December 7, 1944. Letter from Leona Badia, née De Nardo to Danny Badia
Italian-American, 1944
Leona sends Danny negatives of pictures of their son so he can see how big he is at 6 weeks of age. She says that as the baby lies in her big bed she imagines it is Danny in a smaller size. Along with recounting the baby's daily eating and sleeping habits, Leona recalls the letter she had written to Danny three years ago on this date, the bombing of Pearl Harbor. She expresses how much she misses receiving letters from him and how she had never thought the war would go on this long.
Leona Badia, née De Nardo
Badia Family Collection
Italian Program, Department of Languages, Linguistics and Comparative Literature, Florida Atlantic University
1944-12-07
Domenica Diraviam & Viviana Pezzullo
Patricia Badia-Johnson
Paper
en
Letter
N/A
September 9, 1944. Letter from Danny Badia to Leona Badia, née De Nardo
Italian-American, 1944
It's a quiet Sundat afternoon and they (she and baby) are well. She was on furlough in July. She was grateful and surprised when an older couple gave her a ride to 11:30 am mass. She had a nice visit with Rosina and Dom. Rosina's step-sister Mary got a visit from the 3 of them. Mary's husband is in England, in the Army Infrantry. She went shopping to one store for the baby and found nothing. She wants to know why he was still in the US training and not overseas as a cook. She is worried of about what he could be training for and his future assignment. She said she felt lonely when she heard the song: "Cleaning my rifle and thinking of you." He had mentioned in his last letter that song. It made her think of the last time they heard it together in Texas.
Danny Badia
Badia Family Collection
Italian Program, Department of Languages, Linguistics and Comparative Literature, Florida Atlantic University
1944-09-09
Domenica Diraviam & Viviana Pezzullo
Patricia Badia-Johnson
Paper
en
Letter
Fort Smith, US-AR
August 17, 1944. Letter from Danny Badia to Leona Badia, née De Nardo
Italian-American, 1944
Danny thanks his wife for the salami that she sent. He made the colonel a sandwich. He is happy to have become an uncle, since Bambina had a baby boy. However, he is blue that he may not be present when his own child is born, although he really does not want Leona to be worried. He admits that the war is just a little stronger than he is. He also asks his wife to send him $5-10 because he will be shipping out before payday.
Danny Badia
Badia Family Collection
Italian Program, Department of Languages, Linguistics and Comparative Literature, Florida Atlantic University
1944-08-17
Domenica Diraviam & Viviana Pezzullo
Patricia Badia-Johnson
Paper
en
Letter
Little Rock, US-AR
August 9, 1944. Letter from Leona Badia, née De Nardo to Danny Badia
Italian-American, 1944
Leona thanks her husband for having send her a recent photo and she wishes that he will remain in this training camp, because she hates the alternative thought of him going "over there". She tells him how people at work are sharing their pregnancy and child birth stories and she wishes they would not so she doesn't have any preconceived notions. It is only six weeks until the baby is due. Danny had recommended the name Donita, but Leona rejects it because it sounds Mexican to her.
Leona Badia, née De Nardo
Badia Family Collection
Italian Program, Department of Languages, Linguistics and Comparative Literature, Florida Atlantic University
1944-08-09
Domenica Diraviam & Viviana Pezzullo
Patricia Badia-Johnson
Paper
en
Letter
Detroit, US-MI
August 4, 1944. Letter from Danny Badia to Leona Badia, née De Nardo
Italian-American, 1944
Danny writes about how busy he is kept at the training camp in his new role as mess sargent. He is striving to be promoted to battalion mess sargent. He credits Leona with providing him with ambition. He jokes about his wife gaining weight with the pregnancy.
Danny Badia
Badia Family Collection
Italian Program, Department of Languages, Linguistics and Comparative Literature, Florida Atlantic University
1944-08-04
Domenica Diraviam & Viviana Pezzullo
Patricia Badia-Johnson
Paper
en
Letter
Little Rock, US-AR
July 26, 1944. Letter from Leona Badia, née De Nardo to Danny Badia
Italian-American, 1944
Leona bumps into Gino Santaricca. Leona received a letter from Johnnie who is in England. She asks him if it's true that English girls like black soldiers, because everybody says that and everybody think it's disgusting. Then, Leona, talks about their future baby and signs of pregnancy are happening. A strike happened at the place Leona works.
Leona Badia, née De Nardo
Badia Family Collection
Italian Program, Department of Languages, Linguistics and Comparative Literature, Florida Atlantic University
1944-07-26
Federico Tiberini
Patricia Badia-Johnson
Paper
en
Letter
Detroit, US-MI
July 21, 1944. Letter from Danny Badia to Leona Badia, née De Nardo
Italian-American, 1944
Danny enclosed an article on marriage by André Maurois (author of Art of Living). Danny underlined "if he does not find admiration at home, he will hunt for it elsewhere." My dear wife, hello Darling, hope you're well, don't worry about my ear. The doctor is treating it and I'm well. If we are going to have a boy our friends will kiss him and not me. I see that he will compete with me. Darling I love you more and more everyday because you are nice to me, sweet and kind. I haven't read "Gasoline Alley" since I have been here. When I read them it reminded me of our beautiful romance. Forgive me for this brief letter. I promise to write a longer one tomorrow. "Good night wherever you are"
Danny Badia
Badia Family Collection
Italian Program, Department of Languages, Linguistics and Comparative Literature, Florida Atlantic University
1944-07-21
Nicoletta Sorice
Patricia Badia-Johnson
Paper
en
Letter
Little Rock, US-AR
July 19, 1944. Letter from Leona Badia, née De Nardo to Danny Badia
Italian-American, 1944
Just got back from work, before hitting the hay. "I woke up and I found myself crying": Long bad dream about him, they were quarrelling and he despised her as much as he says he loves her. Lonely. "I thought of Texas a but last night, I was very lonesome for it. Not that I like Texas that much but I guess I was thinking of being there with you, and that was really our first home and we had such a wonderful time." Man asked her if she was pregnant or getting fat. Can be both, she "ate the green apples" (way of saying for pregnancy?). "Chin up, honey".
Leona Badia, née De Nardo
Badia Family Collection
Italian Program, Department of Languages, Linguistics and Comparative Literature, Florida Atlantic University
1944-07-19
Ilaria Serra
Patricia Badia-Johnson
Paper
en
Letter
Detroit, US-MI
July 16, 1944. Letter from Danny Badia to Leona Badia, née De Nardo
Italian-American, 1944
Danny is deeply in love with Leona. He wanted to send money to Leona by checks. Danny is amazed by the fact that Leona is pregnant and she is carrying their baby.
Danny Badia
Badia Family Collection
Italian Program, Department of Languages, Linguistics and Comparative Literature, Florida Atlantic University
1944-07-16
Federico Tiberini
Patricia Badia-Johnson
Paper
en
Letter
Little Rock, US-AR
June 14, 1944. Letter from Leona Badia, née De Nardo to Danny Badia
Italian-American, 1944
Leona recognizes that Danny has been a soldier for a year and she hopes he will soon be in civilian clothing. She is outgrowing her regular clothes, eating ice cream 4 days in a row.
Leona Badia, née De Nardo
Badia Family Collection
Italian Program, Department of Languages, Linguistics and Comparative Literature, Florida Atlantic University
1944-06-14
Domenica Diraviam & Viviana Pezzullo
Patricia Badia-Johnson
Paper
en
Letter
Detroit, US-MI