--- audio_path: --- # Letter — 26 June 1945, to Pop **Sender**: Cpl. Arthur M. Yena (A.S.N. 31289110) — **347th Bomb. Sq. (H), 99th Bomb. Gp. (H), A.P.O. #520**, Tortorella, Italy **Recipient**: Mr. John Yena Sr., Quaker Lane, West Warwick, Rhode Island **Date written**: Tuesday morning, about 9:10 A.M., 26 June 1945 **Location header**: "Tortorella, Italy" (explicit — Tortorella is the 99th BG's airfield) **Postmark**: U.S. Army Postal Service, JUN 28 1945 **Type**: Handwritten cursive, 3 pages on single folded sheet **Scan location**: `scans/processed/1945-06-26_to-pop/` **Transcription source**: ChatGPT vision pass 2026-05-23 (~95% confidence) **Confidence**: clean / green / ELEVENLABS-READY (per audio-strategy pivot, not in immediate audio queue) --- ## Transcript (ChatGPT clean) > Tuesday morning > about 9:10 A.M. > > Cpl. Arthur M. Yena > 26 June 1945 > > Tortorella, Italy > > Dear Pop, > > As yet I haven't received any mail from home, but figured I'd write a few lines and let you know the latest. > > It seems as though we'll stay here for quite some time. During a meeting last week, our C.O. informed us that instead of moving up as was first proposed we'd stay right here till September of 1946. However, now I've heard several times that it may be any time in 1946, which of course is better news. Everything is so unsure though, and even this is due to change soon. Every time they decide on something, the next week or so it's altogether different. This has been on a week now so it should change, by law of averages, any day now. They're getting ready to stay here, though, because we are getting in lumber and building materials every day. The point system is still out of the question for me. > > The work at the office is very monotonous right now. There's nothing for us to do hardly and more a matter of putting in our time. It gets pretty tiresome. > > Before I came overseas, I bought a Sheaffer pen and pencil set. After I got overseas the pen point broke. Just never got around to send it back and have it fixed. Finally I'm decided to send it back to the factory. I did write them though and requested that they send it after it's fixed to you C.O.D. It shouldn't cost very much if anything, because it has some kind of guarantee on it. At any rate whatever it is, it won't be much. The reason I did that was because I don't want it bouncing all over Europe, in case I should move again. So I think in the long run it'll be a lot easier and quicker if they send it to you and you can then send it to me, because you'll be up on my latest address. I thought I'd let you know, so that when it does get there, you'll know what it's about. > > Just received two letters since 12th. Both were direct to Joe from Lorraine and got here about 4 days or so ago. I'm sure I have same old mail, but heaven knows when it'll get here. Haven't found anything about the old boys. I see Louie quite often. > > The weather here is really rough. It's supposed to hit 100° sometime today. That's bad enough, but this dust is really the stuff. It's worse here than anywhere else I've ever been. You can step out of the tent and not see the next one 20 ft. away for about a minute. Or else the theaters come by and nearly take everything with them. > > I read where Frankie "The Voice" Sinatra is over here. He is due in Foggia, about 5 miles down-road sometime this week. I'll be working no doubt. > > I'm feeling fine and hope everyone at home is the same. > > That's about all at the end for now so till next time love to Mom and all at home. > > Love, > Arthur --- ## Major content / narrative significance - **Tortorella confirmed** as the 99th BG's airfield. Pops's "moving up" rumors and "staying here till September 1946" — major demobilization-uncertainty beat. The C.O. just delivered the long-stay news. - **Sheaffer pen and pencil set** — pre-deployment purchase, broke overseas, finally sending it home to the factory C.O.D. to be repaired then forwarded to Pop, who'll know Pops's latest address. Lovely small-life detail; sets up letter-16 (Aug 4) follow-up ("The pen may take a little time in getting to you..."). - **Joe and Lorraine letters** — both came "direct to Joe from Lorraine." So **Joe** is a fellow soldier sharing Pops's quarters / proximity who corresponds with Lorraine (the West Warwick Lorraine in the family-tree memory). New military-network name; possible romantic angle between Joe and Lorraine. - **Louie** — "I see Louie quite often" — the 97th BG is close enough that they connect after all (vs. letter-09's "hard to get to"). - **Frankie Sinatra at Foggia** — was due "sometime this week" at the airfield 5 miles down the road. Pops expected to be working through it. Italy theater entertainment detail. - **Weather extreme**: 100°+ heat, dust storms blocking visibility past 20 ft. Sets up the Aug 4 dust-storm-hurricane account. ## Family-tree refresh from this letter - **Joe** → fellow soldier in Pops's tent/outfit (corresponds with Lorraine). New name. - **Lorraine** (already in tree) → writes to Joe directly. Letter-network closer than previously known. - **Louie** (already added from letter-09) → seen often despite the 97th BG distance. ## Themes tortorella · 347th-bomb-sq · 99th-bomb-gp · stay-til-sept-1946 · point-system-blocked · monotonous-work · sheaffer-pen-broken · joe-lorraine-letters · louie-97th · sinatra-at-foggia · dust-storms · heat-100f ## Appendix — what changed from scaffold The Claude scaffold flagged "Frank pretty well, doing in our outfit" as a possible Frank-the-darkroom-helper reappearance — actually misread. No Frank in this letter; the line was likely a misread of the "Joe and Lorraine" passage. Scaffold also said sender unit was 783rd Bomb Sq — corrected to 347th BS / 99th BG.