Ron went off to Korea in March, and we heard from him sporadically. He finally called us to confirm his address for sending mail and his e-mail address in early May. He sounded so grown up and pleased with his life. He had apparently been having trouble with his money situation–once again having money available meant spending too much of it, but said he had gotten it figured out and set up a bank account and said everything was fine now.
May 08, 2005
To: Kathryn Crandell
Subject: mother’s day
Hi mom how are you doing i wanted to say happy mothers day and hope mothers day is fun for you i
am sending this mother’s day greeting early cause I’m not sure I’ll be able to otherwise cause we are in a field problem and I’m going to be doing 12 hour shifts for the next week probably and will probably be working more than that knowing the army I’m in the A.L.O.C. Army Logistics operating command I’m still doing paperwork but not finance and leave forms far more interesting and serious but I’m not suppost to talk about that well any way i hope to be able call tomorrow but if not i hope you understand say hi to aunt Susan and her boyfriend for me even though i never met him I’m not sure when I’m going to be able to go on leave and see you all but I’m thinking some time around winter in november or december maybe we should shoot for hawaii or something because some where warm will probably be nice because i here the winters are really harsh around here well i should probably get going i can’t wait to here from you and hope you have a great mother’s day bye oh yeah i got promoted the other week I’m still really low in the system but I’m on my way up bye
love Ron
Dear Ron,
It was wonderful to get your e-mail, I am glad you have that going now. I also got your e-card, it was cute and played some music, thank you!
Mother’s Day was nice, Dad and Jessica cooked brunch and Jessica gave Aunt Sue and me some flowers. Jessica also bought a pie from a great bakery, Macrina, and gave me some earrings. And I got to talk to you too, so I felt very good about being honored for Mom’s day.
I’m glad your work is more interesting now–but take it from me, all jobs have their ups and downs. Some are definitely better than others though. Hope yours stays on the interesting side.
Congratulations on your promotion; that is super. What rank are you now? Can you become an officer without college? Or would they ever send you to college while you are in the service? I know some people do really well staying in the army for 20 years, and then they retire at 38 with tons of benefits and get new jobs. But I’m not sure that’s a good idea unless you are an officer.
In order to plan any kind of vacation which requires air travel around the holidays, we need to know way ahead, so if we want to look into that you need to find out about your leave soon. Otherwise maybe you would just like to come to Seattle and Eugene and spend time with family. Kris, Matt and Trace may come for Christmas, I wonder how they are doing in Wisconsin. Hope to hear from them soon.
Keep e-mailing, it’s great to hear from you.
Love,
Mom
November 2005
Ron came home from Korea for Thanksgiving rather than Christmas. He looked fit and healthy, and seemed taller than ever. He brought a lot of booze with him, including some clear Korean liquor called soju that he said the Koreans drank all the time, including in the morning. (the legal drinking age was 18, and although underage Army personnel weren’t supposed to drink, it seemed they did.  Quite a bit.  Although he seemed to handle it well, he consumed a LOT of alcohol while at home, and kept asking me to buy beer for him as well (I didn’t.)
However, we had a great time with him. He and I spent a day during Thanksgiving weekend Christmas shopping. Ron had always been a great shopping companion, interested in any products, including dull ones like sheets or towels, and never got bored like most men who must be dragged through department stores. Now he had money, and he enjoyed it even more. After asking me which candlesticks I liked at William Sonoma, he bought me the ones I most admired. He greatly enjoyed being able to get me something with his own money, and was more than generous in his purchases for others. I still have those candlesticks on our dining room table at all times.
When we went to lunch, he insisted on buying. “Mom, you’ve always spent money on me, now I can buy stuff for you!” Although Ron had become a tall, broad shouldered and muscular young man, his grin made him look just like the little boy I had fallen in love with seventeen years earlier.
More.. https://kathryncrandell.wordpress.com/2015/01/22/the-young-soldier/

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