Letter Written by Patricia O\u27Brien Aiken to Lieutenant Albert Shelton Aiken postmarked September 14, 1942

Hi Sweet! Got a call from Watson at the office the other day—he said Edith was rather worried about you and had I heard? So it made me wonder too—it’s funny, I look forward to your letters but I don’t expect them at any certain time. Quite a difference than when you were at Selfridge when I used to get positively furious if I didn’t hear twice a week. It never bothered me when you were in Texas. I guess that was because I got a letter almost every other day..

Letter Written by Patricia O\u27Brien Aiken to Lieutenant Albert Shelton Aiken Postmarked September 18, 1942

Hi Light of My Life – You know how you get the feeling of how high you really are when you fly over certain things—like a radio tower or something. Well I got a feeling the other night—sort of a realization that it had actually been ten months practically since I had seen you—and it didn’t feel a bit good, in fact I felt rather panicky. Usually it just doesn’t seem that long, which is a blessing I guess. Got a letter from Mom tonight, she’s fine, and said she had read in the paper that they were giving leave & would you get any. Sort of a coincidence because I hadn’t mentioned that you might..

Letter Written by Patricia O\u27Brien Aiken to Lieutenant Albert Shelton Aiken dated February 13, 1943

Well Baby – The day felt just like I did so it rained like hell. I hope you are having a terrible time in Dayton & are wishing to heaven you had me there after all. Or else that you’ve picked up some blonde and are feeling very cheap at having been promiscuous so soon after having left the arms, so to speak, of your loving wife..

Letter Written by Patricia O\u27Brien Aiken to Lieutenant Albert Shelton Aiken postmarked April 24, 1943

Hi Joe – I’ve about reached my low point so according to the Dorothy Dix I shouldn’t be writing to you and lowering your morale—but as I always say what the hell’s a husband for. Yestryday [sic] I got a letter from Peg Murray, the girl I liked the most in the bunch who went to Alaska, we had a lot of fun together since most of the other gals were on the watch and we were both engaged. He was an Air Corps man too and in India, sailed from Bolling on 5 hrs notice about a month after you first left the country. Any way he was killed on the 21st of February & as she says she doesn’t much feel like ever coming home again. Then Mrs. Matthews answered my letter today. She had a baby 3 days after she got the telegram. It’s a boy named R.D. Jr. It was a pretty bad letter, but I’m sure I don’t blame her for going to pieces. She’s stuck in No. Dakota probably for the rest of her life and says instead of 23 she wishes she were 73. I get what she means. Then on top of that you write that you won’t be home in July—altho’ I thought that was coming—still you could have picked a more convenient day to tell me. On thinking the whole thing over—I wish some kind soul would blow the whole damn world to hell—and I’d be glad to be among the missing..

Letter Written by Patricia O\u27Brien Aiken to Lieutenant Albert Shelton Aiken postmarked September 23, 1942

Honestly Darling – You can’t imagine how glad I was to hear that you had a broken rib. I mean just the fact that you still had a rib to be broken was so wonderful. Gordon came home with a rumor that you’d been killed. So Mrs. Blood called to find out the worst from Edith. She came over to find out when I’d last heard, and told me that (Gordon said maybe) you’d been badly hurt. I was a sick cookie for a while (Sunday) but Monday when I got to work I looked so horrible that Mr. Curran got the story & immediately called A.G.O. who stated that you’d never been a casualty or in an accident. That helped matters a lot, Watson spent a day at A.G.O. too, & found out the same thing. It wasn’t until then that Edith told me he said you’d been killed not hurt..

Letter written by Patricia O\u27Brien Aiken to Lieutenant Albert Shelton Aiken Postmarked March 30, 1942

Hi Sugar – I got quite a kick out of your letter. The letterhead was censored and also the place you arrived at and then what has been fairly good so that you got in a lot of flying time. It looked so ridiculous, I just had to laugh. However if you’re where I think you are, I think the Alaskan mainland would be better even if it doesn’t have any inner-spring mattresses..

Letter Written by Patricia O\u27Brien Aiken to Lieutenant Albert Shelton Aiken dated February 13, 1943

Well Baby – The day felt just like I did so it rained like hell. I hope you are having a terrible time in Dayton & are wishing to heaven you had me there after all. Or else that you’ve picked up some blonde and are feeling very cheap at having been promiscuous so soon after having left the arms, so to speak, of your loving wife..

Letter Written by Patricia O\u27Brien Aiken to Lieutenant Albert Shelton Aiken dated October 7, 1942

Hi My True Love – I hope I won’t startle you too much, but I’m writing to tell you that I leave Washington the 18th to report for duty Nov. 1 at the Cold Weather Testing Detachment, Ladd Field, Fairbanks, Alaska. I know it will probably seem that this time I’m chasing you a little too far, but I hope you won’t be too disgruntled. It was just about a week ago that I heard of the chance—and after that I had to overcome all sorts of obstacles—such as being only twenty, not being a stenographer, but they told me yestryday [sic] that I was one of the twelve to go..

Letter written by Patricia O\u27Brien Aiken to Lieutenant Albert Shelton Aiken dated August 18, 1942

High Sugar— I guess whomever you borrowed the paper from used to write his girl long letters. One of the gals at home writes me that the boy she’s gonna marry writes her four or five letters a day.—I felt very neglected to say the least! I don’t guess we’d better get very mad at each other—because when I get mad I like to get as far away from the person as possible. I’d probably wake up in Iowa some morning, with you still in Alabama for instance! And think of the train fare wasted—I’m afraid the budget couldn’t take it..

Letter Written by Patricia O\u27Brien Aiken to Lieutenant Albert Shelton Aiken postmarked May 18, 1943

Hi Honey-bun – Guess who I got a letter from today—Mary Ellen—and written in her own hand writing! Can you imagine it? Or do you recall just how crooked and helpless her hands were when we were home. She’s writing a book about the hospital & her own funny experiences she tentatively calls it “Horizontal Holiday” which ain’t bad. She was quite ecstatic in her praises of you—which of course I just ate up—some time when you’re feeling particularly low I’ll let you read it. She considers me very lucky—but even at that I think she under estimates what I consider myself. I sent Mom a pair of good white gloves for Mother’s day. She just got a new coat which has a white collar on it so evidently she looked very good—Don wired her some flowers so she was quite thrilled..