Commerce, Tx
1 January, 1949

Dear Don,*

While I was in New York I saw the Giffords regularly, the McNerney's occasionally, Doc Bradford the same, Father Powers once, John Lindgren once, Ed beckerman twice odr so, Eddie beutel once, and that's just about the limit. Joe Whitson called Anne after I had come down here to Commerce, TX. He was on a pleasure cruise to the city with his spouse. I guess you know that he married his Sue. You will remember Crawford, the nice looking kid in "E" Co. Well, he went up from La. to Tenn to visit Joe, Fell in love with a local belle and married her forthwith.

For the past two years the 503rd veterans around dear old Boston, under the leadership of Bradford and others, have had a reunion to which they have invited all the people in the New York area and all the ex-members who are still in the army and stationed at Benning. I had an invite to both but didn't make either but got reports on all those present from Jim Gifford, who receives an invite as an honorary member. The main thing I remember about the last year's affair concerned Red Lavancher, George Kish, and Neil Taylor, who were in a transport en route to th affair, plane crashed and all were killed.

 I do know this much: Little Brownie is back in the army, Ziler is still in and Major Ziler, Jack Blair is back in, Joe Conway, McRoberts, and one or two others whose names I didn't get were kicked out for Hell-raising down at Ft. Benning. Old Doc Stevems lives and practices in a town 20 miles from here. I went over and saw him....I forgot to mention the fact that I went in to see Doc Landes while I was in New York. He's got a nice little importing business, married to a business woman, and doing quite well. McNerney told me he was walking along the street one dayand heard a terrific horn-blowing behind him, and just imagine his suprise when he glanced around and found his old buddy Murray Schifter at the controls of a Taxicab. It seems that he got married soon after he returned to the states and the gal took him for all his hardearned gambling gains in a very few months. Serves the no-account right, I'd say.