Letters to Lou

Wednesday

Dear Lou,

I was brought down reading of your bad luck. Surely you must have told the interviewer of all the experience you’ve had in civilian life. The Army doesn’t seem to give a damn and yet they sometimes place men in jobs they are experienced at. After you are in long enough to become familiar with workings of the Army I would definitely try for a transfer. You must work through your C.O and then S-1 (Adjutant)[.] You can’t lose anything by trying. One fellow was transferred recently from our battalion to the Amphibious Force and he works on models (the same work Harold Egan is supposed to be doing[)]. Then there is always camouflage. I certainly hope you get a lucky break. As much as I would like to see you, I’d rather not see you at Measle [?] because what they say is true, it is a P.E.

Anyhow I know Georgia is lousy but when Ann visits you all you’ll be conscious of is her, just like when Judy came down to Savannah.

I’ve been in N.Y. and as you know tried to contact you. Then when I was home on the Jewish New Year I tried getting you but your father confirmed my suspicion that you had already left. Then I wanted to at least get Ann but couldn’t since no one was home. I had wanted her to join us at my mother’s. One of the days I was home was Judy’s birthday. She got some really swell things. We had the house to ourselves (outside of Miriam) because her folks went away. Was that a terrific 2 days!

So much happened since I saw you that I don’t know where to begin. First, I got paid from the Duke of Ellington. Judy and I spent a little time backstage at the Hurricane one Sunday night.

As far as the Army goes there was news there also. I went to a special school two weeks ago given for a selected group of 50 men from the 3^rd Service Command (from Pa. to Va.). The school was in the process of silk screen reproduction and was given by experts sent out from Sherwin Williams. I certainly got a great deal out of it. We dealt with all types – photographic as well as the film methods. They gave us a load of materials I have almost enough stuff to reproduce my own work and I know the process pretty well now. Then we return to our outfits as the experts and we are all at very much in line for any artwork that comes up – a good position to be in! Perhaps I hear they will do this in every outfit in the Army! The course is given the blessings of Washington. Everyone in the school had to design & reproduce one poster by himself, making the frame and everything. It was one of the best weeks I’ve spent in the Army. Last week I was working on drawings all week and I worked on one this morning.

I’ve heard from Milt and the last letter was about three weeks ago. Things are fine with him, the lucky boy – he has Bev with him as you know, while we eat our hearts out. We are pretty indefinite as far as Judy coming down. I do manage to see her every two or three weeks and it is taking a big chance for her to quit her job. She could get a job down here but the question is where to live things are high here, there are so many defense workers in Baltimore as well as Washington, D.C. About two weeks ago Judy came down on a weekend intending to stay at camp, but a very nice sergeant gave me a pass (which I wasn’t due) and we spent the weekend in Washington with Judy’s cousins. It was a very unusual weekend and we enjoyed it as much as one can without much privacy. We visit Pearl Wolfson who is married and living there in a gorgeous little apartment slightly similar the to Parchester but larger. She is so thin now I hardly recognized her.

How was Chichester and the vacation? And Jenny? Tell me a bit about it.

George Fox is in the SeaBees in Williamsburg, Va. and his wife just went down there. She has a cousin living about 18 miles from camp who is a Lt. Commander in another nearby post. She is fortunate.

Otherwise there isn’t much news. It looks as though I may get stuck with a permanent bugling job unless I play badly when I’m tested which I probably will. Next week and for about three weeks following we will be working on silk screen reproduction of the posters we made in June. They didn’t let us print enough of them so we have to do the whole job over again – the dopes.

I guess that is all for now, Lou, write soon again about the work you are doing and whether you have any chance to do any artwork or sign painting, sometimes when there aren’t many artists around you get more work to do, like I had in Georgia.

Give my regards to Ann when you write to her next. So long for now.

Your friend,

Arthur