January 14, 1945 envelope

Letter transcription:

January 14, 1945, p. 1

Sunday Jan. 14, 1945

Dear Yeggie – Just one year ago last nite we made the rounds of the shopping district in Wellington. You took me down because you knew your way around the streets. I remember meeting Billie there and then seeing Howard Witter later – I don’t know whether you remember seeing Howard or not, do you? We stayed with George – didn’t we?

Enjoyed your letter very much and I am glad you had plenty of time to write because it has been so long since I heard from you. Your duties are not so good but there are some worse and some better. When I hear from others I feel that I am not doing so badly here in spite of being on duty every other nite. In fact, you are on call all day & every day, I wouldn’t like the idea of travelling back

January 14, 1945, p. 2

[page 2] and forth, especially supplying my own transportation. Here, I am my own boss and my – ahem! – assistant as Lt. Cdr. Arrange our hours, as long as one is on duty, daren’t leave the station exposed. I usually let him go home about 9 or 9:30 a.m. or whenever he chooses. He takes over for me on occasional evenings – we seem to be a pair as far as our domestic problems go, implying that we are in the dog houses; I never confided in you but all has not been well for a number of years. So – it could be worse.

“The Shadow” is on while I am writing, so I may get scared, if you see any incoherence then you will know why. I have one of my radios here. In fact, I practically live here – my corpsmen are well trained, the chief had 30 yrs and does all the paper work and is very conscientious. Two Ph. M. had combat duty and one had hosp. training, have 2 colored Ph. Mates or the OB Battalion

January 14, 194,5 p. 3

[page 3] All are trustworthy and I find no difficulty – we are like one happy family. We have set up a small galley and the Marines supply us with coffee, etc., so we have occasional meals every day.

Am finishing up that damned annual San. Report – had a lot of new construction, – Battalion barracks, etc., to describe. Must submit it in rough to C.O. of station – he is an old fusspot as I do the monthly reports. Can you beat that? No more monthly reports but the quarterlies will be headaches.

Heard from Frank Olrich a number of times and from Bob O’Donnell recently. He has an average of 23 admissions daily, 125 in ward, duty every 3^rd nite. Not so good – all car [?] fevers & pneumonias.

Had a H.R. from Detroit Grosse Point with signed by J.R. Delaney. So he is near home.

Frank said he is on full duty and all are slated to go again – scuttlebutts – His hearing is the same. His boy was operated on for hernia – less than 2 yrs old.

January 14, 1945, p. 4

[page 4] You know he is at Shoemaker Calif. Ted Anderson is at Parris Island S.C. I haven’t heard from tohers.

My brother is still at Charleston S.C. Asst. Dist. Med Officer – soft job, no nite work or Sundays either. My kid brother – is ferrying planes now, has been all over U.S.A. and Canada & Mexico. Is being shipped to Florida for some short intensive course on Bombers – he was a P-47 pilot 81 missions. My nephew is in Burma – you remember him visiting me when I had the typhoid chill – he was a paratrooper, was injured, fracture leg, int. injuries, etc. – but now is in “air dropping,” cargo plane work in China Burma India area. A brother-in-law, Lt. Col., is Dep. Provost Marshall of some area. Got a letter from him yesterday.

I hear from W. and [?] as good and as well as the mail service goes.
My Xmas was quiet – had a few drinks; spent New Yrs weekend on station.

Well – write when you can – Regards to all the family – Don’t work too hard-
Sincerely,
Ed

[Editor’s Note: To read more about Dr. Lentz, his brothers, and nephew from a contemporary newspaper report, click here.]

©2016 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2016/03/21/further-news-from-lentz/