Willard Ross

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Military Service
War: WWII
Branch: Army Air Force

Personal Details
Born: 15 December 1919
Died: 4 September 2011
Parents: Reike and Grace (Geerdes) Ross
Spouse: Wyone Maas

Buried: St. Paul's Lutheran Church Cemetery
Shiloh Township, Grundy County, Iowa

Chicago, Illinois
Dec. 16, 1942

Dear Herald and Friends:

Having a few spare moments I thought I'd drop you a few lines. I don't have much time to myself now because I am on the night shift. The school here is operating 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. There are 3 shifts a day. I do not know how the 2 day shifts are operating but here is how the night shift goes. I go to bed at 9:00 o'clock A.M. and I get up at 5:00 o'clock P.M. In other words I sleep while most of you are working. Then at 6:30 P.M. I eat breakfast. Next, I go to class at 9:15 P.M. till 12:40 A.M. At 12:45 A.M. I eat dinner. Then we have off until 2:10 A.M. and then start another class. This lasts until 6:00 A.M. I eat supper at 6:30 A.M. Then I have my drilling from 7:20 A.M. to 8:20 A.M. and at 9:00 A.M. I again go to bed. So now you can see I have very little leisure time. This is the toughest shift of the three but we have to be satisfied with what we get. I'm sure that if it will help win the war none of us will mind it.

Well, there isn't much news here. I guess most all of us boys are thinking most of Christmas. We are supposed to have 2 days off but nothing is official. Truthfully my hopes are run down, but I'm still thinking about it. I'd like nothing better than to come home. But if not I plan on having a furlough after this course is over. My course was to be for 22 weeks but it has been cut down to some extent. I think I have 8 weeks left.

Tuesday night we were given the right to actually tune a high power transmitter and send a message. One fellow upstairs here picked it up on his short wave set. The transmitters we use here cost around $1500, so we have to use care in handling them. Well, my time is up so I must close. I'll write when I have time. Hoping to hear from you soon, also I want to thank those who sent me cards and gifts for my birthday. Also hoping us boys can all come home soon.

Sincerely yours
Pvt. Willard Ross

--Wellsburg Herald (Wellsburg, Iowa), 23 December 1942