November 28, 1942 (Rolie Iverson)

November 28, 1942

Sunday Morn. 7:45

Hello Dip:

If you could just visualize me starting to write letters at 7:45 in the morning. That should take the rag off my brush. I can’t guarantee that the results will be too satisfactory but I am game to give it a whirl. I am not by any means even half awake as yet say nothing of trying to concentrate.

Received your last letter Sept. 28th. Now exactly two months later I bare down and attempt to answer it. An apology is surely in order, but that still won’t get a letter to you from me any faster.

Frankly speaking my correspondence has been extremely putrid. You are by no means the only one that I have neglected. I have found that being out of the States has made all the difference in the world. Here, my time is occupied from morning ‘till night most every day. The essential thing here is work and we take it as a matter of duty as well as shortening the time when the armistice will be signed. That we hope will not be too far off.

Had a letter from Lee a few days back. He tells me that you were home again on another furlough. Seems to me every time I hear from you or about you, you are either going home or coming from home. Don’t know how you Army boys get away with it. Also Lee tells me you [are] about to try for Officers Candidate School. What a set up! Brother but don’t I wish I had many of the opportunities you fellows are getting. All the luck in the world Dip. Won’t be long before you too will be strutting the pair of gold bars. I would say that you boys are really doing right well by yourselves.

My set up proves none too promising. I mean by that there are no immediate prospects of any changes in status for me. On the surface it appears that I am in a rut. That is true in one way but on the contrary in many others. I can’t go into detail as censorship forbids it. The experiences I have had are something that nobody can take away from me.

By the by what’s this I hear about George going high brow. Lee mentioned how you had tried to double date with him but just couldn’t get together. That doesn’t sound like the George we used to know. Perhaps it’s that he has developed an inferiority complex. Surely there is no just reason for it. I myself haven’t done well by him as it must be all of three months since I last wrote to him. Perhaps he thinks that I have gone over his head. So it goes the trials and tribulations of life.

Now tell me, what were things like back in good old Mpls? Could you have any fun or was the lack of fellows our age in town against that? Unquestionably the women situation was tops. Or have so many of them been married off that the pickings even there are slim? Seems every time I get a letter from somebody back home they invariably include a mile long list of friends of ours that have been married or are going to be. The first thing most of the boys on furlough think of is seeing the preacher, with his gal. No furloughs for me so I don’t have those troubles. How about you? Anything new in the way of love life? Send all the dope concerning such forthwith.

Had some pictures taken a while back. Will enclose one for your personal inspection. I thought they turned out well considering the foreign element involved. Now if you should have any of you around handy it might be well to shoot one on down this way to me. Perhaps you would rather wait until the gold bars can be prominently displayed. What ever you say.

At any rate don’t wait as long as I did to answer you letter if possible.

More Later,

Pal Rolie