1944 from Camp Shelby, Mississippi World War II-era handwritten letters For Sale

Pvt. Dale H. Winters (Bud), writing to Miss Wilma E. Winters (1918–2011), she was Dale\'s older sister and the recipient of these letters. Dale is writing that he is trapped in Ward 38 of the Camp Shelby Station Hospital. He suffered a severe, incredibly painful flare-up of \"piles\" (hemorrhoids). Dale is incredibly anxious that being stuck in a hospital bed is going to ruin his chances at a transfer out of the regular infantry. He is pinning all his hopes on a powerful political connection back home, Joe Martin (the prominent Massachusetts Congressman). Outside Dale\'s hospital window, the U.S. Army is rapidly preparing for massive combat operations overseas (the buildup to D-Day and the invasion of Europe). HERE ARE THE LETTERS TRANSCRIBED (cortesy of AI) ..... Sunday April 9th. Dear Sis - Daily report - not much to report today - I did go in & see the captain as the mess sergeant advised. He don\'t impress me as well as Lt. Waddell the executive officer did. I asked to be considered for mess work. woh- he asked a lot of fool questions and told me a lot of bull. Said he was full up and only wanted cripples and light duty men in the mess. He asked me my age and how my physical condition was. I told him I had a game back and let it go at that. If he thinks I am going to cry about my physical defects he is crazy - I never have and don\'t intend to start now - I will go as far as I can and not any farther - they can then shoot me or do any thing else they G-od damn please - I will be there nevertheless. If something gets messed up right - well then the government can pay for it - and in this case I will collect all I can too when this is over – they excepted me as in perfect physical condition when I was inducted except for my eyes – anything else that is wrong when the war is over they pay for – that’s that – I guess my only hope is that Joe Martin can do something for me – I know I am getting damn sick of telling my story to various and sundry officers in this man\'s army. I don\'t much care for doing business that way. The company clerk told me today that nothing would be done by Personnel until after the 20th of the month – that is no consideration until then as they are busy working on the list of Privates and p.f.c.\'s that are being shipped out then. The lint is military information – treat as such. Keep me posted if you get to know any more. Poor Easter here has been showing all day. As always, Bud........... Dear Sis - Yep - just as I suspected the mail is - like every thing else down here - bass ackwards - I got today the letter you wrote Patriots Day which was the day before you wrote the letter I got yesterday. If I am all bawled up in the above just chalk it up to environment. Have been working around the ward almost all day - after a good night\'s sleep last night - only woke up once. I can only work about an hour or 1 1/2 but it feels good. After an hour\'s rest I am ready to go again. Will soon have my strength back - another week will see me ok - I hope. Swept the ward - took care of stacking the linen - changed and refilled the water cooler - as well as my G.I. chores and a good shower - I think I will sleep tonight too. Can feel the improvement every day. Can even cough now - without that little guy behind me poking me in the rear with an ice pick. It may have been a proctoscope they used on me - however it looked and felt like a rough edged lead pipe - that Doc is rough - and when he hit it I swear he drove it in far enough so that he could see if I had stomach ulcers. Will now finish this up and mail it with Sue\'s – hope they pick it up tonight. Then come back and work at the endless list of letters Lowe. I don\'t get many rumors up here as I don\'t see any body (except the Captain twice and I can\'t very well pump him) but I hear they are getting in a piece of air force boys to replace the privates and pfc they are sending out for overseas replacements. So I guess Joe won\'t be able to do much about getting me back to the air force – let alone Air Force administrative OCS. However I am still staying sane hoping he can get me into the quarter masters corps – Food Planning Program – even as an enlisted man. Wish I knew what the score was – as of now. I would like to ask for a check on my kidneys and bladder while I am here in the hospital but hate too for fear some thing will come thru to the company and I won\'t be there available for transfer and so lose out. Guess I will let it go for now – I can always squawk later if the whole thing falls thru. Wish I was in better standing with my Maker but am afraid prayer won\'t help me. As ever, Bud ...............Tuesday April 25 Dear Sis - Just a note in answer to yours received today. Also had a letter from Ma and two from Grethel. I feel better each day - real good today - had two bowel movements and it was almost natural. That is something. Tried to talk the Doc and nurse into letting me go to the mess hall for supper but they are so stubborn - ten days they say and this is only the eighth. Got to get around them some way or they will keep me here three weeks from the day of the operation - that\'s not means any letter. Boy I wish I could see into the future a few weeks - see what\'s ahead of me - so that I might know whether to yell for a kidney check now or hold my peace until later. I get more apprehensive day by day that Joe won\'t be able to help me out or won\'t or something. I find time passes quickly days - nights go slower. This morning helped the K.P.