Stone, Robert L. (1921-2009) to Jacob Stone and Beatrice Stone
Order a pdf of this item here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC09620.124 Author/Creator: Stone, Robert L. (1921-2009) Place Written: Oahu, Hawaii Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 10 August 1944 Pagination: 2 p. : envelope ; 27.6 x 19.4 cm. Order a Copy PDF Download(s): Transcript of document
Addressed to "Dad + Bee." There's litttle news from their "wayward son." The work is well worth it for the schooling, even if it's boring. Life is better here than the base they were at. The food is excellent and they have a beautiful officers club that hosts open air movies. He's glad his father enjoyed his trip to Canada and thanks him for the contact in Hawaii. He writes that getting money is tough unless you know someone with a Hawaiian bank account, otherwise a check has to go to the mainland.
The Roosevelts did visit Hawaii two weeks ago and everyone was excited for a good week after. He couldn't mention it in his letters officially.
The letter is dated as "Thursday Aug. 10th." "Letters in a Box" dates the letter as August 10, 1944.
Robert "Bob" Stone was a Bombardier in World War II and served in the Pacific Front. These letters, were compiled by Bob's wife, Sheila M. Stone, and Ali Adair into a book named Letters in a Box. This book details Bob's service to his country, and his life after the war. Bob's letters were donated to the collection by his wife, Sheila M. Stone, in 2017. It contains a variety of letters, postcards, patches, pins, photographs, and scrapbooks that relate to Bob's training and combat missions.
[Draft Created by Crowdsourcing]
Thursday Aug. 10th
Dear Dad & Bee -
There's little news from these parts but a few lines are in order to say that all goes well with your wayward son. I'm still at the the [sic] 7th AAF Gunnery School going to school for ten periods a day. Next week we go out on the range and then on the last week we do air to air firing. The work at school is well worth while although it tends to be dull at times.
Life here is quite a treat in comparison to the base. We're living in barracks and have excellent chow. We have a beautiful officers club where they have a movie (out in the open air) almost every night. It's really a pleasure to live like a human being for awhile.
I was so glad to receive your long letter from Canada, Dad. It sounds as though you had some darn good fishing, and I'm sure the relaxation did you a world of good. Incidentally the mail comes through most irratically [sic] and almost always takes sixteen days or more. I hope
[2]
my letters get through better than that.
Many thanks for giving me the name of Mr. Kellett at Dean Witter + Co. I most certainly will look him up the next time I go into town. You beat me to the punch by sending me a contact here because I was going to write you about it and already I'd looked in the phone directory to try to find a branch office of one of the N. Y. firms - however to no avail. Getting money takes a long time here unless you know someone with an account in a Hawaiian bank. Otherwise your check must be sent to the Mainland and the back.
I'm sure you've read in the papers about Roosevelt's visit here two weeks ago. We put on a big air show for him but at the time couldn't mention it in letters. As you can imagine the islands were in a state of excitement for a week or so.
Must be off to bed now. Please write often because I do love hearing some word from home. The mail situation is terrible so please be sure that I get some when it does find its way through.
My love to you -
Bobby
[envelope]
Lt. R. L. Stone 0-696041
[illegible] 11 Bomber Command (Heavy Tnq. Det.)
APO 963 ? Postmaster
San Francisco, Cal.
Lt. Comdr. J. C. Stone
375 Park Avenue
New York City
N. Y.
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.