A perfect summer day!![Nancy Thompson: Lay]
December 20, 1942
Sunday 9:05 P.M.
591 T.S.S. Brks
Hello Mrs. Denny;

This letter Mrs. Denny is mostly a thank you letter to the students and faculty of Newark State Teachers College for their most wonderful and appropriate present. Both Bob Salkin and I think they are perfect. I wish you would thank everyone for their part in it. It was really wonderful of the school to think of the boys in service in this manner and I know they all appreciate your thoughts and well wishes at this Christmas time no matter where they may be. All I can say is, thanks, for the photo album.
I suppose you know from Miss. Thompson what has been going on down here. Bob Salkin of all people is now in my same squadron, same barracks, same inspection branch at school, same working shift and on the same airplane as instructor and chief as I am. Its a mighty small world isnt it? As yet we havent gone actually to work in our branch but will the day after Christmas.
This field is improving rapidly, we have all the water we need now even plenty of hot water. We still have mess-kits but we feel at home with them now. Its much tougher here but we really dont mind for I imagine it keeps us busier and gives us less time to complain.
This Sunday evening we had one swell time. We cooked ourselves a real honest-to-goodness spaghetti dinner. What a sauce; pampered and simmered for two whole hours on our stove. The spaghetti itself cooked in = gal tin cans shiped from the mess-hall. What a delicious meal, it had to be taking three hours to make and a 20 minutes walk each way to buy the spaghetti. Am I full now!!!
Mildred told me about the Christmas program it must have been perfect. I can only hope that the other boys and I can be there for next years.
Merry Christmas, Mrs. Denny, to you and everyone.
Howard Lay
Class of 44 (once)
(Transcribed By: Stephanie Valente)