1942.8.15

Sat, Aug 15, 1942

Dear Mom,

I received your letter this morning and the white socks and sewing kit the other day and am well satisfied.

I may not be able to come home next week because we will have to come back to the barracks at ten o’clock to go to a ball game that our station is to play in. We will then get out again in the afternoon until ten at night. We have to get in at ten from now on.

If I have to come back to the station Sunday morning, it will be better to stay here and probably go and stay overnight at Olga’s house. She has asked me to come over some time which I can’t do and see her except on Sunday.

I will have two more weekends after that while I am here. So I believe it won’t be so bad not to come home once. When I get back to Great Lakes, I will have a liberty from Friday night until Monday morning if I don’t get a leave. I am feeling fine and hope you at home feel well too. So

So long

and with love

Erwin Holmquist

Olga Holmquist Boyle was Erwin’s paternal aunt. In 1942 she was 36 years old and living in Detroit, MI with her husband Bill. Bill Boyle was born in Ontario, Canada and would become a naturalized citizen of the United States just two days after the date of this letter, August 17, 1942. He worked at the Ford assembly auto plant.

So now Erwin has visited all of his dad’s four sisters, Ruth, Esther, Olga, and Ingrid who lived in either Chicago or Detroit.