| Dear Mom, This is the first chance I’ve had to write you for sometime and I’m afraid for a while now my letters are going to be few and far between, so try to understand that it isn’t my fault. I’m not going to tell you anything about these past few days because you would only worry about me and I don’t want you to do that. I’ll tell you about it after it is all over, but for now all I’ll say is that I’m up front fighting here in Belgium and it is plenty cold Right now I’m a little ways back from the front lines (in Stavelot Belgium) and I am in a big mansion just like you’ve seen in the picture shows. I am in one of the big rooms and I am warm and even have a radio sitting in front of me listening to a broadcast from England, so I am enjoying myself while I can. Yesterday I had on e of the fellows that use to live on a farm get me a whole canteen cup of milk out of a real live cow. Boy, it was good just like when I was back in Payson and Uncle Willis (Bud’s father’s brother) milked that old cow of Ma’s (Bud’s paternal grandmother). The clipping you sent me was about our outfit, but I’m a long ways from there now. I came all the way across France in one of those 40 and 8 box cars (train) you heard about in the last war. You won’t find much about the 517th by looking for news in the paper because we are a “Combat Team” and wherever there is some place they need good men fast that is where we go. We have been attached to almost every Army over here at different times. The reason we don’t get much rest is because we are a good outfit and all the time someone is needing us. There is nothing we can’t do, but you people won’t read about it because we aren’t a big enough outfit to make front page headlines. I was sure thinking a lot about you people at Christmas and wondering what you were doing and if maybe you were thinking about me that day while I was ducking bullets and shells, and if there would ever be a time when we could all be home for Christmas together again. I saw a lot of guys that day both ours and the Krauts that will never see another Christmas, and all I could do was pray to God that it wasn’t my time to go, and I guess it wasn’t cause here I am. I’ll never forget this Christmas as long as I do live, and you will never know how glad I am that this war is being fought in these countries and not in ours and I’m glad that you people there will never have to see some of the awful things I have, but I don’t even want to think of them so I’ll drop the subject. I’m going to heat me up something to eat now so I’ll say so long for now, and I hope some more mail comes in tonight. It is sure swell to get mail from home so keep it coming. Oh yes, I got two packages from you just before I left that last area (censorship would prevent Bud from telling his mother exactly where he was in case the Germans intercepted his letters home. Each of his letters were opened by Army mail personnel and screened before they were sent out). To come up here in Belgium. Thanks a lot for them they sure tasted good. Believe it or not I ate that whole can of pineapple and fruit cake laying on the ground with machine gun bullets whizzing only about 6 inches over my head. I figured at least I was going to eat that instead of some darn Kraut, come what may. Send some more when you can and some cookies and candy. Lots of Love Bud |
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Ben, you astonish me with all you do. God Bless you, you even took the time to send us a Christmas card. I am somewhat a little handicapped with my back (spinal stenosis) and Joe has some problems which we hope will be resolved. May you have a very healthy year! Best wishes to you and yours. Fondly, Marie-Louise Spencer