Leonard's Story: October 20, 1944

                                                                          Friday, Oct 20

Dear Arnold,

     Received your letter of the 7th today.  You lucky stiff,

I envy you very much.  I used to think that I hit a soft touch,

but brother you have me beaten by a light year.  Keep it up.

I may sound adventuress to go overseas, bit it is'nt worth it.

Its not that it gets so tiresome and dull, but the main thing

is you wonder when you will ever get home again.  If you could

come over here and go through one campaign and then go back home

it might be worth it, but you can't do that.  I reall believe

that it will be about two years before I get home.  Don't rush

over here, if you are offered a job in the states take it.

Eventually you will get over here anyway, so let nature and the

army take its course.  If you don't beleive me ask the Major

that you know who is from this island.

     I was in a town once similar to the one you mention.  It

was Reading, Penn., they hardly knew a war was on.  You buy a

good meal very reasonably, and we had a swell double hotel room

for only five bucks.  We (another officer and myself) met only

one other officer in town and about six enlisted men.  We were

going to pick up a couple of girls, but everybody treated us so

highly and took such an interest in us, that we just could'nt do

it.  We went into one drug store for a soda, and in five minutes

it was filled with girls from sixteen to twenty.  I always meant

to get back to that town, but bI never got around to it.

     Well I am going tomorrow by air with my S/Sgt, while my

M/Sgt is staying behind to bring the equipment by water.  My

new assignment ought to be very interesting and exciting.  I

hope you don't tell the folks what kind of an outfit it is they

might worry.  My new APO is 468, the rest of the address is the

same.

     I captured a spider today with a body over two inches long,

and a leg span of about six inches, he is a big ugly bastard.

The other night the men killed a nine inch centipede on my desk,

and up at Corp they have a pet lizard that is two feet long, with

a body about three or four inches wide, and he must way a couple [arrow] new way to spell weigh

pounds.  He is very friendly, and makes no effort to escape,

maybe he's just lazy?  The other day he ate a live centipede that

they gave him.  We have some of the queerest types of life here.

Yesterday I saw a bug that had a fuzz that looked like a peacocks

plume, only it was white.

     That word you mentioned that had been cut out, come to

think of it, it might have been a possible clue to our location,

so I don't blame the censor, it shows that he is on the ball.

Well Bud, I' about out of gaff, so I will close until later.

Keep'em coming, letters I mean.

                                           love,

                                 [signed] Leonard

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Leonard's Story: September 29, 1944

                                                                                    Fri, Sept 29th

Dear Arnold,

     Although this typewriter is broken, in that the lines do not
space correctly, I am not going to delay this letter any longer.
There is nothing new here in the way of big items, however, a few
little things have happened.  By now you must have received at least
one or if I remember correctly it should be two.  I am glad that
you like your set up so well.  I see by your address that you have
moved.  How do you like your new lodgings?  We take some hikes here
too, in fact one every week.  They aren't nearly as interesting as
yours, all we see are jungled lined roads.  The one good hike they
went on I missed because of work.  They hiked up a jungle trail to
a river.  There were remains of the Japs along the trail, bones,
clothes, and shoes.  Lt Gassner picked up one of the shoes to
examine it and the foot bones still in it.  One of the other Officers
from Ritchie, who is in another division went on a three day hike
up to one of the trail blocks.  He said the terrain was extremely
rough, up and down, dense jungle, and dangerous swamps.   Coming back
he said they kept meeting natives boys who are used as carriers.
All the English they knew was "hello Joe."  As my friend
neared the perimeter and the end of his journey, he met one last
native.  He decided to beat him to the punch by greeting him first.
As the native approached within talking distance, my friend smiled,
and said "hello JOE."  The native smiled back and answered, "how
do you do sir."

     You are probably wondering what I meant in the first part of
the above paragraph by receiving one or two, one or two what?  I
meant one or at least two of my letters by now.  I might explain at
this time that although  the spacing is broken on the typewriter, all
those typographical errors are not due to a broken typewriter, al-
though I wish I could say they were.  Now that I have cleared up
these points, I shall proceed.  Today we were presented with a
baby bat.  We had a bit of trouble with him at first.  We put him
a small can that some peanuts had come in, and he got some of the
salt that was left on his tail.  He because very agitated and we
finally fixed him up by giving him a bath.  We then decided to adopt
him as our mascot, and after a lengthy discussion, decided that
the way we would feed him was to tie a string around his neck and
have one of the enlisted men swing him around so he could catch
insects on the fly.  Imagine being told to take a bat out for an
airing!  Another per we have is a little tree frog.  Every night
just after we turn out the light and crawl in our sacks, he beings
to bark.  Yes, I said bark!  These frogs sound just like a little
fox terrier with a lusty voice.  Gas ( Lt Gassner) clapped his
hands and shouted "Shut up."  This startled the frog and he did
as he had been bidden, but only for a short time.  Soon he regained
his confidence, and first gave little short bark.  Nothing hap-
pended, so after a few minutes he gave a couple of more experimental
barks.  He waited a few seconds and then opened up.  He has become
very impertinent, and now will not shut up not matter how hard we
threaten, curse, or shout orders at him.  My other tent mate took
a flash light and tried to find him last night, but the little

