5 April 1943
Dear Mother,
Just was going to write you when they called me over to the orderly room. My package came and I'm having one grand time eating figs. Mom, if you don't mind I'll tell you not to send any more gum. You see, I've found that my stomach is o.k. if I don't chew gum too much. Then too if you're caught chewing gum in ranks it's T.S. in the Army. You forget so easy you don't know you're chewing it.
Oh yes, to tell you about the card I sent Sunday from La Crosse. You see, one night I was up at the service club playing some games, had a little ice-cream. My friend or a fellow I know was standing near me and we were watching a party they were having for the boys. A lot of U.S.O. girls came up from La Crosse. They come quite a lot. They can't leave the building and have 3 or 4 older women with them. So we were standing beside a post watching them dance. I said to him, "Well guess if you don't dance you're out of luck. They think that's all a soldier can do." One older lady heard me. She asked if I didn't like the dance. "Aren't they nice?" I told her I never cared about dancing. I cared more about the outside life and going to see places in my car. We talked about an hour or more. Guess she took a liken to me. She told about she and her husband. He died two years ago. How they went fishing etc. After a while she asked, "Do you ever go to La Crosse?" I told her I had been once. "Well the next time you come down you call the Public Library and ask for me. I'll introduce you to one of the nice girls I know, but you must be a real nice boy for she is a nice girl."
Two weeks ago I went, called her and she called the girl. Called me back and gave me the number. I called and she told me to come up and call for her in an hour. The old lady, Mrs. Showers, must have told her a lot about me. I had told Mrs. Showers I was a little funny. I found the girl just what she said. The girl's home is in Tomah. A town about 5 miles above camp. La Crosse is 40 or so miles below camp. We talked and had a very nice evening but after having some ice-cream and I took her home she couldn't ask me in as she only boarded there.
During the next two weeks she talked with the lady of the house. The lady of the house told her to have me come down. So this past week I had a letter asking me down to dinner Saturday evening and she was going to do the cooking. So this last Saturday I went down. She got out of work at 4 o'clock, hurried home and had supper ready at 6:30.
The lady of the house works out (outside of the home). When she came home everything was ready. I made another hit with the lady of the home and her 16 year old daughter. The girl is quite big for 16 with light hair just like the girl I went to see. Look almost like sisters. The little girl, Ruth, thinks Marian and I are just swell. We took her out to lunch with us Sunday.
It seemed so good to be in a home. Look around and things that look like home - even a few cactus plants. They all tried to make it so nice for me. It seemed so good when the lady of the house was talking to me. I just had to put my head down...…
Guess I'll tell you the girl's name, Miss Marian Schedler (Schad'-ler) (23 years old). She wore a pretty blue dress because two weeks before I said something about liking blue. When I left her Saturday night she told me to call for her at 9 o'clock Sunday morning to take her and go to church.
I went but she was kind of sick so we stayed around the home until the afternoon. She got two rolls of film and we took some pictures. I left her a dollar to have them printed and send them up to camp. When I got back to camp she had slipped the dollar back in my pocket.
I asked Marian what she thought about going out with a soldier. (You know, Mom, some people don't care to see a girl with a soldier. They look at you funny. It hurts sometimes. Guess they think the girl is cheap.) So I asked her. Here is what she said. "Most all boys are in the army to-day. I have nothing against a soldier but I don't believe in running around with any Tom, Dick and Harry. Soldier or not a soldier. You would have never taken me out if it hadn't been for Mrs. Showers."
Marian never comes up to camp. She told me all she did was work, go to a show or bowl, ride a bicycle and get her beauty sleep --- and Mom --- she's not bad looking.
Don't worry, Ma, she's a good girl with a lot of common sense. The people want me to come back this weekend but I can't. Think I'll go in two weeks. Little Ruth hangs around like a fly around sugar. Was she glad when we took her with us.
The snow is all gone here too except in the woods. A little frost when you try to dig a foxhole. Work like a dog.
For the love of mike tell Helen not to get sore so much. Give Joe a little freedom. She can't be under his nose all the time. Let him drift a little it will make him stick more.
Boy, Mom, do I wish I was coming in around 11 or 12 o'clock. Remember how we used to stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning? Guess this letter is just like one of those talks we used to have. Not much to write about.
Will close now as I'll send you another letter in a few days.
Love to all
Son Charles
P.S. over
Remember how we sent films to (Century Photo Service La Crosse, Wisconsin) I never thought about it until Sunday afternoon. I told Marian I never dreamed I'd see the place. Can you remember?
(Thoughts from me)
This letter from my Uncle Charlie transported me to the Knight family homestead's kitchen in Gorham, Maine. It was as if I was sitting with my Uncle Charlie and having a heart to heart talk. That is how deeply this letter impacted me.
I could feel the words coming from my uncle's heart. A 27 year old young man sharing how he met a young wholesome girl filling a part of any man's desire for female companionship in appropriate ways. While at the same time concerned how Marian might be looked at going out with a soldier. He knew many considered such a girl as being cheap and it hurt him.
Actually being able to spend time in a home where he felt both the ambiance of home life and being openly accepted by all those in the household moved him so much that he had to put his head down in gratitude for being so clearly accepted. What a gift for a soldier so far from home for the first time.
When he began to share about the long talks he and his mother had had many times into the early morning hours just made my heart burst with the heartache of a son having such a close endearing relationship. I had a very similar relationship with my mother so I understood what he was expressing. My mother was Uncle Charlie's sister.
I wish he was still alive so I could tell him how proud I am being his nephew because he was and still is so very special to all his nephews and nieces.
