P.F.C Sam E. Smith 34635335
Hq. Co. 51st. Armd. Inf Bn.
A.P.O. 254 c/o P.M. N.Y., N.Y. 
U.S. ARMY POSTAL S[ERVICE]
254
AUG
29
194[4]
A.P.[O.]
U.S. POSTA[GE]
6¢
VIA AIR MAIL
liberating France 
AUG 26 1944
PASSED BY
U 105 26 S
ARMY EXAMINER
Lt R B Chapman
Mrs. S. H. Smith
Pittsboro, Miss


[Acrostic poems or exercises all over envelope]


Aug. 26, 1944
Dear Mother,
I got another letter from you today,
also three from Bernice. Bernice 
writes me almost every day, and I
enjoy hearing from her.
I have been having it pretty easy
lately. Things got a little hot a time 
or two a while back. If we
pulled into an area and decided we 
were a little to tired to do any 
digging an 88 m.m. would land close by 
and give us the Josh Walker type 
of engagment.
I got a letter from Tom Hannaford
yesterday for the first time in a 
long time. I always enjoy hearing 
from him because he shoots plenty 
of bull.
I knew Walter Johnson. He and 
I were in the same grade for 
a good many years.
France is a much better country
than England I think. We were 
pretty much disgusted when we 
first got here. There was nothing 


but rubble and dead cows and what 
few people we saw looked pretty 
sorry. We have left all that 
behind now. The people are 
very friendly and jabber a continus
stream but of course I can't under-
stand any of it. They raise a lot 
of fruit here and we get eggs & 
tomatoes etc. from the people. Almost 
all the people here farm but you 
seldom see anybody working.
These folks have an easy life 
when things are normal.
I noticed our division mentioned 
in the paper so maby there 
will be more about it from now 
on.
I don't think the war can last 
a lot longer. From what I have 
seen the Germans are a long way 
from superman but are pretty well 
the opposite when the chips are down.
Will write when I can.
Love from
Sonny Boy