Dear Folks,I went to church last Sunday evening and probably will tonight unless something comes up. Our church is a tent, as yet, but a chapel is in the proces of being built. Both Dave and I worked on it in our spare time.I somehow think that luck alone doesn't bring us back from each mission. The roughest part of the war is sweating out the crews that don't come back. A lot of my

best buddies I've sweated out, and a lot of them have shown up later, but a few haven't.It's a terribly lonely feeling when some of your friends don't return and all that is there to remember them by are the cots they slept in.They wouldn't stay empty long as they seemed to be filled with replacement crews as soon as they became empty.There are a million and one stories I have to tell already, but it'll have to wait until I get back home, and then I won't want to talk about them. A lot of things happen that most of us won't try to remember.I wish that you'd save this letter because it's a day I'll not want to forget. (David is listing as missing.) It's nothing that'll have any effect on you, but I can't explain it just yet.Could you send me Dave Stewart's address? I imagine I can find him if he's here in the Marinannes with me. I think that he is on the submarine that docks here on occasion.I believe that Dutch (Norman Rettig) is here somewhere, too, but haven't seen anyone yet that I know.So long for now,Lots of love, DickP.S. Please send a box of cookies. Peanuts are scarce here. (hint)Reprinted from "Family Letters from the Greatest Generation," by Richard Curry. The book, along with "World War II Combat Diary" and "Butler County Heroes of World War II" is available through the Butler County Historical Society.