Here's a quick postcard from Carmel to Armand in 1946.
The Hotel Taft in NYC, still stands and has been renamed The Michelangelo. If you'd like to read about the history of the hotel click here. The note reads; "Here in New York and having a wonderful time, which I didn't expect to. I guess before I even start realizing it, I will be on the homeward bound. - Carmel"
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We all know that the Santomasso men are charmers... Armand was no different. This letter in 1943 to "P.F.C. A. Santo Massimo" (or shall we say, "Jim") from Miss May Birchall in England provides everything a love letter should; romance, and mystery! And don't worry, it's G rated, wouldn't want to embarrass Mindo - especially not on his birthday. Read on, and enjoy the last of the letters I have in my Santomasso collection. If anyone in the family has more letters to contribute to the blog, please let me know! Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! Miss May Birchall
3 Cape Street Salford 5 Lanes’ Sat: Get: 2.10.43 Hello Jim, Well I am surprised to hear from you after all this time, nearly a whole year. Jim, if you are lucky enough to receive this please put my correct name on your next letter to me, that’s if you will forgive me, love, telling you a lie about my name, only I do so want to hear from you again. I have always been wanting to see or hear from you, Jim, the reason for my telling you my wrong name was just that I thought mine was too plain for you to take any notice of me. I have been so sorry Jim, about it. Well I am glad you are in the best of health and spirits and that you did write to me. Are your family keeping fine? When I hear on the Wireless Command Performance I always think of you, Jimmy. You didn’t have to put down your description, Jim I still remember what you look like. Do you still remember what I look like? Only I haven’t got 1 photograph left. Jim it takes so long to get one done these days, my hair has grown quite long, that’s all that has changed about me. Please write back to me…(illegible) 64…(illegible) always used to get…(illegible) remember you when I get one. Well I will have to close my letter, now Jimmy so good night and God Bless you all the way Jimmy all my love and thoughts for your safety, because you treated me well. Do you remember the movies and a certain box of candy? I do. xxxx xxxx xxxx May Always your friend, & a little more if you like. May
Hello Mom,
Arrived safe and sound. Feeling fine. And hope to hear the same. Nothing much to say except that everything is okay and don't worry. So long. Love Armand, Pvt. A. Santomasso Co. B 16 Eugr. A.P.0 New York N.Y. My sister Katie and I have memories of being at the kitchen table during dinner with Armand, and him gently nudging one of us and saying "would you please pas the habib?". This is what he called pepper. The name Habib in Arabic means "beloved". He certainly loved his pepper. One day while visiting him on Gordon Street, he showed me some photographs of him during the war, including the photo of him with his friend "Habib". This, of course, confused me. "But habib is pepper!" I wish now that I could remember if he told me a story connected with this man. Thankfully, we have this heartfelt letter from him, which speaks to what must have been an instant friendship between these two men during the invasion of North Africa. Kindness is a wonderful thing, and in this uncertain world it is good to have reminders that no matter what differences we have in race, religion, etc, we are all human beings trying to live our lives with kindness and grace. I hope you enjoy this letter as much as I did. I want to thank Sean's friend Carly, who kindly gave us a lovely translation. The parenthetical notes are hers. Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! January 19 1946 My dear Armand, (mon cher Armand/ it is a term of endearment, my very good friend…) It is with great joy that I received your wonderful/thoughtful letter yesterday morning dated December 20th. I never expected to hear from you (une telle missive??? I can’t read it) after such a long time since you were stationed in my house (chez moi could mean actually in his house or in his country..) in November the month of the American landing in North Africa. I too won’t stop thinking about it and I will think about it for a very longtime ( I assume in the letter to Habib, Armand talked about his experience of the war…). We were so happy to see you (Armand et the Americans) arrive and deliver us from German occupation/control, our happiness was immeasurable/we were overcome with joy, I’m sure you must have noticed (our joy). For the moment, my entire family and I are doing very well and we wish, with all our hearts that all is going well for you. However/only, I would like to, before closing this letter, tell you that my children are “Presque nus”= almost naked / so are without clothing/have almost nothing. If you could by any chance send me, which I would reimburse, some clothes for them, you would be doing me the most generous favor in the world. As you know, I have a 13-year-old son, a 9 year old (son) and a 6 year old (son) (I wanted to remind you..) so that you would have an idea of the range of clothing that you could send/ that need to be sent. Please do not forget to say hello to all of your comrades (the soldiers in your squad..) who were with you at my house. Here, it is still the same, there is still misery but we are managing/getting along in order to fight against (le sort! )death/our situation/the evil powers here! If in passing, you need/would like anything, dates or something else (fruit…maybe), do not forget to tell me/don’t hesitate to let me know. It would give me great pleasure to send these things to you. If by any chance you have collector stamps, would you mind sending them to me because I have a collection and I thank you in advance. Having nothing more to tell you/say, I leave you shaking your hand (it means with “my finest compliments” “all of my respect”) and always keeping you in my thoughts! You remain in my thoughts. Habib A wintry scene from Wisconsin, with a sweet note from Hugo. Antonetta must have enjoyed receiving this! Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! Pvt. H. Santomasso
