Books Archives - Page 3 of 6

8 August 1943

Dear Folks:

I suppose I should be working, or at least look like I’m working, but this is Sunday morning and I guess some of (the) effects of civilian Sunday still persist. I just came from church a few minutes today and for something different the Chaplain had a small group of Hawaiian women to sing. But this group was about like the usual small town choir. It always seems that the worst singer is the director and this one was no exception. Every time I looked at her it reminded me of Amie Schmaltz alias Mrs. Snyder, for she looked just like her. They sang a Hawaiian hymn that sounded like a baby learning to talk. This afternoon I hope to float around in the salt water and get knocked around by the waves. I guess I told you about the new army recreation center, the ‘Tradewinds’ where we spend the Sunday afternoons. This Sunday morning is a beautiful one which reminds me of a balmy June at home and the pineapple fields and the palm trees reflect the same feeling. From where I sit I can see the ocean a few miles away, a deep blue with billuous clouds riding along the horizon.

I received the Free Press a few days ago and noted the letter about my meeting with Dick. The letter was a pretty poor one but I hope you caught the spirit of the good time we had. What do you think of the pictures?

Dad’s circular letter came yesterday and I think you have a good system making one copy go all around. I’m glad you got the book on the way. Hope I can keep in control until it gets here. A few days (ago) I bought ‘Mission to Moscow’ which is darn good reading and very interesting.

I don’t like to say too much about the war because it is such a big subject, but things look favorable on every front. I especially remember the President stating that an all-out offensive against Japan would begin this year. It seems far-fetched to me but I’m not in much of a position to critize or adjudge. You probably know that most of the island population is Japanese but there has never been an act of sabotage since the war began. The Japs seem to control most of the business stores, that is the small ones, and generally rate higher than the other races, in prominence, in education, and civic circles. The true Hawaiians are diminishing rapidly from intermarriage and only on the other side of the mountain are there still some vestiges of an old Hawaiian life and villages. The combinations from intermarriage are terrific and I think you could find any combination on the island.

I’m being paged to go to the PX and I’m about out of anything else to write so better stop.

Love,

3 August 1943

Dearest Folks:

I’m slipping on my writing again so better make this typewriter burn for a while. Just received Nancy’s letter a few moments ago and I especially noted that Glen and Bill E are home on furlough. What we wouldn’t do during a reunion leaves little to the imagination. A fellow in our billet just returned from furlough to the states and during the fiesta we had last night, asked him a bushel of questions about everything. He also brought back with him some spirits by smuggling them in a barracks bag and so that added a touch to the party. We must have acted like a bunch of kids the way we wanted to know a little about everything he saw and did while he was away. He is from a small town in Oklahoma. Of course I can’t describe just how I would act if I ever walked down the main street again, but I, like everyone else I suppose, try to imagine what it would be like before I go to sleep.

I just received the pictures from Dick and I suppose that probably you have yours by now. I think they are pretty good although I don’t think we took enough. I was a little surprised that some of them were passed, but I’m glad they didn’t object because you can get a good idea of the place where we spent most of our time.

I had intended to go to the show tonight and all in all take it easy, but I ran into a volleyball game and finally ended up doing exactly the opposite. My nights are all free and duty hours reasonable and with my type of work I escape some of the rigors of the outdoors, although we take part in some lengthy hikes occasionally. I haven’t lost any of my love for the island, and continue to hope that I will (be) lucky enough to remain here until I step on the boat for ‘Frisco.

I continually mention this subject but I hope you won’t object and that is the books. I hope that nothing arose that prevented your sending the volumes although it might have been necessary to send them in two separate packages depending on the weight.

Katie writes occasionally and everything sounds well with her, and I’m beginning to adopt a parental complex from my coming title of uncle.

I wish I was free to tell you how fast your mail arrives, for I know you would (be) surprised. But it does make good time in some cases although a few occasionally are delayed. I have no less than six letters to write tonight, but I’ve lost the initiative to write except to those that are close. I think I’ll throw in the towel on this issue and hope I can muster a few more words for the next one. I was amused at Phil’s newly acquired car and I can easily imagine how he must be beaming and grinning over his new treasure. And I suppose Nancy has her share of the fun from it. Well this is la finis, but before I go just keep the home and town like it was when I left.

