Letter from Jeanann Madden to Mom, November 30, 1990

Title

Letter from Jeanann Madden to Mom, November 30, 1990

Subject

Operation Desert Shield, 1990-1991; Persian Gulf War, 1991

Description

Jeann Madden's letter to her mother, Gloria about the packages that she has been receiving, including a pillow from her mother. She talks about working the night shift, trying to do laundry, and how she doesn't need anyone to send her any more toiletries as they get those for free from sponsor dontations. She also mentions that several people from her high school are on the same base but she is the only woman among that high school group.

Date

11/30/1990

Contributor

Madden, Jeanann; Madden, Gloria

Rights

Materials may not be used without permission. For more information, contact us at (940) 898-3751 or womenshistory@twu.edu.

Format

6 pgs.

Language

en

Type

Letters
Manuscripts

Identifier

MSS397c_letter_19901130

Is Part Of

MSS 397c, Jeanann Madden Correspondence and photographs, 1990-1991.

Provenance

Madden, Jeanann
Teacher and Army reservist. Served with 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps of the Army Reserve during the Persian Gulf War.
Gift

Rights Holder

Woman's Collection, Texas Woman's University, P.O. Box 425528, Denton, TX 76204.

Text

Friday, Nov. 30, 1990

Dear Mom,

Thanks for the Thanksgiving card, newspaper article, and THANKS for the package!! I got your package on Tuesday, Nov. 27. I have to admit that my favorite item in the whole package was the pillow! It sure beats sleeping on the little inflatable pillow that the Army gave us! And my second favorite thing was the little Christmas tree. I already have it set out on the boxes next to my bunk.

Short break - as I was writing, one of the clerks told me I had a package in the office. It was the package from Voc! They sent me some really cute things. And thanks for including the pillow cases! (I had taken the pillow and put a T-shirt over it) I feel so rich with two packages within a couple of days of each other!
-2- Saturday, Dec 1, 1990
6:48 AM (Saudi) 10:48 PM (Friday EST)
Hi Mom. I had to stop yesterday to go do PT. Then I got a good night’s sleep. My platoon is on the 8PM-8AM shift, and I had spent the last 4 nights on the 2AM-8AM shift, so I was pretty tired. I was off last night, but I have to work that shift tonight and tomorrow night, then my platoon changes over to a different shift. I’ll be glad - I had forgotten how much I hated midnight shift!

Right now, I am doing my laundry. We only have one machine that works, so it may take awhile since I have 3 loads. I know it sounds like alot, but actually, it’s because these washers have a very small capacity. If you put just one uniform in, it is already ¾ full! But I will use this time for writing letters.
-3-
Speaking of which, this Tiffany Moore who sent me the package - is she any relation to Tracy Moore? I think Tracy graduated in 83 - she was a majorette. The reason I ask is that Tiffany said she lives in Christy Park, and I seem to remember Tracy being from there also. And the fact that both first names start with “T” made me wonder. I’ll be writing to Tiffany to thank her. And to Mrs. Stevenson too. And I’ll probably drop a lie to Mrs. Renner while I’m at it! I noticed an interesting thing about the list of people who are here from the high school - I’m the only female on the list. Boy, isn’t that just me - blazing a trail; bolding going where none of the other girls go; one small step for woman, one giant… OK, I’m getting a little carried away here - and I probably could use a little more sleep
-4-
too. And I was just being silly.

I should be sending some boxes home soon. I’ll be sending some extra uniforms and clothing that I really don’t need, that are just taking up room. And if you know anyone else who is sending any packages Mom, tell them I don’t need any more hand lotion or toiletries. It’s not that I don’t use them; it’s just that I can get all of that here, and most of it for free! They have a bunch of stuff that all the manufacturers have donated in our supply room, and you can take whatever you need. Kind of like a store with no checkout register!

I was in dinner yesterday and I was listening to one of the Sergeants from Battalion. She was saying that if nothing
-5-
bad happens, we are scheduled to leave Saudi Arabia 30 days prior to our E.T.S. (March 11), which would mean we would leave here around February 10 or 11! That would be really super, because it means we only have about 2 months left here in Saudi Arabia. As a matter of fact, if my count is right, today is only 99 more days on our orders. Almost halfway there.

Of course, with the passage of this UN resolution, now it could go either way. Even if he doesn’t leave Kuwait (and I personally don’t think he will), we may still leave on time and be replaced by another unit from the US. Too bad the date they gave couldn’t have been Feb 15th! Then we may have already been gone! Not much any of us can do about the entire mess but wait and see.
-6-
When you get this letter, you’ve got to let Jane read it. When I wrote to her the other day, I’m afraid I may have sounded a little down… so if she reads this, she can see that I’m feeling more up. I just happened to write to her on a bad day.

Well Mom, I think that’s about it. I will try to call you sometime between the 10th and 20th - look for the call to come around 9 PM one evening. If you don’t hear from me in that time period, it’s only because I couldn’t get a line out, but I’ll keep trying. Hang in there Mom - I’ll be home before you know it, and pretty soon, you’ll wish I were back in Saudi Arabia! Ha ha! I miss you!

Love,
Jeanann

7:20AM (Saudi)
11:20 PM (Friday EST)

Files

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Citation

“Letter from Jeanann Madden to Mom, November 30, 1990,” TWU Digital Exhibits, accessed March 29, 2024, http://exhibits.twu.edu/ex/items/show/220.