ASN 31274243 2nd EWG. BN. Co B. APO 2 Camp McCoy Wisconsin How do you like this scene? It's nicer than this now. Feeling fine. Hope you are the same. Hugo The last letter we have from Edmund, and perhaps the last letter anyone ever received from him. It happened by chance that this post crops up just before Veteran's Day, and I'm glad that it has. Edmund was eager to fight for his country. When he writes in this letter about being delayed in leaving for their destination, he says; "I guess you’ll take this as good news, but it’s a disappointment to me." When we find ourselves sad that Edmund was taken from us so young with so much life before him, it helps to remember that he was eager and willing to fight for our country, like so many other brave soldiers. Like Hugo, and Armand, and many others. Men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for us... They were all part of the Greatest Generation, of which we are proud. Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! June 8, ’44
Hello Folks, Surprised? Well, so am I - to find myself back here at El Centro. No doubt you thought I was well on my way, which I would have been, had we not run into a delay. Before shoving out, our planes have to stand an acceptance check at a certain station here on the coast. It resulted in our being grounded. It seems that we are equipped with a certain make gas tank, which has to be replaced by another make. When? We get the new cells, it will be several weeks before they are all installed. It looks like I’ll be around for awhile yet, though I don’t know whether we’ll do the job here, or at some other station. The rest of our squadron should be at our destination by now, as it’s weeks since they left. It’s my guess, that we won’t be seeing them for 4 months. We should be ready to start out again in about a month, but it will be some time before we catch them. All that are here, are flight crews; the rest are gone. Even my sea-bag is out there, waiting. I guess you’ll take this as good news, but it’s a disappointment to me. I’m sorry if you were worried not hearing from me, but now that I’m back here, there is no restriction. I received the money order the very next day after I called. The day after that we left to have the planes checked, and I couldn’t write to thank you. It’s going to have to last me a long time because heaven only knows when I’ll be paid again. I don’t have any need for money right now, so there’s no need to worry, unless we stay here for quite a while. once I get out of the States, I certainly won’t need any. That’s why I signed over my pay to go home. I don’t know when you’ll receive the first check, probably not for months, as I told you when I phoned. I don’t guess they’ll send the regular allotment either. It will probably be all at once. I see by the paper that the Allies have been making splendid progress in Italy, and have gained a foothold in France. The invasion of France is the beginning of the end of Germany. Victory in the war of Europe is not many months away, and I hope and join in your prayers for the safety of Armand and Hugo. Regards to the folks. Love, Ed P.S. You may continue writing to me here, although some of my letters have been forwarded to the F.P.O., and so long as I’m here, I can grab them. P.S. Jr. Ted Wiesenthal and I took some pictures, which Ted’s brother in law is developing in New York. He has your address and will mail you a set. This is the second to last letter I have from Edmund. This week he mentions that he is likely "on his way" in the very near future. It is hard to read this letter without being overwhelmed by the foreshadowing of what's to come. When you put the solemnity of that aside, it is easy to see that the essence of this letter is the love that our family shared. The packages, the letters, the connection between these people show that through the miles they were always together in spirit. And probably still are, up there somewhere... Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! May 14, 1944 Hello Mom, Rose, It’s been several days since I last wrote, during which I received the package of blades, cigarettes and toilet articles, and also the overcoat. Thanks very much for all the useful things contained in the package. They will certainly be needed in a little while. Tomorrow, I’m sending home a package of a few more things I won’t be needing for awhile. Last week I heard from Ida, Rose, Hugo, and Armand. Hugo received my last letter, but Armand wrote his before my letter got to him. Both boys told me that everything is OK, and in good health. Hugo did a little jumping didn’t he? He says he likes England better than his last station. I wrote a letter to Olga last week, and I told her if I had liberty, I would go to L.A., and get on that program that she listens to. Sorry, Olga, but all I had was one day off that weekend, which isn’t time enough to make for Los Angeles. I can’t say much about activities right now. I can say, that before the week is up, I’ll be on my way. Give my regards to all at home, and I’ll be seeing you again. Love, Ed EXTRA! EXTRA! Here is a grocery list, written on the back of the envelope. I don't know about you, but I get a kick out of it. See if you can make out the last thing listed... It would take awhile for someone who isn't Italian. :) This week Edmund is traveling in style in a Pullman car, taking the "Sunset Route" all the way to El, Centro CA. Learn more about his trip below! Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! Feb 22, 1944