Love,

28 July 1943

Dearest Folks:

I just returned from pass a few minutes ago but unlike most of the others this day was considerably more profitable. I slept during the morning then went to the USO only a few miles away. The place was fixed up by a few well-do-do women in the western motif, which is very clever and homelike. Probably you don’t know that the island was several large ranches and the cattle raised a sizeable industry and income. As I stayed there awhile I met one of the elderly women and we entered into a conversation, and which I later put to my benefit. My inclination for reading books such as I told you about is growing so I requested that woman’s help and through her I met Judge Case who is most cooperative and over anxious to give me whatever help he can. But what I want is some books of my own and I don’t think that will be too difficult now, however don’t fail to send the two volumes that you mentioned and the quicker the better. Probably my effort will yield little results and I may not always carry on with it, but it’s a cinch it will do no harm. But I made a valuable contact today and if I make proper use of it I can do myself a lot of good.

Had a very verbose letter from Gladys Davis today—she is in the middle of the matrimony stream and doesn’t know which bank to go to. And at the same time she gave me some advice about Wylma and what I should do after the war, and it was pretty sound and sensible. She wants me to come back to Lincoln and get back into school and get a degree and I agree with her. My ideas on that remain the same and if there is any normalcy to conditions when I come back, I hope I won’t follow another course. Incidentally I hope Gladys goes through the wedding process now, or I’m afraid she never will.

Dad’s letter came a day or two ago in your peculiarly and distinctive interpretation of grammatical construction but nevertheless a lulu in the other respects. I hope everything is well at home—although you only mention the sunnyside I hope the other side is also as well. Some of the new fellows in the outfit remark about conditions on the mainland and although I allow for some exaggeration I always hope that all is well with you.

I thought President Roosevelt’s speech was an excellent one, as most of his usually are. Some things were straight forward and definite and his plans for the aftermath especially were important and well on the way to reality. Such a plan strikes me as a good solution for the change over and a cushion for the changed conditions, which will be great. Anyway I felt encouragement and determination from it and feel all the more confident that the world won’t be a worthless scarred ruins when all is over.

Well the show begins in a few minutes and we have special entertainment from the big city tonight so hadn’t miss it. Adios for a while.

Love,

24 July 1943

Dear Dad:

I just received your letter a few minutes ago and I want to answer it immediately although I haven’t much time during the noon hour. Why am I so interested in the law books? I haven’t contacted a judge advocate because that isn’t too easy for me to do, but if I recall rightly, those books were used by the law students that I roomed with in Lincoln. Buy (them) as soon as you can and ship them immediately—take the money from my account. I do want them in a hurry and can’t wait for them to arrive. I couldn’t sit here this afternoon and wait to write the letter tonight. Maybe I can add a little to this before time for work. Your letter, although it might lack plenty grammatically, it’s a crackerjack otherwise. It’s a very good one and the kind it’s good to get. Our new home makes me itch for a furlough more than ever but perhaps something will happen that such a thing may be possible, who can tell?

We follow the news carefully day to day and have a large map in the office and the billet to keep up with events all the time. A few days ago we received a permit to buy a radio and you don’t know what it is not to have one until you are without one. Of course there are many radios in the battery but it’s practically impossible to buy one as I suppose it is in the states. Tomorrow is Sunday and that should mean a swim in the surf and day at the beach. I work in an office that doesn’t call for much outdoor exercise and I look forward to the Sundays.

I know this is a short letter and not a good one but I wanted to let you know to go ahead and purchase the books because I don’t think there is any doubt of their worth. Let me know when you send them. Maybe I’ll write you again tonight and get off a better letter.

Love,

21 July 1943

Dear Folks:

Just finished reading two issues of the Free Press which always requires my undevoted attention whenever they come. I think the new column about servicemen is a pretty good thing – I wonder where the fellows are sometimes. I see my old sidekick Bill Emick is at Stinsom Field. It seems that in every issue and in every letter I get from you someone else is getting a furlough, or coming home for some reason. How I would like to be one of them and walk down the main street again and see the new Moss manor. I always must remind myself that it can’t last forever.

Last Saturday night had the privilege of a twenty-four hour pass. The Chaplain secured a hotel room for me which was a nice one and well equipped. I took advantage of the situation and slept very late in the morning that reminded me of civilian days and weekends. I’m afraid that from my letters you might adopt the impression that I am having more or less of a vacation over here and having an easy life in the sunshine and the hospitality of the tropics, but this is hardly the case. What I do on pass day is about the only subject I can think of to do any writing about and you might think that this is my main diversion. But there is a lot more to it than that – I’ll have to tell you about that when I get back.

Yes, Dick and I will have many pleasant memories when we get home and what we did on our meeting will be one of them. No, I still haven’t heard from Dick. As for the money getting here too late—everything turned out fine. I made (a) loan and we had more money than we could spend.

