# Letter — 23 March 1945, to Pop

**Sender**: Cpl. Arthur M. Yena (A.S.N. 31289110, 783rd Bomb. Sq., 465th Bomb. Gp., A.P.O. #520, c/o Postmaster, N.Y., N.Y.) — Italy
**Recipient**: Mr. John Yena Sr., Quaker Lane, West Warwick, Rhode Island
**Date written**: Friday, 23 March 1945, ~5:25 P.M.
**Type**: Typewritten, 2 pages
**Confidence**: ~98% (typed; clear readability)
**Scan location**: `scans/processed/1945-03-23_to-pop/`
**Audio**: `audio-final-pops/letter-03_1945-03-23_to-pop.mp3` — ~2:30 — generated 2026-05-22

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## Transcription

### Page 1

> Cpl. Arthur M. Yena
> 23 March 1945
>
> Friday afternoon
> about 5:25 P.M.
>
> Dear Pop,
>
> Back at the office again. The boys on the shift ahead
> of us must have done quite a bit of work cleaning up the place.
> It shines from floor to ceiling. Even the pin-ups which cover
> one side of a wall look brighter. We've got quite a few in
> our collection now—one for every week that we've been over here.
> Each week our magazine YANK has a pin-up for the week and
> naturally that's about the first thing we look at.
>
> I keep wondering how long this wonderful weather will last.
> Today was another beautiful one, nice and clear and warm, the
> night's, however, are still pretty cool. That was our only
> consolation last summer after those scorching days, so I hope
> at least that they stay nice and cool. How is it up there, is
> it still snowing?
>
> Mail is coming in rather slow, but I guess I can't
> kick for some tide to come after all those letter a while ago.
> I've just now caught up to where there are only eight left.
>
> Thanks for getting that No. 1 paper for me. Don't go
> through a lot of trouble getting the stuff, though that
> maybe you might be able to get it pretty easy. I guess all
> that photographic material is pretty scare in the States.
> To come to think about it all, everybody at home claims that
> this is scarce and that is scarce. The government claims it's
> going to the service men, but it seems to me it's scarce over
> here too. I wonder where half of the stuff is going. Cigarettes

### Page 2

> -2-
>
> are a good example. Oh well I suppose it's being used to good
> advantage somewhere, at least I hope it is.
>
> Thanks for that clipping about Doc Wittig. Seems as though
> he got overseas in pretty jig time. Either he gained quite a
> bit of weight or else the picture wasn't very good.
>
> I'm feeling fine and have been for a record time I guess.
> Haven't been off the base since the early part of February.
> It's almost the end of March again and I keep wondering how long
> we're going to stay here. It's anybody's guess, I suppose,
>
> Well here is hoping that this finds you and Mom and all
> home feeling fine. I'll be running along for another little
> while.
>
> Lots of love to Mom and all,
>
> Love,
> Art.

---

## Envelope

**Front (recipient)**:
> Mr. John Yena Sr.
> Quaker Lane
> West Warwick
> Rhode Island

**Return address**:
> Cpl. Arthur M. Yena
> A.S.N. 31289110
> 783rd Bomb. Sq. (H)
> 465th Bomb. Gp.
> A.P.O. #520
> c/o Postmaster, N.Y., N.Y.

**Markings**: 6¢ airmail stamp (red airliner design); U.S. Army postmark; censor stamp "PASSED BY" visible in lower right of envelope; signature initials/name above the AIR MAIL stripe ("Robt H Booth, Lt. A.C." → likely the censor's signature).

---

## Notable content & research notes

- **Doc Wittig** — referenced again (also mentioned in earlier letters per Alex's prior research?). Pop sent a clipping about him. Sounds like a hometown doctor or family friend who went overseas. Worth tracking.
- **No. 1 paper** — Pops's father was sending photographic paper (Pops is the unit photographer). Repeated references to photographic material shortages.
- **Pin-ups + YANK magazine** — barracks culture detail. Useful narrative texture for the war-letters book.
- **"It's almost the end of March again and I keep wondering how long we're going to stay here. It's anybody's guess"** — strong line. The war is six weeks from ending in Europe and Pops doesn't know yet that he's almost out.
- **Cigarettes scarcity rant** — interesting commentary on home-front rationing perception from a soldier's point of view.

## TTS-prep notes

- Clean read throughout. No transcription gaps. Ready for ElevenLabs production.
- Approximate length: ~3:00–3:30 audio if all pages used. Good "long-form" candidate to test the voice clone's stamina.
- Tonal register: relaxed, conversational, mildly cynical (cigarettes rant). Should land well in the AI-Pops voice.
- Closing "Love, Art." matches the letter-01 cadence — should chain cleanly into the next.