Dear Mom, I hope you are feeling well and that everything is okay. I’ve done some traveling since my last letter. We left New River on the 15th, and 6 days later, which was last nite, we arrived here at El Centro, Cal. The trip was very pleasant, and to the fact that we had pullman cars all the way. We came by the southern route, which is known as the “Sunset Route”. The states we went through are South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. From Yuma Arizona, to here, we traveled through Old Mexico. The part we went through, was mostly desert, but we did pass through a couple of pretty fair size towns, as we approached the border. I haven’t had much of a look at this place yet, but from what I have seen, it’s pretty nice. I’ll write more about it, as soon as I get settled. I’ll be here for a while yet, but I don’t know just how long: two or three months perhaps. I have a lot of unpacking and routine to get out of the way, so I’ll close now, but will write again soon. Regards to all. Love, Ed P.S. My address Sgt — -- V.M.B. - 443 M.B.D.A. g-43 U.S.M.C.A.S. El Centro, Cal Looks like Edmund is working hard, staying up late, and still there is more to do. He has barely even had time to eat, only grabbing things "on the fly" (Pun intended? Probably!) Antonetta and Rose provide the remedy, as they always do! Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! Feb, 13, 1944
Dear Mom and Rose, Lately I have been kept very busy, which is why I haven’t written sooner. The last week especially, has given me very little, if any, time to myself. We have been making preparations to move, crating and loading supplies. The interference of rain forced us to slow up and threw us behind schedule, so we had to work day and night to catch up. Yesterday, after working all day, I had to resume after evening chow, and continued until 2:00 AM. I slept this morning, and worked the afternoon. We caught up pretty good otherwise I’d be on the job to-nite, again. I just finished washing a pile of clothes, and I’m glad it’s done. Whew! I don’t know where you gals get the patience to wash and wash. Yesterday, the package of salami, preserves, candy and cigarettes arrived and it was more than welcome. I needed some smokes, but didn’t get a chance to buy any, so they came as a life saver. Also, as we have been eating “on the fly”, sandwiches of salami and preserves sure solved the chow problem for my buddies and me. Thank you, Mom and sister Rose, for a very thoughtful and delightful package. We’ll be leaving in a few days, when I can’t say, so continue addressing me here until I notify you of the change. Hoping you are all in the best of health. I’ll say “so long” until next time. Regards to brothers and sisters. Loving son, Ed Ever hear of a flight referred to as a "hop"? I certainly haven't, until this letter. Seems like Edmund is very busy with flight training. He must have visited the family recently as he mentions how good it was to see them in his sweet sign off. Enjoy! Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! Jan 30, 1944
Dear Mom and Rose, I arrived back at the station yesterday at 4:00 am. Connections were very good and there wasn’t the excessively heavy crowd there usually is, on the travel. Ted and I both slept most of the way, which made the trip seem very short. We were awake long enough to eat our sandwiches. Besides the ones I brought, Ted had some chicken sandwiches, and for once, our big bellies had enough. I took yesterday morning off to unpack, and get my gear stowed away (or, at least, that’s what I said) I hit the sack after I unpacked. Remember I told you that I hadn’t received those letters when I got back from Boca Chica? Well, I made the mail clerk go hunting, and sure enough he found a packet of letters, containing 14. From the family, there were two from Rose, one each from Tony, Ida, and Olga, and also one from brother Hugo dated Jan 9th. The rest of the letters were from friends home, that collected while I was in Florida. Hugo wrote that he is well, and has been hearing from you folks. I’m going to write to him to-day. Yesterday afternoon, I went back to work, and was greeted with a four hour hop, all aerial gunnery. Before we leave, I’m supposed to fly with my pilot on a navigation hop to New York. It was scheduled but then cancelled, luckily for me, on the day after I stated on my 71. That gives me the break if not missing it, if it is scheduled again. We expect to be leaving here very soon, but you’ll hear from me between now and then. I’ll close now with regards to the family, and hoping you all remain as well as when I found you on my visit. It was swell being home again. I feel a lot better when I know that everything at home is okay, and I was very happy to find you all looking so nice. Until next time then. Love, Ed |
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