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18 September 1943

Dear Folks:

If I don’t write soon you will think I have evaporated or something. The fact is, I am the same as ever except I forget to write as often as I should. But while I have failed to write, the situation has been good the other way. Yesterday a book from Gram came and that added a good deal of morale to my life. She had to send to Minnesota for it, but she got it. With the ones I have now I don’t worry about something to do in the evenings. If I should move or leave I will leave them with a civilian friend who can mail them to me. I suppose you have wondered what has happened to the razor I said I sent. Well after I had it wrapped ready to go there was the matter of rewrapping it after the censor was through with it. In the interim I started using it again so I still have it.

I haven’t been to a show in a couple of weeks so I think I will take the night off and see one, even if it is the corniest horse opera ever produced. The shows have been pretty fair lately but once in a while they throw in an old number and I mean old. In a short time ‘Macbeth’ on the stage will be on the island and I hope I will be lucky enough to see it. Tomorrow is another Sunday and I hope to go to town for services.

Two Free Presses came yesterday and they added the usual bright spot to the week. It’s really interesting to follow the hometown from a long viewpoint, and see where the fellows scatter out to. Geo Butler seems to be getting his share of the fighting from what he wrote. All those guys coming home on furlough kind of hit the soft spot, but I shouldn’t complain considering what some of them are putting up with.

I started this letter last night and now Sunday morning I’m still trying to finish it. What halted me last night was a bridge game, which for once was a winner. I’ve been wondering every day if I’m an uncle yet. I suppose I am by now. I’ve been waiting for a telegram or something.

This is pretty much of a flop for a letter but I guess it will fill in the gap until I can get a better one off. I’m always looking forward to the day when we can all get together again and forget all this mess that we’re in.

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,

26 June 1943

Dearest Folks:

I think this is the letter that you have been waiting for because I will tell you about my visit with Dick. We were very fortunate from start to finish on arrangements. I arrived Monday morning and his pass started the same day and he ran across the drive in front of the YMCA to meet me. Immediately we found a couple of easy chairs and talked about many things most of them about home. He really looks in the pink—much better than I ever saw him. I made arrangements to stay at a military establishment that is run like a hotel and is a swell place for a vacation, not to mention the low cost. Again we were lucky for he got a bed next to mine so we were together all the time. I was there for three full days and during that time we knocked all over town and did about everything, and did something that neither of us had done before. We rented surfboards at the famous beach and had a real morning of excitement and thrills. Riding a surfboard is beautiful to watch but not easy to master. About all we could do was hang on when a wave hit us and hope the board didn’t get away. I got a little worried about Dick and sent a guy out after him but he was alright and having a great time. Dick got his legs sunburned and I got pretty red myself but not enough to be uncomfortable. Besides going to the beach we saw shows, roller skated and took in a couple (of) dances. Of course the army has many clubs and entertainments which are all very good but at the same time every place is crowded with soldiers. And all the time we took a lot of pictures everywhere we went which will probably give you a better idea of the place. Dick will send them to you when they are finished.

We had such a great time together that I knew it was going to be tough when my boat sailed. In the morning early he went to the pier and our goodbye was brief, neither of (us) wanting to show any signs of weakening. It was hard to say goodbye knowing that the next time we would be together would probably be home. Dick seemed to be very happy, in good spirits generally. I know you worry about him but his level headedness will keep him safe and I know we’ll both be home perhaps sooner than we think.

The trip was a good vacation although the boat ride both ways kept me on a bed to keep from getting sick. There was a real bond between us that I hadn’t noticed before and he was as eager to talk about home as I was. The big city is seething with war workers and servicemen and the streets and shops are crowded so that you wait in line for about everything. Then about five o’clock the streets are almost entirely deserted, as if the people had been shadows a little while before. I spent quite a while in a big bookstore and saw plenty that I wanted to buy but didn’t because I would have no place to put (them) when I (was) finished with them. My footlocker is filled with books now, however I did buy a couple.

Probably the only good thing about returning was the mail that was waiting. I see that I owe Nancy a couple and one to Phil and I will answer them. Dick told me how they are both growing but I suppose even with my imagination I couldn’t really picture them as they are. Perhaps in my next letter I will think of some things that have slipped my mind, but for the meantime, I’ll call this sufficient and write again real soon. All your letters make a world of difference—a difference I couldn’t imagine without them.

