Foreign money Archives - Moss Letters

9 May 1945

Dear folks:

This has been a beautiful and sunshiny day making the war seem far off and entirely inconsistent, but the war is here. We received the news today of Germany’s unconditional surrender but there is little outward signs of celebration. All day the radio has been broadcasting speeches from high leaders and right now General Marshall is on. It is hard to believe that there is actually peace in Europe for it has lasted so long and been so much on our minds, that when it ended so suddenly it will take a while to really soak in. Now of course I hope it won’t be long until the full weight can make itself felt against Japan. The surrender has also raised our hopes for returning home and possibly demobilization, but the main thing is to get back. I wonder how long Japan can last now. I saw infantrymen returning from the front today and I felt very humble. The parents of those boys would hardly recognize them. It is certainly tough up there, and people owe an everlasting debt of gratitude to each of them.

Yesterday it rained very hard and made it almost impossible to walk around. Our office became flooded out and in the midst of it we had to move. I slept like a kitten last night.

I thought I’d stick in a piece of invasion money issued to us before we landed. 50 sen represents an American nickel. I’ll send you a little more of different denominations when I get paid.

Well about all now.

Love,

11 January 1945

Dear Folks:

Just finished a pinochle game then wrote a letter to Dick and after writing to you I’ll about be ready for bed. Get a pretty good night’s sleep too – last night took an amatol and slept soundly. We have cats, so keep off the damp ground, and the evenings are pretty cool. All I worry about is a Jap sneaking in but of course that is watched closely. Didn’t work too hard today, still feel a little groggy but steadily improving.

Two letters came in tonight one from Gram and one from Washington. It must be an effort for Gram to write and its swell of her to do it. Glad to hear Gramp is going to Omaha – perhaps they can do him some good. I should write to June soon – I’ll bet she’s pretty blue and busy as hell with her children. Better write Loyd too.

From the tone of Dick’s last letter he sounded in pretty good spirits so I think he’s alright and probably enjoying what he is doing. He’ll make out okeh.

The natives have been working around the area cleaning up and helping get (everything) arranged. Each one has a bolo knife and with that he can do practically anything – build a house, get a dinner, build a boat or what have you. The girls do our washing and do a pretty good job too, but they always want soap.

I’m fine, have a slight cold, and am getting used to the place. Will write again soon. The bill is a Jap money used when they were here. It is worthless now. A peso is equal to fifty cents of our money. Am getting used to saying guess and centavo now.

Love,

23 December 1944

Dear Dad:

I thought I’d write you a letter tonight because you’ve been doing such a good job writing me. For the second time since I’ve been in the Philippines, received mail from you – one from Mom and one from Kate. Not too recent but that doesn’t make much difference. I don’t know how good the airmail service is yet so I’m sticking by V-mail which I know will get there fast. Well this afternoon about three, I took a cooling dip in the ocean – a swell place to swim – it’s better than Waikiki Beach. Reread your letters then went to supper. Probably will see a show tonight. Air raids sometimes force the movie to stop but so far we’ve been able to see every one through. Opposite from where I’m sitting, two Filipino women are pounding rice in holes cut into coconut logs. After pounding it they hold the rice in the breeze and let it blow away the chaff. I certainly wish you could spend a day here and see how they live. About all they eat is fish, rice and coconuts. One girl is 21 and has had five children – nothing slow about them. Of course the money here is pesos and centouos which we are paid in. Haven’t been paid yet but I have some pesos. Two pesos equal one buck.

Mom was inquiring about reassignment. Under the rotation plan you are returned and reassigned but on a furlough you return overseas. Both prospects are getting dimmer as I see it and I don’t look forward to either one although I expect to see something happen after Germany is whipped.

Well, I’ll stop here and get ready for the show. Don’t worry for I’m fine.

Love,

24 July 1944

Dear Folks:

I received Dad’s letter today acknowledging the first one I mailed from here and I’m so glad it made you feel better. Also had one from Mom but it was several days older. I guess the first thing on this communiqué will be about yesterday. Minatare moved 7,000 miles across the Pacific to Saipan when Dick, Jack Conklin and myself got together for an afternoon’s reunion. Until yesterday the three of us had been unable to get together at one time, but we finally got CO’s okeh. Dick attended services at the 27^th Division cemetery just after dinner and met Jack and I at Jack’s outfit about three o’clock. This tripartite reunion means more than you realize. While we were there Jack took several pictures and he’ll send them as soon as possible. We thought also that it might be interesting to have it put in the Star-Herald with a short story below it. Jack will send the pictures to his Dad, and he left the writing end of it up to me, but now I don’t know how much the censors will allow. Probably by this time you have received my three page letter and there should be some material in that. Jack wanted me to write his dad with a little story to go with the picture but you can get all the information from his folks, and you can fit something together. About the first thing we do at these meetings is exchange news about the ‘old country’ and each adds to his bit of gossip. It seems there are a million changes back there and very few of the old faces will be left. Vic Sage getting wedded drew quite a comment, and every time someone has a baby we wonder how they could grow up so fast. And Jack Lupher too – it seems they are all marrying the Russians. Maybe it’s a good thing Dick got out when he did. And speaking of Dick, he does a lot more talking than before and because he had so many harrowing experiences than Jack or I, he had quite a little to say. I don’t suspect he will be writing much now but I’ll do his share and let you know all I find out.

The money enclosed is some of that I found that I told you about in a previous letter. This little guy I got it from must have been a paymaster or something of the sort for he sure had a wad. I’ve given away quite a slug too. The 100 yen note is pretty scarce. The holes in the bills were caused by a bullet which I found bedded in the center. The exchange rate is 20 yen for an American dollar, and the smaller bills I believe are 50 sen or a half a yen. As soon as I can arrange it I’m going to send home the sword and a few other items that Dick and I found – Dick found most of them. The souvenir racket runs into some big stuff here and some fancy prices are quoted for some things. Swords are quoted from $500 to $1,000. But ours weren’t boughten, they were found. Dick and I tried to imagine Mom’s little gasps if she could see some of the things.

