menchl. I just banged out a transcription not worrying about proper formatting or anything like that. Scans are also posted here along with the transcription] Myrtlewood
July 1, 1945 Dear Rudy, I received a letter from Alderson the other day. He sent me your address so I decided to write you. I was happy to hear that you and the others got to Switz. We worried a lot about what happened to all of you. We received the cards you wrote us in February 1945. I wrote you back but you were in the States by that time. We were happy to get the cards. It told us something about I was sorry to hear about ‘Dick’. [Victor Dickerson] I guess the rest of us were lucky. P.O.W. life wasn’t too good but we got out alive and back to the states and that is what counts. Ralph and Harry are O.K. I got a letter from Ralph yesterday. He and I was together all the time. Harry went to the hospital and came in camp later. I got a letter from Ritter the other day. He is doing fine. I would like to see you and the others. I wish we could all get together someplace. But I guess we will have to wait until after get out of the Army. I don’t know what the Army is going to do with me. How are you getting along now? Fine I hope. Did you make 1st Lt.? I hope so. We had a lot of fun together and I enjoyed being on the crew with all of you. My people had the picture of the crew that was sent home from Grand Island enlarged. It is a nice picture. Ralph, Harry and I could have gotten away in Italy but we were wounded. I couldn’t get up when I hit the ground. I was shooting at a plane under the stabilizer when Alderson said “Fighter at 3 O’clock. I went to shoot him but he shot first. Harry and i both went down. I had just got up and back at my gun when Ritter said for us to bail out. Ralph was blown to the waist. I was hit in the arm and leg and I hurt my back somewhere. Harry was shot in the leg. We are all OK now. I will close at this time. Write to me at Myrtlewood, Alabama. I will be here until the 7th of August. I got a 60 day furlough. Sincerely yours, Bill
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
ArchivesCategories
All
|