Richard Lee Holt Sr. letter to his wife Minneford Francis Holt, November 13, 1943

Mrs Richard L Holt 1st Sgt R.L.Holt Fayetteville, Arkansas Btry "B" 936th FA Bn. RFD #5 APO 464 % P/M Ny. Ny. November 13,1943 Hello my sweet and how are you to-day?. Well here we are still in dear old Italy, and as I told you in my letter yesterday it is a very pretty place. At least what I have seen of it. We have taken two or three short hikes, and the country after you get out of the cities looks much like the country around home. There are lots of large trees and quite a little undergrowth. The Germans have pretty well taken everything out of this part of the country that is of any value. There seems to be very little live stock left in what at the time was a very prosperous country. Well we have to have all of our money changed again int o Lires. I will send some home in a few days in an air mail letter, I also have a few African Coins which I will send at the same time. Honey we are getting alittle closer to scene of actual fighting all the time. We had an air raid alert night before last but that was all there was to just an alert, I guess one of these days it will be the real Mccoy, and we will really see what it is like. For my part I am just as well saisfide like it is. There is one nice thing about Italy you can get all the English walnuts and Apples that you you want, in fact almost any kind of fruit that I hae ever heard of seem to be grown here. We havent had our kitchen now for almost a week and of course are eating C rations. I like them ok but of course will be glad when we get back on B rations again. I am still ho- lding my own though, I believe I weigh more now than I have for the last four or five years so you see I am fareing pretty well. Boy Honeyxxxxxxxx you talk about being sick, the last boat ride we took was in a small landing craft and did it roll around, I never was so sick in all my life. Therewas few hours when I dident care wheather it sank or not. I hope I never have to take but one more ride and that is back home from over here. I sure hope I get a letter to-day. It has been almost two weeks since I have heard, of course we have been on move quite a little, so maby it will catch up with me before long. I did get a letter from Earnest and Eva two or three days. It was mailed sept 4th. It was meant for a birthday le- tter but was a little late. but I did appreciate it any way. It is really encourgeing to be Thanksgiving and Christmas. The days here are still nice and warm but the nights and earley mornings are pretty nippy. We arent permitted to have any fires at night now, so we just go to bed that much earlier. I have been going to bed about 6:30 can you imagine that. But I am going to get my rest while I can for there may come a time when it wont be that way. Well I had to stop and crack a few walnuts to eat while I finish this letter. one of the boys just came in off a work detail and brought me a can of salmon and a can of peaches and I already had a half loaf of bread so I guess I will feast tonight. Well Dear girl Iam about rund down, there are lots of things I would like to tell you about but I guess it will have to wait, because if I get started I am afraid I wouldent find a place to quit and the censor would have to put his pen to work at crossing out some- thing so I will just wait untill I get home and then at our leisure time we will have a nice long chat about the whole thing. Anyhow I would much rather have you close enough to really show you how much I have been missing you since we last saw one another. Well I guess I had better get my mind off that before I try to take my troubles out on some body else. Iguess this war will be over one of these days and we can make up for all that we have lost the past three years, This has taught me just one thing. That is that I never want to be seperated from you and the kids again. So with all my love to the Sweetest Girl in the world Your, Loving Hubb