I believe this is about all of interest this time. A Bob Hope movie is on tonight. Our ‘theatre’ is a hole scooped out by a bulldozer and the seats, the scooped out dirt. Well, adios and ‘buenos noches’ for now.

Love,

18 July 1944

Dear folks:

Time out for another communiqué from Saipan and what I did and saw this morning should give me enough material for a good one but I don’t know how much you like to know about this stuff – I mean maybe you would rather not hear all the worse aspects. Dick came around this morning about ten in a jeep and asked me if I wanted to see some of the island and I said sure so we took off up through Charan Kanoa and on through Garapan to the north where the Japs held out the longest. Dick had been around there before and knew where to go. He wanted to find a Jap pistol and at the same time show me some dead Japs, and as we got near the area I didn’t know whether I was going to feel right or not. Finally we pulled across a young cane field and came to stop about fifty yards from the beach. I noticed the stench was terrific and the flies could be counted by the hundreds, and I felt a little hesitant at having to look around. After putting a shell in the chamber I got out and Dick and I walked into the underbrush and trees. We didn’t go far before we could see plenty of dead Japs. Many of them had committed suicide by putting a grenade on their stomach and some had taken off one shoe, putting the end of the barrel in their stomach and fired their rifle with their big toe. I saw several of these. They have odd and many ways of killing themselves and one group looked as though they had lined up laying down and let the man in back of him blow his brains out. We must have walked three or four hundred yards down the beach and the dead were scattered all through the area. Some civilians had refused to give up and stayed with the soldiers and there was many of them all ages, some in family groups. A number of the soldiers had bottles of sake and more of them had nothing but a stick with a spike on the end for a weapon. Some had attempted to crawl over the rocks on the edge of the water and swim away and in one place in an opening in the rocks there must have been a dozen. Dick found a very good looking officer’s sword in good condition. They are about the most prize souvenir to get and we felt darn lucky. Well about eleven thirty we started back down the wreckage littered road. I thought a lot of things about what the war all means and how come all these people and soldiers are dead, and will they do the same thing fifty or a hundred years from now, but that’s all of no avail. Garapan is a little smaller than Scottsbluff and the town was leveled. If you can imagine the Stockfleth Chevrolet Garage when it burned and then apply it to every building in town you can see what a mess it must be. It must have been a neat little town sitting below Mt. Tapochata but it is wreckage and debris from one end of the town to the other.

I still ate a pretty good dinner when I got back, and now it’s about time to take a good shower and get the smell off me. Also this morning I found a pack of Jap money – there must have been about seven or eight thousand yen in it. The exchange rate is twenty yen to a dollar. How can I sleep with so much money? Ol’ Dick’s quite a soldier and hale as ever. He doesn’t write much I guess but he’s okeh and wanting to get home as much as I do. Guess this is enough for this time – will give another communiqué on my experiences in a day or two.

Love,

18 July 1944

[Harold types]

Dear Folks:

Dick came down to see me today and I thought while we were laying around we just as well write you a letter – or try to. Right after we had dinner we walked along the beach road from Charan Kanoa to the end of the island looking for an army cemetery but couldn’t find it. While we were looking for the place, Dick showed me the places where his outfit landed and even where he dug his first foxhole. And we found a lot of Jap caves that were well concealed and topped over with a lot of dirt and leaves. They dig in like [illegible] caves are transforming the face of the [illegible] saw several thick walled concrete [illegible] from the point we had a good view of Tinian [illegible] over there must be thinking – if they can see what is going on [illegible] there is (a) sugar factory that stands out on the landscape. It took quite a beating from navy shells and girders and machinery are flung everywhere. From the factory runs a number of narrow gauge railroad lines. The army captured a few locomotives and now you can hear their high pitched whistle as the guys chug along using the cars to haul supplies, etc. The trains are small and look more like oversized toys. We haven’t had a look at Carapan yet and I have been itching to get up there and see what goes. The town is about ten thousand so there must be quite a lot to see. I haven’t seen a newspaper or magazine since I left Oahu and today Dick walked in with a Time magazine. I’m anxious to review it from cover to cover. I was asking Dick what I should write about and he said to mention that we will be sending home some souvenirs soon when the situation permits. I told you about the bayonet and the flag. In addition to those Dick got a wallet with quite a sum of Jap money in it, and many pictures of the officer’s family and what must be his wife. Also he got his insignia of a 2^nd lieutenant. He’ll probably have some more before it is all over. The weather here is about the same as on Oahu but right now is the season when the monsoons begin and the past few nights there have been heavy rainstorms. They say hurricanes strike near the island about once every two years and I hope this isn’t one of them. Today is pretty hot and sultry and the sand all around is hard on the eyes.

We were both wondering about Phil and whether he has come into the army yet. Every once in a while you see a crude handwritten sign over a foxhole saying Frisco 7752 miles, Tokyo 1521, and then we realize just how far away we are. Guam lies about 103 miles to the south and just to the north are the Bonims(?). It’s going to be a long boat ride home someday but we’re ready to accept it any time. And remind us never to take another ocean voyage when we get home. The food was pretty good on the boats but the chow lines are hard to buck, and the accommodations are hardly first class. Well I’m going to turn this over to Dick and let him add a few lines.

[Dick handwrites]

Today being Sunday I went to communion and then to see Harold. We’re taking it easy now after a little uneasiness. I’ll write some time later.

Love,

Dick