Leonard's Story: June 20, 1943

[June 20, 1943, page 1]

(A A)

CAMP DAVIS

NORTH CAROLINA

                             June 20, 1943

Dear Arnold

     So you're in the army now!

Well it isn't too bad, although

I think it will take you about

four to six weeks to get use to

it. I imagine you will get a deal

similar to the one the UCLA

ER.C. boys got, thirteen weeks of

basic training and then O.C.S.

     Army life isn't too bad,

fairly good food, clothes, nothing

to worry about, $48.40 a month for

spending money (they deduct $150 for

lanudry), a bunch of fellows to

horse around with, and the work

isn't too hard. You do have to get

use to somebody thinking for you

and telling you what to do all

the time, lack of women and

homey things, tough sgts who have

only a mouth and no brains, and

                     -1-

[page 2]

lack of contact with the outside

world.

     Don't buck or try too hard, try

to do your bucking so that although

you don't work any longer or harsher

your stuff always looks just a

little bit better than average.

Watch yourself during obstacle

courses, calesthenics, and heavy

work that you don't injure or hurt

yourself, I've seen a lot of fellows

break an arm or leg or hurt themselves

lifting. The result is that you get

hospitalized and set back a couple

of months. However always do you

part and don't ask to be let out of

something or go on sick call unless

it is really necessary. If you are

asked to drill or take charge of

a group of men, do just that,

don't be superficious but do "sound

off" and don't let anybody get

                     -2-

[page 3]

away with anything.

     You'll meet all kinds of

fellows from the guy that can't

read or write and doesn't take a

bath but once a year to the

fellow that can speak several

languages and has only the best

tastes and manners, yet both

are just G. I., Joes. Well I've got

some personal stuff I have to

buck so I guess I'd better

close. The best advice I can think

of is what an old soldier gave to

me. "Keep your mouth shut and

you bowels open." and you'll do

O.K.

                  Your brother

                   Leonard

                     -3-

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Arnold and Newlin: 1986

1986 concludes the story of Arnold and Newlin together.

Ashmore sisters Eloise and Newlin in Gainesville, 1986

Newlin after an exercise class at Gainesville High School, 1986

Joel was working in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan for a term and returned to Gainesville on July 2. Arnie died of a heart attack in the early hours of July 4. Newlin's sister Eloise happened to be visiting at the time and stayed on to help Newlin with the funeral arrangements and mourning. There was viewing for Arnie in Gainesville and then a second viewing in Tallahassee, where the funeral was subsequently held in a chapel of Culley and Sons Funeral Home. Arnie was buried in Tallahassee Memory Gardens on the edge of Tallahassee, close to Havana, Florida. Later their son Eddie was disinterred from Forest Lawn in Glendale and reinterred in Tallahassee. Newlin bought a fourth plot that was decades later transferred to Joel.

Arnie's obituary in the Gainesville Sun, July 1986

Rev. John Dickson from Westminster Presbyterian Church in Gainesville officiated at Arnie's funeral in Culley and Sons Funeral Home.

order of service for Arnold's funeral, July 8, 1986

order of service

Arnold's certificate of death from Alachua County Public Health, July 10, 1986

a certificate from President Reagan after Arnie died

Deed for four plots in Tallahassee Memory Gardens, July 11, 1987

Tallahassee Memory Gardens deed cover with stamp

March 29, 1988, letter from Abbey Memory Gardens to Newlin about the plots' deed

Arnie died at age 64, just one month shy of his 65th birthday, so he did not make it to his retirement. Because he was still an employee at the University of Florida, he left a larger insurance payout to Newlin than he would have with retirement. And since they had just bought a new car, Newlin make the one car payment and then the car insurance paid the rest of the car, so in a sense he left Newlin a brand new Honda almost for free. She had that car another two decades before passing it on to her grandchildren, who had it another decade. 

Arnie died prematurely; the family would have gladly gone without the "free car" and the insurance payout to hang onto him longer in life. His older brother Leonard, a smoker and a drinker, outlived him by more than twenty years (passing away in 2006). Newlin lived another thirty years as a widow, dying in 2016 at age 90.

next post  Arnold and Newlin:  postscript 1986

previous post  Arnold and Newlin:  Arnold and Newlin:  1985

first post in Flashbacks  How the Nevis family came to California

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

first post in blog  Leonard's Story: May 29, 1943

Arnold's Story: August 22, 1950

xxxx

next post  August 23, 1950

previous post  August 18, 1950

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

first post in blog  Leonard's Story: May 29, 1943

Arnold's Story: Photos of Korea and Japan in 1946

These are photos from Arnold's posting in Korea from February to October 1946. (Several may be from Japan, instead — the photos were a bit jumbled together.)

Arnold Nevis, Korea, winter 1946

Arnold Nevis, Korea, 1946

Fritz Fenlay, "Monty", and Itesser(?) in Korea, 1946

Ye Olde Ale and Quaile Clubbe officers' mess in Korea, 1946

next post  Photos of 1946 Korea

previous post  February 22, 1946

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

first post in blog  Leonard's Story: May 29, 1943

Arnold's Story: February 8, 1945

I remember from my years in Fresno, California, that people there spoke about "having weather" as if it was not constantly around us. One Fresnan said "we have weather, too" in comparison with the Midwest and East Coast, but meaning that it sometimes rained or rarely snowed or frequently fogged up, but most of the year it was sunny and cloudless. (I guess that is when they did not "have weather".) I see Hazel uses "weather" in the same way.

The U.S. Post Office was extremely efficient in the 1940s, perhaps more than nowadays, some 75 years later. Although I see from this letter that they now have home delivery only once per day instead of the previous twice. I suppose that is why she no longer puts "AM" or "PM" on her letter dates.

God Is My Co-Pilot was a 1943 memoir by Gen. Robert Lee Scott Jr. about his exploits in World War II with the Flying Tigers and the U.S. Army Air Forces in China and Burma. The book was adapted as a film of the same name, released in 1945. The Nazarene was a 1939 novel by Sholem Asch.

Ted W. Lawson wrote Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo as a memoir of his participation in the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in 1942, which ended in a crash, from which he was rescued by friendly Chinese and then repatriated to the U.S. The book was subsequently adapted into the 1944 film of the same name starring Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson and Robert Mitchum. 

next post  February 9, 1945

previous post  February 2, 1945

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

first post in blog  Leonard's Story: May 29, 1943

Arnold's Story: February 2, 1945

Perhaps Hazel is talking about the Battle of Manila, in which the U.S. Army landed unopposed at Nasugbu in southern Luzon in the Philippines on January 31 and began moving north toward Manila, but Leonard was actually in northern Luzon at this time having landed instead at Lingayen Bay in mid to late January.

Crawford's was a small grocery chain in the Los Angeles area and had a market in Glendale.

next post  February 8, 1945

previous post  January 23, 1945

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

first post in blog  Leonard's Story: May 29, 1943

Arnold's Story: October 2, 1944 Al Rose

Al Rose writes about his experiences and about classmates from Caltech. 

next post  October 5, 1944 

previous post  October 2, 1944 Mrs Hall

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

first post in blog  Leonard's Story: May 29, 1943