Letter from Clarence Williams to Gretchen Williams, August 10, 1945

Well honey I am on C.Q. again tonite and we are all siting with our ears glued on the radio in anticipation of the broadcast announcing the surrender of Japan. A short while ago they stated the Japs had agreed to all terms with the exception of getting rid of the Emperor. No doubt some agreement will be reached on that point in a very short while at least I think the whole thing will be over in a couple of days. I am so confident now that I only wish I was in the states in the redeployment program at the present time.

I went down to see the show at the theater last night as I heard “Till we Meet Again” was supposed to be on. The show was to start at 7:00 but after getting there they announced the film wouldn’t arrive until 8:45. I went back at 8:15 and the show was just starting. It ran about ten minutes when the bulb in the machine burned out and being a Kraut machine, no bulbs were available consequently no show. Thats the life in the good old ETO. I hope they have better luck next time I go.

They just finished confirming the fact Japan had offered to surrender. The earlier announcement was merely hearsay I guess.

So Mrs Kavka got back from California, I suppose the twins are really big by this time. I’ll bet you are kinda glad to again   have her back. I imagine Nadine seems much more settled now since being married and having a place of her own.

Honey I have seen something over here that I had often read about but never seen before and that is chimney sweeps. Those guys get so black and dirty that they look like a walking pile of soot. They actually go down inside some of the chimney and clean them with wire brushes and cables. They also carry brooms made of small tree branches similar to those in pictures with old witches riding them.

I received two letters from you last night, the 28th and 30th so am now short only the 31st. So you too are getting some gray hair. Thats a good thing honey, otherwise when I return, every one would think you were my daughter. Mine has really grayed here of late in fact even I think I can see the difference in the past six months. I don’t mind tho honey if you don’t. You know the old saying “There might be snow on the roof but there is still a fire in the furnace.” Maybe now with Japan wanting to surrender, it won’t be too long before you can cool the fire. Ha! I said tonite when I heard the news that if shipping space was holding us up, I would be willing to stand up all the way home and I’m not kidding either. With the war in that theater over, the fellows are going   to be plenty restless. I know I will be. I hope they hurry up the election here in Austria so we can get the hell out of here and on our way. Perhaps there will be some possibility of us leaving before the end of the year now. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could make it for the holidays. I’m going to keep my fingers crossed but not plan too strongly.

Well darling I must close and go to bed so — Bye for now.