Love,

12 June 1943

Dear Folks:

I can’t put off writing you much longer—the last five days have been busy ones for me and this is about the first time I could sit down for awhile and catch up on my correspondence. Had a letter from June today—about the first one I guess. And yesterday had another letter from Dick and we are just waiting for the day. Arrangements for transportation are difficult for any certain day but I’m sure we can get together alright. I’m going to ask you to send me twenty dollars by money order to help me with this trip. It will cost me fifty dollars or more and with my allotment and bond it will cut me pretty short. If you register the letter it will arrive much faster. Has the thirty-five dollar allotment been arriving? Well, I’m going to take a shower, go to the show and tomorrow go on pass and to the dance. A short letter but at least it’s something.

Love,

4 May 1943

Dear Folks:

Here are the pictures that we took during the hike that I wrote about. The black and white of the camera does not do justice to the scenery so you will have to imagine the color. If you have read the book I referred to, you can better visualize what the pictures lack. We had a great time that day and now that I have a supply of film again, want to go back again soon.

I’m going to the show in a few minutes consequently the hieroglyphics. The lights are out so early that there is no time after the show. I will of course write more later but I wanted to get these off tonight. Had a card from Granny yesterday with pictures of Sammy and Karen.

Well, I’ll cut this short. There are 22 pictures and let me know if you receive that many.

Love,

26 March 1943

Dearest Folks:

I have just finished cleaning up for inspection tomorrow and now perhaps I can write you a something of words before I go to bed. I’m glad you received the things and that you really liked them. I will send the hat in a few days and can get a box made for it. I was interested in your bridge game. We play considerable but we lack plenty of know-how and technique. Besides the movies that is almost the only thing I do in the evenings. I have been listening to the radio for some time tonight. Kate Smith and now Al Jolson and Monte Washington, the radio is pretty moody and to hear it without a lot of interruption is pretty relaxing. I had a nice letter from Gram last week-very sweet. I will answer it tonight.

Next week I plan to grab my camera and hike into the hills and see some things I have been wanting to see for a long time.

I guess I will exit for now—not much of a letter. I think about you all the time and more and more things crop up that reveal so many memories also. Will never forget.

Love,

23 March 1943

Dearest Folks:

I have settled my conscience by writing my overdue letters so now I can turn to you and give you a resume. I had a long letter from a gal in Washington, one of these prefabricated jobs that was pretty amusing. She is a faithful correspondent. Night before last I saw the show “In This Our Life’ which I thought was for duper and teaching than the story itself. I suppose you are beginning to plan the garden already and to undertake spring cleaning. I believe Dad’s next best pursuit is gardening. Although the first day comes in without much adieu here, I did remember the day. It was a very hot one. Next month I hope to have my pictures taken before I get out of camera range. You probably have the things by now. I wish I could be there to see Phil in his trunks. I hope they fit.

I’ve come to the end of the rope tonight which is little more than a note. Nancy’s lesson on the off-tune, yellow stained piano keys would be like a symphony from Raikmaninoff. You’ll never know how much I miss home.

Love,

17 February 1943

Dear Folks:

I just got back from pass only a little while ago and now before I do anything else this evening maybe I can get to writing you once again. But before I got back I departed with a goodly share of my lettuce (money) gone. I found the table covers that you wanted and hope that they will be to your liking. They showed me two kinds and I couldn’t make a choice so I bought both. They cost a good deal so they should be pretty good. But that wasn’t the end of my shopping. I saw several other things that I thought might look nice around the Moss manor, so kept on going. Besides the cover, there was a pair of trunks for Phil, a salt and pepper set, a sewing kit and a small souvenir surf board. I almost bought dad a banana leaf hat but I ran out of dough too soon. I’ll do that next month.

Aside from this bit of shopping I saw a show and ate a couple of my favorite lettuce and tomato sandwiches. I called it a day on this and rode the last bus back to camp. The bus was packed to the windows with school kids and it was only a great deal of twisting and squeezing that I got on and off. Supper was especially good tonight with chicken and noodle soup topped off with biscuits. Apparently the butter shortage is biting us too, for we haven’t had any for quite a while now. One thing that is very frequent on the diet is dehydrated foods that you have probably read quite a bit about. Eggs for an example are somewhat stronger than the fresh but it is scarcely noticeable after a few helpings. Cabbage, onions and potatoes are others. The other day at the kitchen I noticed a discarded beef carton with the Cook Packing Company of Scottsbluff written on the side. During mess it was announced that any complaints about the braised beef should be carried to me, when they found out I am a Nebraskite. I guess this is everything for this communique tonight. Everything is getting brighter and the dawn won’t be far off now.

