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Graeff, Leonard Eugene, (1920-2016) to Susan Prowell Graeff and Raymond James Graeff

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC09611.148.01 Author/Creator: Graeff, Leonard Eugene, (1920-2016) Place Written: Great Lakes, Illinois Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 22 November 1943 Pagination: 4 p. : envelope ; 23.9 x 15.3 cm. Order a Copy

One letter from Leonard Eugene Graeff to Susan Prowell Graeff and Raymond James Graeff dated November 22, 1943. Leonard writes that he has only received two letters since he got back. He discusses the train ride to Chicago, he was the first one on the platform and he fell asleep on the way. He is still on K.P. duty (Kitchen Police) and replies to Susan's prevoious letter (GLC09611.147) that nine days is the standard time to get K.P., some people are just lucky to get it shortened. He isn't sure he's getting better food while on K.P but he is definitely getting more. He reports that if they are having pie he generally can get a whole one to himself, and when they have ice cream he can get seven or eight shares of that. He suspects he won't be leaving for school any time soon he has also heard that there is a metalsmith school in Great Lakes, so he may be there for the duration. He is not sure when the Reader's Digest is up for renewal but there should be nineteen issues before that happens so Susan should count them. He went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to a U.S.O dance. He spent $1.45 on a train ticket and a soda. He says the trains in Milwaukee are crazy, "looking like a bunch of trolley cars hooked together the darn things run right through the middle of town, stop for traffic lights and stop signs and when they get outside the city they go as fast as the trains on the P.R.R." He reports a trick played on another sailor wherein the sailor was asked to push down paper in a trash can when he stepped on the paper his foot sunk through the rest of the can which was filled with grease. He was in the bathroom washing his sock when Leonard was there and told the story. To make the whole situation worse the sailor turned away from the sock in the sink to say hi to someone else and the sock went down the drain and clogged all the pipes in the bathroom.

Graeff, Leonard Eugene, 1920-2016
Graeff, Raymond James, 1889-1963
Graeff, Susan Prowell, 1890-1967

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