Oh yes, to tell you about the card I sent Sunday from La Crosse. You see, one night I was up at the service club playing some games, had a little ice-cream. My friend or a fellow I know was standing near me and we were watching a party they were having for the boys. A lot of U.S.O. girls came up from La Crosse. They come quite a lot. They can't leave the building and have 3 or 4 older women with them. So we were standing beside a post watching them dance. I said to him, "Well guess if you don't dance you're out of luck. They think that's all a soldier can do." One older lady heard me. She asked if I didn't like the dance. "Aren't they nice?" I told her I never cared about dancing. I cared more about the outside life and going to see places in my car. We talked about an hour or more. Guess she took a liken to me. She told about she and her husband. He died two years ago. How they went fishing etc. After a while she asked, "Do you ever go to La Crosse?" I told her I had been once. "Well the next time you come down you call the Public Library and ask for me. I'll introduce you to one of the nice girls I know, but you must be a real nice boy for she is a nice girl."
Two weeks ago I went, called her and she called the girl. Called me back and gave me the number. I called and she told me to come up and call for her in an hour. The old lady, Mrs. Showers, must have told her a lot about me. I had told Mrs. Showers I was a little funny. I found the girl just what she said. The girl's home is in Tomah. A town about 5 miles above camp. La Crosse is 40 or so miles below camp. We talked and had a very nice evening but after having some ice-cream and I took her home she couldn't ask me in as she only boarded there.
During the next two weeks she talked with the lady of the house. The lady of the house told her to have me come down. So this past week I had a letter asking me down to dinner Saturday evening and she was going to do the cooking. So this last Saturday I went down. She got out of work at 4 o'clock, hurried home and had supper ready at 6:30.
The lady of the house works out (outside of the home). When she came home everything was ready. I made another hit with the lady of the home and her 16 year old daughter. The girl is quite big for 16 with light hair just like the girl I went to see. Look almost like sisters. The little girl, Ruth, thinks Marian and I are just swell. We took her out to lunch with us Sunday.
It seemed so good to be in a home. Look around and things that look like home - even a few cactus plants. They all tried to make it so nice for me. It seemed so good when the lady of the house was talking to me. I just had to put my head down...…
Guess I'll tell you the girl's name, Miss Marian Schedler (Schad'-ler) (23 years old). She wore a pretty blue dress because two weeks before I said something about liking blue. When I left her Saturday night she told me to call for her at 9 o'clock Sunday morning to take her and go to church.
I went but she was kind of sick so we stayed around the home until the afternoon. She got two rolls of film and we took some pictures. I left her a dollar to have them printed and send them up to camp. When I got back to camp she had slipped the dollar back in my pocket.
I asked Marian what she thought about going out with a soldier. (You know, Mom, some people don't care to see a girl with a soldier. They look at you funny. It hurts sometimes. Guess they think the girl is cheap.) So I asked her. Here is what she said. "Most all boys are in the army to-day. I have nothing against a soldier but I don't believe in running around with any Tom, Dick and Harry. Soldier or not a soldier. You would have never taken me out if it hadn't been for Mrs. Showers."
Marian never comes up to camp. She told me all she did was work, go to a show or bowl, ride a bicycle and get her beauty sleep --- and Mom --- she's not bad looking.
Don't worry, Ma, she's a good girl with a lot of common sense. The people want me to come back this weekend but I can't. Think I'll go in two weeks. Little Ruth hangs around like a fly around sugar. Was she glad when we took her with us.
The snow is all gone here too except in the woods. A little frost when you try to dig a foxhole. Work like a dog.
For the love of mike tell Helen not to get sore so much. Give Joe a little freedom. She can't be under his nose all the time. Let him drift a little it will make him stick more.
Boy, Mom, do I wish I was coming in around 11 or 12 o'clock. Remember how we used to stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning? Guess this letter is just like one of those talks we used to have. Not much to write about.
Will close now as I'll send you another letter in a few days.
Love to all
Son Charles
P.S. over
Remember how we sent films to (Century Photo Service La Crosse, Wisconsin) I never thought about it until Sunday afternoon. I told Marian I never dreamed I'd see the place. Can you remember?
(Thoughts from me)
This letter from my Uncle Charlie transported me to the Knight family homestead's kitchen in Gorham, Maine. It was as if I was sitting with my Uncle Charlie and having a heart to heart talk. That is how deeply this letter impacted me.
I could feel the words coming from my uncle's heart. A 27 year old young man sharing how he met a young wholesome girl filling a part of any man's desire for female companionship in appropriate ways. While at the same time concerned how Marian might be looked at going out with a soldier. He knew many considered such a girl as being cheap and it hurt him.
Actually being able to spend time in a home where he felt both the ambiance of home life and being openly accepted by all those in the household moved him so much that he had to put his head down in gratitude for being so clearly accepted. What a gift for a soldier so far from home for the first time.
When he began to share about the long talks he and his mother had had many times into the early morning hours just made my heart burst with the heartache of a son having such a close endearing relationship. I had a very similar relationship with my mother so I understood what he was expressing. My mother was Uncle Charlie's sister.
I wish he was still alive so I could tell him how proud I am being his nephew because he was and still is so very special to all his nephews and nieces.
^^Apr 3 Jan Dieters (leader of illegal CPN
Dutch) arrested, put on trial, and executed.
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| Jan Dieters |
 |
| Uncle Charlie and his mother Nina Knight |
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| La Crosse, Wisconsin 1943 |
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| TOMAH, WISCONSIN 1943
*Source 1 https://www.thoughtco.com/world-war-ii-battles-2361453
*Source 2 https://americasbesthistory.com/timeline2ndworldwar1943.html for major battles
**Source 3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943_in_the_United_States
^^Source 4
https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1943
##Source 5
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/us-home-front-during-world-war-ii
copyright of letters
and any original material Peter Lagasse
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