I would like to inquire about the book again and I hope that you have met with success in finding it. Reading is the best way I know to spend the idle hours and I’m becoming very interested in this subject.

I’m not very newsy or verbose and not much in the mood to attempt to write a good letter, so hold on till the next one. I hope I may have some good news soon.

Love,

10 July 1943

Dear Dad:

You probably have noticed, and maybe with a little concern, the fewer number of letters that I have been writing, but I find it so discouraging to write a good letter that I put it off ‘for just one more nite’. Well my guilt has been gnawing on me pretty strong tonight so this will be ‘that one more nite’. The first thing I should do, and I do feel bad about it, is for neglecting you on Father’s Day. I know it is a little late, but I hope you will not feel it was intentional. As a sort of a ‘peace offering’ I’m sending you an electric razor. I didn’t expressly buy it for you, but after I got it thought I made a mistake and not knowing whether I can always use it just as well send it home. The razor is (a) good one but I know the toughness of your beard and perhaps you can’t use it. Perhaps Phil is getting to where he can get some good of it.

Tomorrow is the Sabbath so possibly I will go to the beach or to a dance. Ordinarily the afternoon is given to recreation although it is never a certainty. In the morning the chaplain has services in the rec hall but he seems to me to be so lacking in what I consider a good ‘sky pilot’ that I can’t feel as I should (think) about going.

Last Wednesday nite the first USO troupe from the states did a show for us and I laughed all the way through it. It was a breezy streamlined affair but just what the guys like. Even a half dozen chorus girls danced in front of all the whistling. The girls were quite a contrast to the willowy hula girls that dance slow and easy and with no shoes. After seeing the local females for so long, these looked pretty good.

I just heard the news that you have probably been following pretty closely and that is the landing on Sicily. It appears that perhaps from now on, we will do the choosing as to where and when the fighting will be done, but despite this I think it will still be a long time before it is all finished. Sometimes I get into some good arguments on this subject. You have often been right on your ‘out of the blue’ hunches and I hope this is one that is no different.

As a supplement to my excuse for not writing I do considerable reading in the evenings and I think this stops the letters a little bit. If you have not gotten a book yet forget about the first order and try to get the one ‘Titles’ that I mentioned. Perhaps I should have asked Katie to do this for she would have much better access to them than you. Maybe I’ll do that.

Tonight we assumed the roles of scrub women and cleaned up the billet with mops, etc. With my household experience in washing dishes, mopping, making beds, etc., I should make somebody a good wife. Maybe if the women keep working after the war, I can put it into practical use.

All of you have been doing a swell job of writing and I do appreciate it, although maybe it isn’t evident from my end. You know there is nothing dearer to me than home, and of late I have realized that more than ever, at least it has been impressed with greater meaning. I guess it’s about time for the final sentence and I never know how to write it to leave you with how much I miss and love you all.

Love,

7 July 1943

Dearest Folks:

My letter writing is becoming atrocious but perhaps you have also had spells when you didn’t feel like writing or found so many other things to do that you neglected it. Well, I guess that’s my situation. On my pass last Sunday, the Fourth, I forgot all about the customary fireworks but had a good time dancing and loafing at the army recreation center. I believe it was one of the best days off that I spent since I’ve been here and the next time I hope to spend the day on the beach. I guess I told you about the places in a previous letter. Our open air theatre near our camp has been built up considerably. Until now we have night shows once a week at night that are usually put on by the USO or home talent. Although you might be a little abashed to sit through a movie I wished you could hear the cracks that come forth. From the picture I sent you, you can tell about what it used to look like. Tomorrow night we will have another show preceded by a little swing session by our band. The band is a part of the battery and I think they do a darn good job.

I haven’t heard from Dick since I returned but I guess it is up to me to write him a letter soon. I’m anxious to see the pictures we took and if they don’t turn out I’ll be very disappointed.

Tonight I think I’ll stay in and perhaps do a little more reading on my book that is plenty thick and will probably take me a long time to read. I hope you can find the ones I mentioned although you will probably have to do a little looking around. I very seldom work at night and I want to know as much when I get out of the army as when I came in, I hope.

Every time I see a newsreel on North Africa I think of Jim and wonder if possibly he is in some of the scenes. I suppose he was right in the thick of it and I hope he came out none the worse for it. It’s hard to imagine Halsey missing knowing him as I do and trying to picture him dead or a prisoner—I guess everyone experiences the same feeling, especially when the person is so well known and knowing his peculiarities. As for myself I don’t think the Allies will ever make an invasion of the continent as everyone thinks they will. The enemy has built up terrific defenses and the casualties and cost would be too high when they can either (be) bombed into submission or beaten from the Russian side. I would bet even money it will be a grand scale attack from the air and the Russian side but no invasion. I can’t see Japs whipped because of the big problems of supply and the new systems of communications that will be necessary before we can really begin to knock them off. I think it will be at least two years yet. I hope I’m way off on my opinions but I’m afraid the war with the Japs will be as long as the time the Germans have been fighting. Well, that’s enough on that.

