(The following are letters from the father
to the son during the latter's service in World War II.)
May 10, 1943, Seattle
Dear Son,
... and we're so hungry for steak I'd be
willing to risk my new uppers on the toughest piece of beef in Montana.
Your Railroad has been real active out this
way. There's some kind of secret project underway at Hanford, Washington.
I understand The Milwaukee Road was called on to move the town's whole
population almost overnight, to make way for the war work.
The folks at home who work on The Milwaukee
Road are doing all right too. President Scandrett had a message in the
magazine the other day telling about it: "Four thousand pounds of scrap
and fittings were removed from under buildings. There have been 98,650
pounds of shop-made tools taken from the blacksmith shop and converted
into scrap ... also from the shops, 1,849 pounds of brass recovered ...
also 36,559 pounds of miscellaneous scrap recovered from the roundhouse
and shops."
Here at home your mother has given me a new
job. I have to peel the labels off tincans every night and stamp them out
flat for the scrap drive. At least it gives me exercise ...
May 9, 1945, Seattle
Dear Son,
My blood pressure is running pretty high.
We've done so much celebrating in Seattle since Germany surrendered day
before yesterday that I feel like I personally fought through the whole
European campaign.
Your mother and I were wondering where you
were in Europe when the end came. And how about those European Railroads?
Was The Milwaukee Road's 744th Railway Operating Battalion able to get
them in running shape? Here at home all the Railroads have done a great
job. As General Somervell said the other day: "That the Railroads have
been able to handle this enormous military traffic on time and with a high
degree of comfort is a record of which every American Railroad must be
proud."
The feeling seems to prevail that the Japs
won't last long. Apropos of this, your Railroad is getting all set for
peace, according to the magazine, and has quite an improvement program
underway. About the biggest project, I guess, is the opening of a new
double tracked line into Kansas City, jointly with the Rock Island, over
the new President Harry S. Truman Bridge.
December 18, 1945, Seattle
Dear Son,
... The Milwaukee Road is out of
receivership, in case you hadn't heard the news. Mr. Scandrett is
President of the reorganized Company and Mr. Leo T. Crowley, a man of wide
experience in financial affairs, is Chairman of the Board. Actually, there
seems to be no change in management and its policies.
I see by The Magazine that 6,916 of you
Milwaukee Roaders were in service. That's a record any Company can be
proud of ... you can imagine how anxious we are to see you when you get
home next month. |