Arnold's Story: September 26, 1944 MHN

I find it interesting that the family does not appear to be particularly concerned for Leonard's life in active combat in the Pacific Theater. I can only attribute that to Hazel's supreme confidence in God's plan and the power of prayer. Or, since Leonard wrote more explicitly to his brother about his front-line experiences, he kept the realities of any danger to his life from the rest of the family.

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Arnold's Story: August 24, 1944 MHN

Hazel Nevis writes with family news and describes a lazy Sunday. I see that they call their fruit trees an orchard rather than a grove, as I may have earlier. If I recall, Leonard was first posted to Bougainville Island, at Cape Torokina.

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Arnold's Story: August 17, 1944

Alongside the description of Les Wolfe Jr.'s military funeral, this letter mentions Hazel's youngest brother James Ellwood Wolfe, his wife Rubye Keller Wolfe, and their children Walter and Jane. 

I did not realize that Hazel considered herself a fundamentalist, but perhaps that designation had a less extreme interpretation in the 40s than it does today. Her views as a Presbyterian were largely quite mainstream, as I surmise from her letters, family remembrances and her large collection of books on religion. One family memory from the early 1970's was her annoyance at a commercial for Crest toothpaste in which children interrupt parents yelling "I have no cavities". Children were not to interrupt adults, in her opinion. She boycotted Crest after that.

Marine Raiders was a 1944 war movie showing a fictional depiction of the 1st Marine Raider Battalion and 1st Marine Parachute Battalion on Guadalcanal, recreation in Australia, retraining in Camp Elliott (where much of the film was made) and a fictional attack in the Solomon Islands. It starred Pat O'Brien, Robert Ryan, and Ruth Hussey.

Secrets of Scotland Yard was a 1944 espionage thriller based on a story "Room 40, O.B." by Denison Clift, about a British police detective uncovering a Nazi spy in Britain's cryptanalysis organization. 

next post  August 24, 1944 Al Grote

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Arnold's Story: July 29, 1944

While Arnold was in college, he spent his summers working at a lumber camp. He used to keep his scratchy wool plaid lumberjack shirt in his closet into the early 1980s, and I think each of his sons wore it at some point until we got too big for his shirt. Arnold had a slim build, but none of his sons were so slight of build, so by age 14–15 we had already gotten too large to wear it. I assume that McCloud is the location of that lumber camp; perhaps it was the famed McCloud River Lumber Company he worked in.

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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

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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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