POLITICS AND WAR

[Vance writes to his parents from Camp White, Oregon, February 16, 1943:]

Now, to your last letter. It is nice to hear of quail in the land again. For so many years we saw almost none, as you remember. No doubt they are thankful for the food. I hope your little friend found his kinfolk. It is a comfort to know both of you have stood the severe winter so well.

I hope you find you have enough coffee to get by on. As you say it may be as well not to drink so much. I am glad you have the blankets to use. I bought the big figured one at Chester and I don't think there is much if any wool in it, though I paid about eight dollars for it.

As you suggest the world is certainly in "a mell of a hess" and whether the present administration is off on the wrong foot or not is certainly problematic. Everyone feels the 11,000,000 men under arms to be beyond reason. I fully believe such a program will be ash canned. It seems to me we go whole hog at the wrong time both in peace and war. I hope there are enuf congressmen against F.D.R. to keep him in line. Never a dull moment. It has passed thru my mind that Hitler might be dead but I doubt it. He's too much of a devil to be so obliging. Of course, the three days of mourning do sound fishy.

I am charmed with Robin's rhymes in her version and glad you quoted them. [Roberta (Robin) Shockley, my dad's two-year-old niece, must have been entertaining her elders with her own nursery rhymes.] Lynn mentioned them also. Lynn says she is feeling 100% better and may stay another week. I hope she does. I think that Portland climate is poison to her but she is so attached to the place. I am glad to hear of the new dresses. New clothes do help the morale, and I'm sure you must need them.

I am so sorry to hear of Jimmy Jewell's death. I remember him as a mere baby and a very small child. It just doesn't seem possible [that Jimmy could have been old enough to go to war and now killed]. I was always so fond of Mrs. Jewell. Well, such is war ------- [Some readers may remember the Jewell family. Mrs. Jewell was my Grandmother Portfors' best friend. They lived kitty-corner from my folks on Brown Avenue.]

We are having fine weather but we have a warm east wind of some velocity tonight and I think I smell rain. We go out on a division problem Thursday for overnight and I hope it isn't sopping wet.

Love to you and again, thanks for the food and the work it took. Vance