Letter from WWII soldier in the Pacific

While I was going through the last of the paperwork and boxes from my house fire in December, I ran across the following letter and picture. The story behind how I got these is a bit sad. Basically the woman in the picture had gotten old and was send to an assisted living facility. Her house, which is in my neighborhood, was carmmed full of various items and no family member took care of it. Eventually the roof started to fail and the city condemned it. The stuff in the house was placed on the curb for trash pickup. My wife found these in a the original Brooks Photography folder sitting on top of a box.

The letter, I thought, was an interesting telling of the war in the Pacific from a soldier's point of view. The women in the picture is the lady to whom the letter was sent.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/2d62f9d38e9a.jpg[/atsimg]

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/e858708a9476.jpg[/atsimg]

[edit on 8-29-2010 by rogerstigers]

[edit on 8-29-2010 by rogerstigers]

When you found that I hope you got it all. Who knows how much history gets thrown out with the trash every day. I just hate to see things like this get trashed and lost forever. It is sad how soon we forget our past. Stuff like this belongs in a museum not the trash. Glad you found that and kept it.

reply to post by fixer1967


Sadly, this is the only thing we were able to salvage that I can find.

Here is the transcript of the letter..

I'll try to write you a note but don't know how long the ink will hold out, and besides, I don't know just at what moment the Japs will interrupt. We go mail yesterday and it was good to hear from you. The weather here is about like it was when we went to Bingham hill. I often wish the water we get from fox hyoles was as good as the water we got that day.

This morning we have been watching a real show. The Japs are really catching it now, I have on a Jap shirt which is much too small and a pair of pants that are much too large. Oh, what a life. MOM mentioned the storied of the fox holes full of water here. Well there are two ways to keep warm. First; Dig a good drain system and put a roof over the whole thing. This is the best way, but we discovered the other way one night in the rain. We let the fox hole fill completely full of water, then get in and sit down so that all that sitcks out is your head. You keep warm as long as you stay in the water, but when you come out Brrrrr.

One thing to remember is that the Japs are just as wet and cold as we are.

The roads now look like a junk yard pilled high with smashed Jap trucks, amo, carts etc., and every where "good japs". Don't get your hopes up too high about when I will be home for you know ther is always another island to be taken.

......I'll try to write again soon but don't [??] if I'll have the opportunity.

Why does the letter say "Exerpts from..." at the top?

Where did the soldier find a typewriter?

Originally posted by InvisibleAlbatross
Why does the letter say "Exerpts from..." at the top?

Where did the soldier find a typewriter?

From what I have been able to gather from what my wife remembers (she found other letters, but was not able to save any), the hand written letters were transcribed into type written form by the lady. I can't tell you what it says after excerpts from, since that part of the letter is completely gone (paper rot).

reply to post by rogerstigers


Ok, that makes sense. Sad that none of the family members took these things. A shame that they were nearly lost and good that you saved them.

Hey Roger -

Thanks for posting these. Very fascinating... You don't know whether the writer of this letter made it home or not safely, do you? The lady was a looker too. Is she still around or has she since passed? Wonder if she misses them. I hate when family members don't care enough to preserve stuff like this...

Very cool find. Thank you.

PS - sorry about your home.

I believe it was last year in Missouri when a kid found some stuff in a trash heap.

Two citations. One for the Purple Heart, the other for a Bronze Star. Both were awarded to a Soldier during the Normandy battles.

Also in the trash heap were his ashes in an urn. And the ashes of his wife.

Seems that after they died, no one wanted any of this stuff, so it was thrown out.

Originally posted by InvisibleAlbatross
Why does the letter say "Exerpts from..." at the top?

Where did the soldier find a typewriter?

Maybe it way typed from a hand written letter by the military editing dept. Remember this was war time and all letters were read by the military before being passed on to the people back home. In WWII you never got a letter that was not edited by some means. Like being retyped or having the letter being cut with a razor blade cutting out the words they did not want read.

hey hey Mog ,ty for posting this letter it was very interesting to read ,i dont know but maybe its me but it sounds a bit cryptic , eh i might just be to tired after listeing to you rant last night on the ATS live cast , jk brother
anyway ty

S+F


Mephi

[edit on 29-8-2010 by Nephi1337]

Originally posted by hhcore
Hey Roger -

Thanks for posting these. Very fascinating... You don't know whether the writer of this letter made it home or not safely, do you? The lady was a looker too. Is she still around or has she since passed? Wonder if she misses them. I hate when family members don't care enough to preserve stuff like this...

Very cool find. Thank you.

PS - sorry about your home.

The woman died a few years back. Here is what I know of her:

She left the medical corp, I think and became a piano teacher. In fact, there were two baby grands under all of the rubbish in her house. Never found out what happened to those.

The fellow in the letter was her brother, i think, but not sure. I do not know if he made it home.

There were other letters, but they were rotting. Many of them fell apart as we read them. Very sad.

My father served as a pilot of transports in the Pacific and survived.
His twin brother served in Paton's army and barely survived the Battle of the Bulge by escaping German prison camp.
There young brother didn't survive the fate of the USS Franklin carrier attack.
They all wanted to return to family life and forget about the war. Never once did they talk to the children about their experience.

It does seem to devalue life of the person who lived, but think about the multitude of letters throughout history and all the belongings of those people, even the memories of their names are often lost in time.

It is interesting to see the past. I have a photo I would like to share if you do not mind. I think it too has pertinence in today's World considering our current Financial crisis.

It also has a story to tell.

Photograph 1939 by famed Dorothea Lange

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/bfe6165e5b3e.jpg[/atsimg]

Here is the interesting part!

This picture was taken during the last year of the Great Depression.

Here is the caption and adjoining information. I do not know the author.

Oregon, August 1939. “Unemployed lumber worker goes with his wife to the bean harvest. Note Social Security number tattooed on his arm.” (And now a bit of Shorpy scholarship/detective work. A public records search shows that 535-07-5248 belonged to one Thomas Cave, born July 1912, died in 1980 in Portland. Which would make him 27 years old when this picture was taken.)

I cannot help but feel he looks far older than his mere 27-years, today they all look so young at that age.

To glimpse through the eyes of the camera during the Great Depression opens the world to its reality. Google page of Dorothea Lange's Great Depression Photographs

Back on topic: I do feel sad for the woman, somehow her Spirit must be feeling all of us feeling her and her lost belongings and stories.


[edit on 8/29/2010 by Greensage]

[edit on 8/29/2010 by Greensage]