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: April 2, 1944 V-mail

Don M. Stadt writes from Navy in the war's Pacific Theater about mutual friends, his "butch" haircut, and recent leisure activities.

next post  April 3, 1944

previous post  April 2, 1944

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

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

Arnold's Story: March 26, 1944

A V-mail letter from Arnie's first cousin, Leslie Hastings Wolfe, Jr. (on his mother's side). Sgt. Les Wolfe was a tail-gunner in Italy during World War II. The letter was posted on March 26, 1944, but mailed to Arnie's former North Carolina address and then forwarded up to Yale University, where Arnie received it at the end of April. (Cousin Les died in August 3 of that year on his return to the U.S., when the plane he was taking crashed on takeoff from Miami.)

next post  April 2, 1944

previous post  March 25, 1944

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

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

Leonard's Story: November 21, 1944

Looks like a fold in the paper in the second paragraph has hidden some letters. Tuba juice is fermented sap from coconut palms or date palms. Uncle Len's G-2 tent might be a GI 2-person tent. And the Japanese invasion money was officially known as Southern Development Bank Notes, issued by the Japanese Military Authority, but called “Mickey Mouse money” by local Filipinos.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
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?

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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 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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