[page 2]
devil hid, and soon as Bach stopped searching for him, he started
up again.  We took the philosophy that it was just another jungle
noise among the manny Jungle noises, and went to sleep.  It is
amazing what noise one of these small creatures make.   They are
only about the size of a baby toad, but the first night you hear
one you think some kind of jungle wild dog is barking not far
from your tent.

     It has almost been confirmed that I am not going to stay with
this outfit, Lt Gassner outranks me by a number of months.  Some
of my fellow classmates ended up in Army Headqtrs, and some we
haven't heard from might well be in Theater Hdqs [arrow] such is fate.  We now be-
lievethat a mistake was made in our shipment, and we went to the
wrong place.  This sure is a hell of a time to find out.

                                                                                   [arrow] censored by LJNevis
     I guess Dad wrote you that he asked xxxxxxxxx [crossed out] a friend. If he
knew where APO 37 was?  And Since this fellow had just come back
From the South Pacific, as he had been wounded.  The fellow replied,
"Do I know where APO37 is, Hell I was in it."If you don't know
where I am ask Dad to tell you.  The reason I didn't mention this
fellows name is that it might be against security regulations to
tell anyone where it [circled, arrow] APO37 is.  The censor might take his name down and
turn him in.  In fact the censor is probably having a hemmorage now
reading this, if he does.  However I don't think he can cut it
out, let me know if he does.

     I said let me know if the censor cut out any of the above para-
graph out.  Well this is about all the prittle-prattle I have
to tell you.  Write soon.

                                                             love,
                                            [signed] Leonard

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Leonard's Story: September 8, 1944

"Looey" is probably lieutenant here. Uncle Leonard still recounted the regularity of the rain on Bougainville some fifty years later when talking about his experiences to me in the early 1990s. He said you could set your watch to it as it came daily at 3:00 pm, then in a week or two would shift to 3:30pm, and after a while shift another half hour later.

[typed, page 1]

                                                                                  Sept 8, 1944

Dear Arnold,

     How is the new second looey, enjoying same, it least you give

that impression in yourtwo letters of the 28th.  By the way the

V-mail arrived neck and neck with the airmail.  The longest five

months I have ever spent were in OCS.  I know just about how you

feel, for it isn't only getting a commission, but its getting out

of that damn candifate or cadet training. At first I felt slightly

uncomfortable and conspicous, especially when I was by myself, but

that soon wears off, and things settle down to a grind again, however

a slightly higher standard of grind.  I am glad you got in such a

nice setup, keep it up.  I don't know why I was in such a hurry

to get overseas, but take it from me this is not the way to see

the world.  The only glamour and heros are at home, there ain't

any such creatures out here.  It is all sweat, scare, mud, blood,

and work.  There is nothing like the states, stay there as long

as you can, because if you rush out here you will find your mighty

convictions have all been in vain, and it is too late to go back.

So work hard and stick to your job, you will be sent out here soon

enough.  However don't work too hard, try to get a little fun in

now and then to store up some good memories, they come in handy

out here.

     The sense of humor of the men out here give you an idea of

their attitude.  If  movie soldier says, "I want to go over there

and get those yellow monkeys, give them hell, or anyother cinema

patriotic remark he is hooted and laughed off the screen. They

walked out of Danny Kaye's UP IN ARMS.  They only crack a smile

at some of the best jokes of the radio comedians, then again some

little insignificant thing will knock them out.  However they still

have a sense of humor as shown in some of their signs.  The one over

the dispensary reads, " Montgomery's Clinic Specialist in the skin

and its contents.  Our mess hall, semi-tent structure, is titled

               Tearoom.  The other day I saw a truck named Lack-a-

nookie, and so it goes.

     We had an earthquake here the other night, however it was not

very severe.  Since there is an active volcano near at hand I suppose

it had something to do with it.  Earthquakes are not rare occurences

here.  The rain is even more frequent, in fact it is daily, and

generally comes in on a time schedule.  This afternoon we really

caught a deluge, but then it cools things off.  The biggest bother

here are the many insects.  I always seem to be able to pick up

at least several new bites every day, spiders, mosquitos, ants,

and a few unidentified things inflict a more or less constant

and equal proporation of bites.

