Leonard's Story: April 26, 1945

The Times Pony edition was printed for members of the U.S. Armed Forces overseas beginning at the end of 1942. Div CP would mean Division Command Post.

______________________________________________________________

                                                                                               Philippines

                                                                                               26th April

Dear Arnold,

     Received your V-mail of 6th April.  After what campaign?  We were

going to get a rest, but the situation changed  and here  we are kicking

the Japs around with everything or anything.  They are about as hard to exterminate

[ARROW] as cockroaches in a good old Calif home.  I am going up to work with the

Guerrillas, as an intelligence officer.  It should prove interesting.

[from ARROW above in margin]

but we are just the guys who can and are liquidating them

     Although the rest did'nt pan out we did get ten days of perishable

rations, and have had fresh meat and eggs for breakfast practically every day

day now for the last seven days.  However, it will soon be back to bully

beef and spam again.

     At present we ar set up in a coconut grove, near an ex-town ( completely

destroyed by the Japs).  The weather is hot and muggy, but it is better this

way than if it was raining all the time.  I sure hope we finish this deal

up before the rainy season starts.  I don't want to have to go through another

nightmare like we had on Leyte.  Of course we would be there during the

typhoon season, and I have never been wet so much for so long in my life.

We use to have to stand in ankle deep mud even in the chow line, and keeping

dry feet was just impossible, in fact keeping dry was impossible.

     We have had a little rain here, and I can see that this place will be a

regular mud hole too, when the rains come.  It rained just as much or more

on Bougainville, but the ground quickly absorbed the water.  Also it would

usually rain about the same time every day for a week or so, and then change

the schedule.  In Leyte is just rained all the time every day.

     Say I want to thank you again for the pen and pencil set, it is now one

of my prized possessions.  I don't know how I got along without it before.

Also thanks for the Air mail edition of TIMES Pony, that is something that

is hard to find around here, and they are always read to death.

     I have lost a lot of weight, and you probably would'nt recognize me now.

Things have been rough, and I am glad that you won't have to got through any-

thing like this.  It is no fun, believe me.

     A while back when we were at a certain extown, we had a bit of excitement

right in the center of the Div CP.  It so happened that I was duty officer

this particular morning, when I heard the guards open fire.  Now this in its

self is not uncommon, in fact I was cussing tthem out, because the bullets

were wanging around, and the only things they seem to hit are horses or dogs,

or just the ozone.  Suddenly a man came running up and said that they wanted

me to go over and search a Jap that they had killed only about a hundred yards

down the road from the G-2 office.  Now the interesting thing is that this Jap

was armed with a US .30 caliber carbine, and upon checking the number it was

discovered that it belonged to one of our men, and had been stolen from the side

of his sack while he was asleep earlier in the morning.  In the dim pre-dawn

light this Jap was thought to be a guerrilla, and was finally killed walking

down one of the main roads only about 100 yds from the center of town.

     Well I'd better close now, write soon.

                                                            love

                                                  [signed] Leonard

GO TO NEXT LETTER

Leonard's Story: November 29, 1944

I could not figure out what WAH means.  And U.S. Philippines Invasion Money might be the counterfeit money the U.S. had printed up in Australia to trigger inflation and undermine confidence in the Japanese Invasion money. 
______________________________________________

                                                                 Philippines

                                                                 29th Nov

Dear Arnold,

     Just received your letter of the 14th.  So old Chezzer

got himself almost hooked!  Well, well the wolf gets caught

in a trap.  Tell him that what he gets for sticking his paws

in unknown places.  Tell him to write me all about it, I have'nt

heard from him in some time, but I guess he has been busy with

his wooing.  Things are going along as per usual here, not many

changes.  I just returned form Corps Hdqs, and although it is

only about ten miles away it is an all day trip, because of the

mud and rivers.  Mud, mud, mud what a place for a alot of pigs

to wallow in.  Are we pigs?  Well we are wallowing in it anyway.

I am glad to hear that you will have five more months in the

states after December 1st.  Are you nuts?  What in the hell

do you want to rush out here for anyway.  There is nothing out

here to induce a good clean living american boy to come out here. [in margin:] here, here

                                                                 Same Place

                                                                 30th Nov

     Well I was interrupted last night, I forgot why, but I

was so tired that I did'nt bother to finish your letter.

Lets see, what is new?  Not a damn thing, as far as I can see.

For us back here at Div Hqs, this is something like a field

problem or manuevers, except it ain't, its WAH.  I wish I

could get a chance to get my clothes washed (Filipinos wash

them), I am beginning to smell a bit strong.

     Well by the time this reaches you it will be winter.  I

can remember that delightful morning of the 1st of Jan, when I stepped

off the train into the cold, crisp air of Maryland.  I wish I

could do that again this January.  But here I am in the land of

eternal summer, sun tans?, and fatigues.  At night I dream of

the states.  This reminds me of OCS, when I use to dream I was

somewhere else, but when I woke up in the morning I was still

in OCS, but finally one sweet day came when I woke up out of

OCS, and then I began to dream I was back in OCS, viciouscircle

circle?  Well I have to wire some sockets up in our new G-2

tent, so I will close for now.  Enclosed you will find some

Jap invasion money (taken off some dead Japs) and some US

[page 2, reverse of letter]

Philippines Invasion Money. [handwritten] + a Dutch Guiller from dutch

New Guinea.

                                               love,

                                  [signed] Leonard

GO TO NEXT LETTER