Love,

9 February 1943

Dear Folks:

I have one of those seldom felt feelings that so rarely finds itself with me and that is to write and write some more and make a night of it. But sadly there isn’t much to put down so perhaps my ardor will diminish before very long. I bought another picture that was taken while Joe Brown was here. I believe this shot was taken when he was doing a caricature of Hitler. The picture gives a stage door view of our plush lined, soundproofed theatre. I believe you can spot me hugging the far left edge, and I was really much happier than the camera shows. Everyone in the shot looks pretty happy and he did make a real hit. Also a few days ago I sent you a Honolulu paper as a matter of interest, but I haven’t found the bridge set yet but I’ve just started to look.

Last night I saw ‘Kings Row’ and in my estimation it lived up the billing I had heard previously. A lot of good lessons in the show other than the story itself. The newsreel showed the final game of the World Series.

I had another red letter day on mail getting about five or six including one from Gladys Davis and Wylma whose correspondence is steadily increasing. And now I am this far (and) I am stumped for anything else. I hate to stop here because I know you want me to write about a lot of things you want to know and must wonder about but I’ll have to have something to talk about when I get home. I’m really very fine and think the climate is the best yet. It looks like this is the best I can do tonight.

Love,

2 February 1943

Dear folks:

I’ve been wanting to sit down and write you a long letter, and until tonight something else seemed to take up my time. Perhaps tonight I can do it. What occupies my time mostly in the evenings is going to the show or reading. And when I do this, the first thing I know I’m behind several days in my letters or have little time to write anything more than a line or two. By taking advantage of the library on pass days and drawing books from the traveling library I manage to keep plenty to read on hand. I just finished a J. Hilton book tonight “And Now Goodbye”, a story of an English preacher and his inner urges. The Reader’s Digest is dissolved in short order but there is always some one who wants it next. The libraries are very limited in their law books and I have read all of them. I had intended to ask you to send me a couple but that is now impossible, or at least involves too much red tape to attempt.

I can never write a letter without recalling some of the beauty of the islands or their difference from the states. I wish I was in a better position to describe it more fully and let you know actually where I have been and what there is here, but I guess that will have to wait and for the time being be satisfied with generalities. Maybe I go a little off the deep end on the subject, but I don’t think so—it makes me realize this is just a sample of the world. What is over the next horizon? Although the sunsets perhaps aren’t congruous with the descriptions the travel bureau puts out, many of them are really stirring sight to see and the sunrises aren’t far behind, in their own right. The cloud formations near the mountains put the final touch to them. Maybe it’s the proximity of the old and new that is appealing. In many places what the people did a hundred or so years ago is still carried on, while on the other hand some of the places you go take you back to the hometown main street. At our weekly battery get together the highlight of the program was a talk on the islands by a Scotsman who came here a long time ago and who since then has visited most of the South Seas. He was a very good orator but aside from that he points out legends and places to visit, supplemented with technicolor pictures. Sometimes I get an uncontrollable urge to take off after the war and just start wandering and go in any direction I feel like. I could really discourse along here all night if I didn’t have to worry about the scissors. As far as I know none of your letters are censored, at least nothing has ever been deleted.

By the time you read this what you wanted should be on the way unless I can’t finveigle these oriental storekeepers to get sufficiently interested in my case. Whenever you ask information from one of them, nine times out of ten, are ‘no got’ and offer no suggestions or show a substitute.

When I get down to the final analysis perhaps I haven’t written any more than I usually do, but it is really hard to put together a newsy letter. Practically everything I do is GI and on the other hand everything GI in letters is verboten. My mail situation is pretty good all told, and I don’t go very many days without something from somebody. Had a letter from Gram today, says many foodstuffs are getting scarce but that otherwise everything is jake. I better write Katie tonight and thank them for the pictures and the gifts. I’ve really extended a sensible limit already so I’m going to stop and wait until I get another (letter) of yours to answer. And there’s no better way to end it than by repeating there’s no place like home.

Love,