[page 2]

     I have'nt run into anybody I knew at home, although there

is probably someone near at hand, however I don't get around much

anymore.  Send me Stadt's and Kennedy's APO and if they are on the

island which I doubt, I will look them up.  Well lieutenant keep

on the ball, and write soon again and don't omit any of the

luxuries, I can dream can't I.

                                            love,

                               [signed] Leonard

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Leonard's Story: August 23, 1944

[typed]

                                                                       Aug 23, 1944

Dear Arnold,

     Received your letter yesterday along with the first mail

I've had since I left.  Congratulations! It sure was great to

hear that you had received your commission, and that you were

assigned to Harvard.  It was a long hard struggle but I think

you will find it is worth it. How do you like it Lieutenant!

I was still at Ritchie on the 14th but was probably out when

you called on the phone, we did'nt leave until th e next day.

I bet you really surprised the folks by dropping in on them.

Four days at home after all time you were away was really a

short vivit, I know becuase that was all the time I had.

However I think you will agree it was worth it. Flying is

the only way to travel.

     I am now on an other island in the SouthPacific. I was

on Guadacanal for a short time.  thingsare'nt too tough here,

in fact I was a little agreeably surprised at the way they

have things fixed up around here.  Very civilized.  My assign-

ment is a little screwed up but I think it will work out in

the long run, but I don't know how far I will have to run?

We are treated very nice, and it look slike this is a good

oufit.

     It is going to take us a little while to get straightened

around and set up.  I don't know how long I will be here,

probably not over several months. It looks like the work

may be rather interesting, I only hope we can do what we

came out here to do.  We are camped in an areawhich is near

the center ofa rather large perimeter. Roughly the perimeter

extends from the beach some six or eight mile inland and is

more or less the same dimension in width.  Most of this area

was drained and clear of the water and dense jungle growth.

They have done an excellent job of fixing the place up and

it is quite liveable.  Please don't hesitate to describe your

pleasant surroundings, it makes me think of better days.

Of course there are a few Japs somewhere around the outside,

bu they keep their distance and are not bothersome. In fact

they don't even blackout here, and have'nt done it for quite

some time.

     I am sure sorry I did'nt get up to see you before I left,

but it was just impossible. Tell Ed hello next time you see

him and tell I would be glad to hear from him. And don't

hesitate to write yourself soon and often.I think I'd better

close until later, the bugs have about taken over the place.

They are busy flying around trying to read what I'm trying to

type, and I don't like to work with somebody or things looking

over my shoulder. Lets hit the ball lieutenant and go to MIT.

                                 from your loving brother

                             [signed] Leonard

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Leonard's Story: August 19, 1944

In this V-Mail letter, we see Leonard is the censor. (I don't know what the '18' is at the bottom of the v-mail.)

_________________________________________________________________________

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 Arnold H. Nevis              FROM  Lt. L J Nevis

                Unit 3510                                        APO 45751

                TS-Yale Univ.                                  c/o Postmaster

                 New Haven, Conn.                         San Francisco, Calif.

        LJNevis

[CENSOR'S STAMP]     SEE INSTRUCTION NO. 2         (Sender's complete address above)

Dear Arnold                                         19 Aug 44

     Please forgive me if you are now a Lieut. and if so congratulations

of the highest order. Well I am now on an island, somewhere in the

Pacific. The weather is hot and humid, it reminds me of North Carolina

in July. It really knows how to rain here, it feels like you were

under Boulder Dam and the bottom fell out. I can hardly wait for the

rainy season to start.

     The more I see around here the more I wonder why I tried so hard

to go overseas. Of course I am disappointed that I did'nt get to go the

other way, but I guess things are not to hot over there either. So

don't get rash and attempt to jump on a boat. You'll see what it is

like soon enough. Besides the more training you get the better off

your men and you will be.

     Write and let me know what you are doing now, and just becaus e

you don't receive an answer, don't let it stop youfrom writing another

letter. I don't know when I will be able to mail another letter.

     I have'nt received any mail since I left, and if I keep moving

about I don't know when it will catch up with me. You might include

news of Flavell, Fischer, and some of the other fellows from home.

And say hello to them if you see any of them.

                                        Love

                                           Leonard

HAVE YOU FILLED IN COMPLETE              REPLY BY         HAVE YOU FILLED IN COMPLETE

      ADDRESS AT TOP?                                 V-MAIL                       ADDRESS AT TOP?

18

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