April 12, 1945

	B-6 12 April 45 8:10 PM My Dearest Darling Just finished reading about Pres. Roosevelt kicking the bucket.  Really a tough blow for our country—we should have Wallace as Vice Pres. instead of that Truman – it’s a rough time to be changing horses.  All we can do is hope for the best – but I’m afraid that he’s not the man to deal with Stalin & Churchill – I’ll bet we’ll take a beating the next time the Big 3 meets. Received the Birth Record today and have it entered – lucky Jack was 4 days early instead of 4 days late as you get paid the $30 for March!  It’ll probably be June before you get it – but then you should get $140.  I’ll keep the $40 allotment going – ah heck I’ll keep everything going – Here’s how my Pay stacks up - Deductions - Ins .         $6.50 Class E all $22 Class F     $40 Class B     $18.75 {=}           $86.25 Base Pay -   $96 Combat Pay  $10 {total}          $106 -                  $86.26 {=}               $19.75 which I’ll draw
	That’ll be enough for me as there isn’t anything I care to do when you’re not around! It’ll be rough if I get in some new outfit & they bust me down to Pvt – excepting for the money I don’t care.  However it isn’t likely. I Love You Darling! Haven’t heard anything about the furloughs yet – but they did tell us to be patient as their over-loaded.  So Honey you’ll just have to sit & wait ‘till they get around to it – we still haven’t been examined but we did pee in a bottle today, had a blood count, had a Kahn test (about a half quart of blood) and we had our teeth checked – so now all we need is the Doc’s signature & we’ll be ready to take off.  My teeth are in A-1 shape nary a cavity – there are two fillings & 3 teeth missing. If I’m still here Thursday they’re going to clean them. And I plan on being here! Am trying to rush it along by telling them the Baby’s going to be Baptized Sunday 0 but so far it hasn’t worked!  It’s almost a joke now – as we’re classified without
	even seeing a Doc – and they have us going to school!!! Boy you should hear the guys moan and groan – It’s a damn shame. Everyone’s blowing his cork.  Guys here whose casts are really stinking & no one to change them – what a Joint! Well Darling I hope you & Jackie are feeling well – there’s one thing I hope & that is that Jackie when he grows up will find someone what he can Love & someone who can make him as Happy as you've always made me – then I’ll know that life no matter what obstacles confront him will be well worth living! Goodnight Darling and God Bless You Both!  I Love You Honey! Loads of Love & Kisses, Johnnie

Jack Brey (referred to in this letter as Jackie) explains the pay scheme:

The class E allotment (deduction) was living allowance for the wife.  The government took $22 out of the pay and gave a wife $50 ($80 after I was born).  See http://www.hardscrabblefarm.com/ww2/payscale.htm

Class F allotment was “Class F - By enlisted men to pay their part of the allowance made for support of dependents under the Servicemen’s Dependents Allowance Act of 1942”   http://www.hardscrabblefarm.com/ww2/paper_list.htm.  This was deducted from pay to support a child (me).

Class B allotment was used to purchase war bonds.  That was the WWII equivalent of a savings bond.

http://cbi-theater-1.home.comcast.net/~cbi-theater-1/lantern/lantern042045.html.    Look for War Bonds.

In general, the army took the pay of soldiers in the field and sent it home rather than giving it to the GIs.