Show Kathleen Norris Says Wizen When Johnny Comes COllIes eS Home HOlne Bell Dell Syndicate Features 4 l. l t L' L 7 11 I 1 r 1 I L c 2 tl n SJ Sr S 1 J l J r rl S t. t 1 1 Jk s c rr They make such a fuss fuu over me at home homo that it t makes me feel embarrassed 1 I haven't done anything yet that I 1 told to ro do I haven't haten done anything heroic or dramatic By KATHLEEN NORRIS ERE is a letter from a HERE soldier An American soldier who has been in uniform for fourteen months without ever leaving his own country He was for eight months in Alaska was sent to officers' officers training camp campin in the middle west six months ago has since been moved to toan toan toan an air base in Florida During that time Andy has been home for three leaves and now he expects a fourth leave before being finally assigned I eel wish the family at home would get onto the fact that Im I'm not a hero and that my tast tastes s haven't changed in all these months writes Andy It would be ridiculous to say that I 1 dont don't look forward to leave because I love my home and those months in Alaska were the longest and dullest dullest dull dull- est I ever lived through But they make such a fuss over aver me at home that It makes me feel embarrassed I haven't done anything yet that I 1 wasn't told to do I 1 haven't done anything heroic or dramatic Mom was terribly pleases pleased when I was sent to officers' officers training but so were a lot of other fellows and it Isn't anything to get chesty about Next month Ill I'll probably be sent ov overseas and If I am Ill I'll certainly do my best to show how ready I 1 Iam Iam am to fight But meanwhile why dont don't they let me alone Supply Over-Supply of Welcome Look the letter continues youth youth- fully The whole family gathers round the minute I 1 get home and they listen to every word I say as asIf asif asit If it It was Gospel Aunts and uncles that I didn't see three times a year come in to meals People whose houses I never dined in people I actually dont don't like telephone Mom Momand Momand Momand and ask If Andy will come to dinner and exactly what Id I'd like My aunt brings In doughnuts and cookies every every every ev ev- ery day the kind you always were crazy about dearie deare My sister makes batches of fudge and expects me to be eating It practically all the time I 1 tell Mom some silly thing about army meals or something and she wants me to repeat it to everyone tell them about that time you were shelling peas tell them what the sergeant mess said about your doing the dishes Evenings are the worst Dad wont won't let my younger sister or brother broth brother er out of the house while Im I'm there and my other sister comes over with her husband and more fudge and often my cousin and his wife come comein comein comein in they live next door They all want to sit around in a ring and make much of me Mom picks up everything I say and repeats it to the others Im I'm not allowed any anymore anymore anymore more to have the kind of evening I used to like I mean radio and a book and maybe a Q movie or going around with some boy I know And then when Ive I've got to go they all cry for two days gosh you cant can't blame Mom for that th t but the others dont don't do anything to buck her up Forced Appreciation There are two other fellows at nt camp who told me they left home three days before their leave was up because they were fed and petted and quoted too much the letter goes on One of them had ten days dayson on his first leave and his mother- mother hes he's an only child took child took him out to dinner with people he hardly knew every one of the ten nights He said she liked It lots of them were people peo peo- pIe she hadn't known at all before The other one says he always gets sick at home and so do tired dog he has to go to a hotel for a few fe days before he can come b back ck to campI camp I 1 think 50 O people asked me mc last NO HEROICS PLEASE Dont Don't be too indulgent when that soldier boy son of yours ours comes home tome on leave An oversupply oversupply over over- supply o of f welcome come becomes tiresome to the extreme The average man is embarrassed when his family famil relatives friends and even chance acquaintances acquaintances ac ac- ac make f fuss s over him Few men in service look upon themselves as heroes he he- roes roes and and they dont don't want others to take that attitude They know they have a job to todo todo todo do and they would sooner skip the heroics Another her warning learning A gloom laden gloom laden unhappy unhappy un un- un happy sounding letter to a boy in service is worse than titan no letter letter let let- ter at all It sl shouldn't be necessary necessary essary to to force yourself to be cheerful in writing And fill your letters tl with lh even unimportant unimportant news about the home hometown hometown hometown town leave If I 1 got the sweater Mom made me the cards cigarettes can canay candy dy ey soap It is darned tiresome saying say ing lag you bet I 1 did and It went right to the spot or it was just what I needed Then some of these old girls grin and say Ill Til bet some ol of the boys envy you Andy and over ever everand and over again I grin back and say And how If you knew my folks he says in conclusion Id ask you to go have a talk with them before I 1 get home and tell them that what I 1 want is a little neglect Is it possible that in our anxiety to show these boys how deeply we wo appreciate what they are doing for tor forus forus us how eager we are arc to make them happy we are In danger of fussing them into a state of impatience and Irritation Another soldier sent me from Honolulu two letters from home These were written by a widowed mother and a young married sister Instead of sending Gordon as intelligent intelligent in in- mothers and sisters do brief cheerful notes with all the good goodnews goodnews goodnews news they could muster and a joke or two put in these two women I wrote extensively of each others other's health Helen was having another I baby and considering the dangerous illness and disappointment she went through when last she expected a baby Mama was miserable with anxiety about it Carroll might be called at any time so they were living with Mama and Mama and Helen wish they could stop crying but really with everything so horrible horrible hor hor- it was Impossible Mamas Mama's sacroiliac iliac trouble had started up all over again she had slipped on the cellar stairs they'd had no help that winter and she and Helen had to do everything Mama was limping around again but now poor Helens Helen's hour of peril was close Carroll was having his bad sinus trouble and that might save his being taken The weather was terribly wet Mama had taken dov down D Gordy Gordys picture because it broke her heart to see it il Well this Is an awful war and we will willbe willbe willbe be glad when it was over Mama wrote But that is not likely to be soon There is no news Town is very quiet Please be careful about ca catching colds as we have all had them Lovingly Mama That's a real letter and I hope the woman who wrote it chances to see this article If you know any mother who is capable of writing that sort of thing to an absent homesick homesick home home- sick boy hoy you might cut It out and mall it to her We do anything any any- anything thing when the boys are far away except to cheer them send them good news and assure th them m that we weare weare weare are with them heart and souL |