I believe I’ve said enough for this letter. Maybe, too much, but I don’t feel unduly pessimistic about the future, because I really believe times will be better than ever when this is over. But unless somebody can formulate a lasting peace then we better quit now, and get ready for another one. I guess this is good night and don’t let what I have written make you feel gloomy or downhearted because I’m not myself. I know all will turn out the way we want it to and if you have the right kind of confidence it can never be shaken. I miss you all more than you can imagine.

Love,

2 July 1943

Dear Folks:

Having the night to myself I hope, perhaps I can catch up with a little bit on what I have let slide too long. I’m on duty tonight with nothing to do but reinstate myself with my correspondence and do a little reading perhaps. Several of your letters have come, and all of them unanswered. One of the letters contained the money order and the amount was for so much more than I expected that I will be in the chips this month. I intended and hoped that you would take it from my funds and didn’t want you to send it personally. Dick and I were well supplied with money on the vacation and we didn’t hesitate to spend it if we had a notion to do something, but I know that everything we did would meet your approval, as a matter of fact, I think our conduct was very exemplary.

I imagine you are experiencing no little difficulty trying to get the book that I asked you and I’m sorry that I can’t name them especially so that you would have no trouble. If by chance you haven’t found one yet here is one that I came across and hit my fancy; ‘Richardson on Evidence’. Very frequently I have several hours to spend leisurely and I may as well put them to good use, but I hope this request isn’t putting you out of your way too much. If you have already sent one, forget about the one above.

Sunday is the fourth, hard as it is to believe, and I’m looking forward to a pass and a first visit to the new army recreation center that from what I hear is about the last word. The center is right on the beach and has about every facility from writing to wrestling. It has a large dance floor, library, bar, showers and other appurtenances that make it a worthwhile place to go and should cut down on so much trouble that the army has with it’s GI’s on off-days. I hear the library is well stocked with new books so I want to stick my nose in there for awhile. Having a few more shekels than I thought I would have, perhaps I will also buy a bond. Starting this month (July) I am buying a full bond and the first one should reach you by the fifteenth or twentieth of August. I don’t know exactly how I stand on the last bond deal. The last one of $12.50 was stopped in order to put into effect a better system of payroll bonds and not because I wanted it that way.

I hope Dad’s prediction of an early end is right but I’m more inclined to agree that Mother’s idea has a better chance of coming true. Whenever I try to figure the basis for all this mess I run into so many angles that I begin to doubt if there is anyone who can ever find a solution. It’s a little hard to see myself coming and going again as I pleased and that there will be a day with no priorities and government regulations, but I guess you just got to tell yourself there will be. Anyway the end looks many moons away to me, but I hope I get a surprise and probably I will.

Thanks again for the pictures. I’m getting a real collection that I go over often and keeps me know(ing) (if) it is worth fighting for. I will answer Nancy and Phil’s letters. I guess it is adios for another night and one night less until the end.

Love,

31 May 1943

Dear Dad:

I should have written you some time ago but lately I have been pretty busy and have to take time off to write. I hope you have read the book, for now you will have a better picture of my environment. I like it better here every day and if I don’t check myself, I’ll want to stay.

Tomorrow is my day off and I suppose I will play some tennis and loaf around the USO. I haven’t seen Dick yet but have had a letter from him. It may be possible that we can get together this month if something doesn’t happen to impact my arrangements. I’m glad you received all the pictures. Film is not plentiful but by looking around we can usually manage to find a roll. I know it’s a mistake to call this a letter but letters are not just a lot of paper of words.

Love,

19 May 1943

Dearest Folks:

It was very nice to come back from pass today and have three letters waiting for me and especially ones that I wanted most. I had to talk myself into leaving today and then wished I hadn’t gone. I came back early and slept until now. I think I am as happy about the house as you are and I’ll bet when I come back it will be quite a plan. I hope you will read the book I told you about for besides enjoying it for the reading, you can understand some of the things I write about in my letter. Had a letter from Dick yesterday but I’m having a hard time trying to get a pass arranged. The roster is filled up until July and maybe something will happen in that time. Once more my optimism is getting the better of me as the war moves along. I hope I’m not wrong and that it will be over in another year.

Love,