Phil Wood's Letters
Letter #58
They Don’t Come Any Finer Than Harry
To Margretta and Gretchen
30 March 1944
March 30
Dear Girls,
Letters coming through wonderfully.
Too bad about your show, Gretch! Not that it fell through completely, but I could sense the general feeling of it not coming up to expectation. I know I sure did work myself into the ground on the Hamburg Show – it was technically a flop, but I still got a tremendous kick out of doing it.[1] I don’t see why you’re in such a flutter to get a new job. The set up sounds good, and you’re liked and appreciated – even though the work is a little uninteresting.
I liked John Falter’s “Gramercy” a hell of a lot. His work is very peculiar – quite literal, of course, but it is that which makes it interesting. He seems to be interesting in things, in the way objects look to the eye, not in what they mean or how he or anybody else feels about them. And it isn’t a passive reception of the senses transmitted by the eye, either; he goes out and gets the scene – doesn’t wait for it to trickle down through his eyes & out his right hand. Bold aggressive lines, too. I think he’s an artist with an illustratous [sic] viewpoint.[2]
Gretch: from now on, you are not making any contributions to Mother’s household expenses. And Mother, you give it back to her up to & including Nov[ember]. I’m making an application for dependency allowance again, and your income from sources other than me is [$]75 a month. No more. And my contribution has been [$]90 since Nov[ember]. For some reason they seem to be no longer interested in what your assets are – and on that basis I think I can get it – but it will take time to go through. But remember the figures & dates and go through the motions of returning the [$]15 per – my [$]15 is added to the [$]65 to make [$]90. The FBI does sometimes investigate and it just is a good idea to be all squared away on the picture.[3]
The enclosed is from Alice.[4] I wrote telling her all the things Harry had done (I knew he would never say anything about it himself) and on the “second page” telling her just how much I envied them their love, what a beautiful thing it was to see. She is a wonderful woman – you both would be as fond of her as I am – and they don’t come any finer than Harry. He’ll be back in the company one of these days, I’m sure. He keeps writing, and his letters are filled with nothing but how badly he wants to get back to the outfit.
Love,
Phil
[The enclosed letter:]
March 22
Dear Phil,
It was good of you to write me. I really appreciate knowing more about what happened. Harry has never said much except in praise of his men. I knew he must have done well, and I had head through Dolores that Schech had recommended him for the Silver Star.[5] Don’t think I’m not showing off your letter – the first page, at least – it makes me very proud, but not a little worried. There is such a thing as being too fearless, I imagine. The very thought of what you all went through makes my blood run cold. It was such a relief to know you, and the other few I know, were safe that I wanted to congratulate each of you. I told Harry I’d written Schech and that I wanted to write you too, but I was afraid my enthusiasm would seem a little silly from your end. And Phil, I was pretty proud too of what you said on the second page. Altogether it was a very fine letter, and I’m so grateful for it. The scuttlebutt around So. Laguna has it that you all are on [Maui] now; that’s not far from Harry, as you must know. He says he’s getting around fine now, his leg is almost as good as new.[6] I never did know just how badly he was hurt, those details can wait indefinitely as far as I’m concerned – bad enough that he was hurt at all. How is Gene Mundy bearing up after that 8 lb. boy he had recently?[7] And Gunner Swallow’s wife had a boy too, on St. Patrick’s Day.[8] Lots of future Marines growing up in So. Laguna these days. It’s wonderful here now; warm and sunny. I take my boys on the beach every day. It doesn’t seem right that it should be so nice here, now that you’re all gone. I’m only sorry, Phil, that you didn’t come up here with us for more weekends – more beer and poker in front of the fire – I do hope we’ll be able to make up for it some time soon. Thanks a lot for that letter Phil – and please take care of yourself.
With love,
Alice
Footnotes
[1] It is not clear what show of Gretchen’s is not living up to expectations. At Swarthmore, Phil did some acting and was president of the Little Theater Club, so the “Hamburg Show” is probably a school production.
[2] Falter’s painting “Gramercy Park” appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post on March 25.
[3] Phil is reprising his role as family tax lawyer, and was probably still working as such for the company.
[4] Alice (last name unknown) was the steady girlfriend of 1Lt. Harry D. Reynolds, Jr. In a previous letter, Phil mentions going to visit Harry and Alice in Laguna; Alice was then in the process of finalizing a divorce
[5] “Schech” is Captain Irving Schechter, the company commander. “Dolores” may have been his girlfriend at the time.
[6] Reynolds was shot in the leg during the battle for Roi-Namur. He did return to the company on 23 April 1944, and received the Silver Star Medal – his first – on the recommendation of Captain Schechter.
[7] 1Lt. Gene Gordon Mundy was the battalion operations officer, and another of Phil Wood’s OCS classmates.
[8] Marine Gunner Judson John Swallow previously served with the First Separate Battalion. He transferred out of the unit shortly after they arrived in California, and at the time of this letter was on duty with the Field Signal Battalion of Camp Pendleton. Swallow would later serve with the 27th Marines, Fifth Marine Division.
Falter’s “Gramercy Park” depicts the corner of Gramercy Park South and Irving Place, which is just one block from Gretchen and Margretta’s apartment on East 19th street.