Letter, Everetta Love Blair to Franklin D. Roosevelt

25-HH I October 9, 1942 My dear Mrs. Blair: The President much appreciates the friendliness which prompted your letter of September thirtieth, especially the fine spirit and courage of women like yourself in whose be- X120 half you. write. x320 Because the unprecendented pressure upon the President's time these crucial days makes it impossible for him to write to you personally, he asks me to thank you for your kind thought of him and to send his very best wishes to you and your loved ones. Very sincerely yours, Grace 0. Tully Private Secretary would X Mrs. A. D. Blair, B 423 Locust Street, Kalamazoo, Michigan. mgs Representativex EVERETTA LOVE Blair actidiones Bogandas 423 Locust Street NEW Kalamazoo, Michigan September 30, 1942 Dear Mr. President, This letter has been forming for a long time in my heart. Now, I must put it on paper. I want to speak a word for a vast group, of which I am a member - the Army wives. Could you, perhaps, call usx Eve's Battalion", we who follow behind our battalions of marching men to make homes for our husbands as long as possible? We have great admiration for our sisters, the WAACS, and for other women in service uniforms and the cover- alls of defense plant workers - yes, and a bit of envy, too, because they are contributing a definite, active part to the war effort. Yet, ours is a difficult role to play, and, we feel, just as important in its way to the war effort. For every fighting heart, there is a waiting, praying heart at home. We who travel with our husbands from Army post to Army post, take our waiting, praying hearts as near to the line of duty as we are allowed. In the words of Mrs. Douglas McArthur, who is the personification of the Army Wife, our duty is "to help our men in every way to do their work well." Some of us secretly yearn for the soul-satisfying outlet of hard work which women in service and defense jobs find - particularly, those of us who were career girls before we married- but, one glance at the brightening face of the man in uniform as he reaches home after a hard day's work at camp - or, perhaps, after several days, or a week's maneuvers - and we are convinced that nothing is so important to us as what we are doing, devoting our time to the morale and comfort of our husbands, as long as possible. He may come in, at any moment, with news of a transfer, and, if it isn't the dread secret orders", we start packing, with light hearts. We have done it many times before, so it doesn't take long. We know just where each article goes - clothing, linens, silveñ, a prized picture, an ash tray or two, the folding coffee table - everything but these few essentials has been stored for "the duration". Then, in Georgia, Texas, or Kalamazoo, we set out to look for a furnished apartment or a furnished house. Perhaps we end up in just a furnished room. We take whatever is available. And, we are grateful when the community makes us welcome by charging us reasonable rents, a fair price for food and other commodities. Some places take advantage of us and that causes the Army men to wonder if their sacrifices are worthwhile, when civilians can be selfish and scheming. EVERETTA LOVE Blair But, most towns are hospitable, their citizens coopera- tive, anxious to make us feel at home, for the brief time that we may be there. We wives soon have the bags and boxes unpacked, the children in school, and the pet dog or cat, as is often the case, all settled in the new home. If, as in some places, the furnishings are dingy, the plumbing broken-down and the prices exorbitant, we make the best of it. When everything is well in hand, we get to work and do our bit at the Red Cross or in other volunteer defense work. Sometimes, we gather for bridge, and there all talk turns to our husbands and the Army - "John, Jim, Bob" - and speculation as to future assignments. Often we are uncertain as to which nights our husbands may be able to spend at home, so any plans for the evening are made only tentatively. "My husband will be home tonight" is enough to cancel any engagement, for all the wives understand the thrill that comes of having the man of the family home for an evening of quiet, domestic life again. For Regular Army wives, this constant moving about and changing of scene is an old story. But, for those thousands of us whose husbands were called to duty during the Emergency, or after Pearl Harbor - those of us who were settled in one com- munity, who owned homes, or had plans for building them, who envisioned our children's place in the home town - it has been a pulling up of our very roots, a challenge to our moral courage, and to all our ingenuities, to take our part in this new life. It's a gay, gypsy sort of life, not knowing where we will land tomorrow, but the gayety is never free from an underlying sad- ness and apprehension, for we know that the hour of separation must come eventually for some, quickly. But, when that time comes, we steel our hearts, lift our chins, and try for a minimum of tears. Yes, I think that, tho' we of "Eve's Battalion" wear no uniform or insignia, we have a valued place in the war effort. When I admire a picture of a smart-looking WAAC or WAVE, or defense-worker in snappy slacks, I can say to myself, with quiet pride, "I'm an EVE. I'm doing my part, too." And, isn't it wonderful that I live in a country where I may sit down and write a letter to the President? Though he will probably never see it, I glory in the freedom of writing it! Everetta Sincerely, Love Blair (Wife of Captain Arnold D. Blair, 302nd Inf., 94th Division Ft. Custer, Michigan )