\'s polish the ward silver then 4 of us washed all the ward windows on the inside. I washed an hour then rested an hour then washed another hour. I can walk but get sore standing in one place funny I had to laugh—I got letters from both you and Sue this afternoon—and both ask me if the other knows I am in the hospital—it struck me funny. I didn\'t say too much to Mia—just let her know I had the operation and was doing fine. When home tell her that I got her last package ok—finally. Don\'t need any thing to read Sis—there is a library but I haven\'t read books until today—prefer magazine articles that are short—can take a stretch and walk around between storys—and try my strength. When I start a book I don\'t want to move until I have finished it. Also have tried to find other things to do to pass the time. After the ASTP and not know for sure what the future has in store I figure my eyes could do with a rest. You have my sympathy as far as your checker checkers go. Never could fathom that game—checkers—or chess—amen. Will guess that\'s all for tonight. Boy I wish I could hear what Martin can & cant do—one way or the other. The suspense is getting me. As ever, Bud ..............Tuesday 1900 Dear Sis - This is the second note to you today. I don\'t know if the first one will make sense or not - my fanny was pretty sore when I was writing it. Finally the doc took a look at it - had me soak in a warm tub and I am able to get the protruding part back inside where it belongs. Don\'t know for sure as yet whether I will have to have an operation or not - I suspect I will. If I do I am liable to be here for from ten days to three weeks or longer. One guy has been here seven weeks now. The whole ward is ass hole renovations. I wonder will this disrupt the things we had on the fire - I surely hope not. If I do have an operation you might as well send my mail here for a while - I will write the address now as I will not feel like writing much if I am operated on - at least not for a few days. Pvt D N W - Co L 272 Infantry - Ward 38 Station Hospital - APO # 417 Camp Shelby Miss - I will be anxiously wondering the outcome of that deal while I am cooped up here. It would be just my luck to have a transfer fixed up for me and then lose it because I was in the hospital – that would be real Winters luck. The company commander came in this afternoon to see if I wanted anything – I will give him credit for that anyway. I told him that I didn\'t think so – also I told him that my piles were one of the reasons I wanted to work in the mess house – he still says no to that – said I was too intelligent for the mess house – he must think it takes intelligence to dig a pot hole or some thing. Guess my daily reports as to what the latest dope is will cease now as I don\'t expect I will get to know what\'s going on while I am up here. However I will drop you a line every couple of days at least letting you know how I am doing. There isn\'t anything to worry about anyway. I may have a sore fanny and get fed up with lying around but my only worry will be having my transfer messed up because I am here.(Written vertically along the right margin): As always – hoping for the best Bud.. ...........Wednesday May 3rd Dear Sis - This I am afraid is going to be a bitching letter - don\'t know why I should always pick on you but seems as if I do - I hate to write my gripes to Ma + Sue and worry them and it seems such poor taste to write in that vein to others as it is to you for that matter but I have to let off steam somewhere. This extra week in the hospital may do me a lot of good physically but I am afraid it will be more than offset by the damage it will do me mentally. I don\'t mean I am going crazy - just getting too bitter. This hanging around with nothing to do for 24 hours a day is bad - you are bound to think of something - if you dwell on home - well even I can get homesick if I think too much and too long on that subject - if I think of the past ten months in the Army it makes me bitter and that isn\'t good. I will be a poorer soldier for it and a decidedly poorer individual. However with so much time to diddle away [margin note: the past few days] I have thought too much? [crossed out: the past few days] The last few years I have been pretty free of bitterness - guess I can thank Truthel for that - She has been awfully good balance for me and good for my soul whether you have noticed it or not. Got five letters today, not bad - and as I wrote five my correspondence is still in a status quo. Had a letter from Reba but I am afraid it was the wrong day for it - wasn\'t in a mood for her religious folders or goody goody philosophy - even tho I know she means well. She said to let good care and nature heal me - well I guess nature will have to do the hogs share. We didn\'t see any doctor on this ward today at any rate. As to getting the kind of work I want, she thinks (it went to two pages) that I should pray to the good Lord. Maybe she is right—I have tried every body else. The army don\'t seem interested—maybe they would be but I am afraid they would have a hard time recollecting who I might be. I might believe she was right if it weren\'t for you. You have always been amongst the faithful and it seems as if your luck or breaks or whatever you want to call it has been as bad or worse than mine. Got your Saturday\'s letter today—I still think one of yours is among the missing. Don\'t worry about your stationery—I am very grateful for your letters and you can write on anything—scratch paper, white paper or toilet paper it is all the same just so long as I hear from you. Sorry your pen is temperamental—but so is one of mine—my Parker—and for the same reason I dropped it on its point while at Penn. Had a letter from Ma today and she said she had had her upper teeth out. When did she get all the courage in such a hurry—she hasn\'t been talking about that deal for so very long.Well there doesn\'t seem to be much else to write tonight—this ward is ten degrees colder than a morgue. Guess I will take a smoke and write Sue—and that will be writing enuf for one day. Then a nice hot soak in hopes it will relax me enuf to sleep. It is a good night for it cloudy but cool after a fairly hot day. Had hoped to see the C.O today but guess not as it is now 1930 and no sign off him yet. Had hoped to find out what the score was back at the company by a few carefully asked questions. Tear this up without reading if you want at least I got it off my chest. As ever Bud ..... ..... Code JSB 340

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