Monday, June 11, 1951 Camp Kilmer, New Jersey

letter #2

"Hello Darling,
   I have never felt lonelier in all my life as I did after calling you yesterday.  All the things that I had planned to say just didn't emerge from my mouth after hearing your voice.  Unlike any other girl you excite me every time I hear or get near you...but enough of this mushy stuff.
  Say, how about sending the negatives of the photo's we took that Sunday.   I'm mailing the ones we took with Hump's camera along with this letter. 'Hope you like them although some are slightly blurred...they will probably get there Thursday or Friday."

note on back of this picture..I said:    "turn around Bobby"
 Bobby replied: "like this?"

wonder what I was laughing about???

Oh how I wish that his face had not been blocked from the picture by the grass!!!

"By the way, I wrote Dad and asked him to take you and Margaret to luncheon on Saturday.  He's a little shy about that sort of thing but here's hoping he will do it for me. I'm hoping that you'll remember me with the same feeling that I have when I think of you, and that is constantly."

"These northerners, or should I say, easterners, do not dance anything like the southern people do.  We went to a couple of dances at the service club and before we knew what the score was the girls were teaching us the old fashioned two step.  It isn't nearly as much fun as the free step style of dance, as you do the same thing over and over, and besides that, I can't imagine me  counting  the steps with you in my arms. It's ridiculous, isn't it.

   This camp is named after the poet, Joyce Kilmer who was killed in the first world war.  Do you know the poem "Trees"? That is his most famous work.

   You should see this camp, Kitten. It's camouflaged from aircraft.  You can't see it from the air.  This is a safety precaution from an air attack as we are only 30 miles from the ocean and this would be an ideal target.  I'm glad that we are still at peace with Russia, or at least, we're supposed to be.

   I've just heard that we probably won't ship out until Friday.  I suppose that it's better that way but I wish we were traveling.

   Don't know whether I've told you this or nay but they give furloughs overseas and if a person has the money he can fly home for a short visit. It would be wonderful to be with you during the holiday season of Christmas and New Year's.  I would manage to get you under the mistletoe at least five or six times.

Well, I finally found some decent stationery.  Sorry I can't improve on my penmanship but it seems as though Dad is the only scribe in the Peete clan.

   Let me apologize again for the telephone call Sunday.  Its just that I wanted to hear your voice again and I was slightly tongue tied after saying hello.

   Suppose that's about it for tonight so

      Good Night and Pleasant Dreams,

    Bob

P.S. Be sweet, in other words, just be yourself."

I remember the phone call...it left me a bit puzzled as he seemed to have very little to say...The Sunday afternoon he references...the four of us spent at a lake somewhere...I am unable to remember much about where we went, what we did, movie s?, ..I only remember how I felt...on top of the world from being in love for the first time...but feelings of dread because he would be leaving.