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Print the complete address in plain letters in the panel below, and your return address in the space provided
on the right. Use typewriter, dark ink, or dark pencil. Faint or small writing is not suitable for photographing.
TO Lt A. H. Nevis FROM Lt. L. J. Nevis
78 Mt Auburn St. Hq, 11th A/B Division
Cambridge, Mass APO 468
c/o PM, San Francisco, Cal
LJNevis
[CENSOR'S STAMP] SEE INSTRUCTION NO. 2 (Sender's complete address above)
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
NOV 21, 1944
DEAR ARNOLD,
I AM WRITING THIS NOTE TONIGHT BECAUSE: 1/. I AM TIRED OF WORKING ALL
DAY, AND DO NOT WISH TO WORK TONIGHT. 2. I WANT TO LET YOU KNOW WHERE I
AM. 3. TO TELL YOU TO SAY AT HOME AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, THIS AIN'T NO
FUN. I HOPE YOU CAN FIND TIME TO ANSWER ALL THESE LETTERS, I HAVE'NT
RECEIVED ONE FROM YOU IN SOME TIME. I AM USING V MAIL BECAUSE I DON'T
HAVE ANY MORE STAMPED ENVELOPES, STAMPS, OR EVEN ENVELOPES. WE ARE IN
A REAR AREA, AND NOT IN ANY DANGER. THE DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY I WATCHED
TWO F-38S SHOOT DOWN A JAP PLACE. IT LOOKED JUST LIKE THE MOVIES, SO YOU
DID'NT MISS ANYTHING. THE JAP STARTED DOWN IN A STEEP DIVE TOWARDS THE
OCEAN, AND BURST INTO FLAMES. HE HIT THE WATER WITH A HELL OF A SPLASH.
WE ARE AWAY FROM THE UNLOADING ZONE AND CAN SEE THE FLASHES OF THE BOMBS
AND AA FIRE, AND CAN HEAR DULL EXPLOSIONS. THE NEAREST GUN FIRE I HAVE
BEEN IN HAPPENED TODAY WHEN ONE OF MY SGTS ACCIDENTALLY SHOT OFF HIS FORTY
FIVE IN THE G-2 TENT. IT RAINED LIKE HELL ALL DAY YESTERDAY, AND SPRINK -
LED TODAY, SO WE HAVE NOT HAD AN ALERT.
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE I HAVEBEEN DOWN IN THE SWPA, I HAVE SEEN
SOME HALF WAY CIVILIZED CIVILIANS (AFLATTERING TERM FOR NATIVES). WE
HAVE QUITE A FEW FILIPINOS AROUND. HEY ARE PRETTY RAGGED, AND WERE RATHER
HUNGRY WHEN WE ARRIVED. THEY SOON BGAN TRADING AND SELLING COCONUTS, JAP
INVASION MONEY, AND TUBA JUICE (ALCOOLIC BEVERAGE). THEY WERE MORE INTER-
ESTED IN TRADING FOR CLOTHES. FOR ANOMINAL FEE OR TRADE THEY WILL DIG YOU
A FOXHOLE OR FIX YOUR TENT. BIG BUSNESS! THE ROUGH PART SO FAR IS GETTING
WET AND STAYING WET, CANNED RATIONS,LOTS OF WORK, TRYING TO KEEP CLEAN AND
THEN FINALLY TRYING NOT TO GET SO DITY, AND FINDING TIME TO HEED THE CALL
OF NATURE, I RESTRICT MYSELF TO EVEROTHER DAY, ITS A TOUGH PROPOSITION IN
INCLEMENT WEATHER WITH A SLIT TRENCH I CENSORED A LETTER THE OTHER DAY
WHERE A GI SPENT WHOLE PAGE HUMOROSLY DESCRIBING THAT INCONVENIENCE.
IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE SNAFU ON THE HME FRONT, YOU SEE IT OUT HERE, IT IS
REALLY TARFU. WE STILL DO THINGS TH ARMY WAY, SO FAR? THE MOST RECENT
CS IS THAT OFFICERS HAVE TO STAND REILLE, OUT HERE. WE ALSO HAVE TO WEAR
LEGGINS, BUT THEN MAYBE EVENTUALLY W WILL WEAR THEM OUT. THERE IS LOTS OF
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS DIV AND THE 7TH DIV. THE AIRBORNE BOYS TRY TO BE
A SPIT AND POLISH OUTFIT, AND SO FAR HAVE ONLY SEEN THE SPIT. BY THE WAY
IT IS NOW EIGHT FIFTEEN PM HERE AND HE YOU ARE IT IS ABOUT EIGHT FIFTEEN
AM, ALMOST EXACTLY TWELVE HOURS DIFERENCE. A FIFTY MILE AN HOUR GALE WAS
EXPECTED LAST NIGHT, BUT THEWIND IS BLOWING IT MAY COME TONIGHT.
LOVE, Leonard
HAVE YOU FILLED IN COMPLETE REPLY BY HAVE YOU FILLED IN COMPLETE
ADDRESS AT TOP? V-MAIL ADDRESS AT TOP?
