Arnold's Story: March 2, 1944

Arnie must be in the Winchester Hospital in West Haven, Connecticut started in 1918 as a tuberculosis center, now the West Haven Veterans Administration Medical Center. (This hospital was established and named for William Wirt Winchester, who died of tuberculosis, by his wife Sarah Lockwood Pardee, who also acquired and built the Winchester Mystery House, cited earlier in this blog.) He may have had the mumps at this time.

next post  March 12, 1944

previous post February 12, 1944

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

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

Arnold's Story: February 12, 1944

February 12, 1944, letter from a Cal Tech pal named "Dix" to Arnie. Parris Island, South Carolina, is a Marine Corps recruit training center. An important ship building company during World War II, Kaiser Shipyards were a cluster of shipyards on the U.S. west coast, mostly around Richmond, California.

next post  February 6, 1944

previous post  January 27, 1944

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

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

Arnold's Story: February 6, 1944

February 6, 1944, letter from Arnie Nevis to his family in Glendale. Arnie is in Seymour Johnson Field (now an air force base), North Carolina, having recovered from a recent illness in the hospital, possibly the mumps.

Cadet Services No. 4 "Men Unashamed to Pray" February 6, 1944, cover

Arnold Hastings Nevis

next post  February 12, 1944

previous post  January 27, 1944

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

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

Arnold's Story: January 27, 1944

 January 27, 1944, letter from Dolly Nevis to her brother Arnie:

next post  February 6, 1944

previous post  January 23, 1944

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

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

Arnold's Story: January 23, 1944

A January 23, 1994, letter from Chuck Cutler to Arnie:

next post  January 27, 1944

previous post  November 5, 1943

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

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

Arnold's Story: November 5, 1943

This is Arnie's first surviving letter to his parents when he was in the army. He write from Camp Kohler, a former migrant farm worker camp, a temporary detention center for interned Japanese Americans in 1942, and by 1943, an Army Signal Corps camp site. Today it is a subdivision of Sacramento.

next post  January 23, 1944

previous post  September 25, 1943

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

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

Arnold's story: September 25, 1943

 A letter from Charles "Chuck" Cutler in September 1943:

I suspect that the magic Mystery House is the Winchester Mystery House in San José, California. Wendell Willkie's book One World was published in 1943. 

next post  November 5, 1943

previous post  July 1943

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

Arnold's story: July 1943

The previous posts were all about my Uncle Leonard and his experiences in World War II. Today I start posting about my father, Arnold Hasting Nevis. Leonard is the older of the two brothers, and there were two younger sisters as well. My dad went by Arnie his whole life, except that his parents nearly always called him Arnold, rarely Arn. He was born in 1921, so he was twenty when the war started for the United States. Like his brother, he was keen to sign up and defend his country and to see battle against the enemy. As his son, I was truly surprised at his youthful fervor to serve in the military since later in life he seemed rather embarrassed by it and rarely spoke of his time in the Army. I learned of his eagerness to sign up only from my mother. 

Arnie graduated from Herbert Hoover High School and was attending California Institute of Technology at the beginning of the war. His parents convinced him to finish college before enrolling in the Army. But he first had to clear up an attendance problem with his physical education class.

He enrolled in Officer Training for the U.S. Army in July 1943. The City of Glendale honored his enlistment:  

The earliest letters to the family have not turned up; the first is from November 1943. But a letter from Charles "Chuck" Cutler dates from July 20, 1943:

undated photo of Arnie Nevis with unidentified friends, 
probably from the late 1930s or early 1940s

next post September 25, 1943

previous post January 1975

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

Leonard's Story: Epilogue – January 1975

If you want to read from the first letter, click here.

Leonard, Dolly, Laura, and Arnold during World War II

Arnold, Bill and Leonard Nevis, World War II

Dolly, Bill, Leonard, Laura, Hazel, and Arnold in the front yard of 501 East Mountain Street, Glendale

++++++++++++++++++

Arnold writes an addendum in January 1975:

     As I recall, Leonard di[d] come home by December, 1945 -- on a
hospital ship to Letterman Hospital in San Francisco.  He was very
sick (below 130 pounds -- some fifty pounds lighter than his usual
weight).  A less sick Major and friend said to my parents that
apparently the doctors and other patients were afraid Len might now
make it during those weeks they steamed across the Pacific -- but
he did!  (HOME ALIVE IN '45) -- and wonders of wonders!  He was well
enough to get a 5-day pass from the Hospital in San Francisco to
be with the family for Christmas, and I got a 5-day pass at Salt
Lake City Air Base (I was on my way to Japan and Korea), so I too
got to see him and be with the family for Christmas!  Len was dis-
charged from the hospital and out of active duty a few months later,
and I returned from Korea late in August, 1946  The war was over
for both of us!

_____________________________________________

 

 

 

Leonard's Story: November 6, 1945

Letterman Hospital was in El Presidio in San Francisco. 

______________________________________________________________________

                                    OSAKA, HONSHU, JAPAN

                                    6th Nov 45

Dear Arnold,

     I'm sorry I haven't written for such

a long time -  but first I was busy then

I became ill. I had a relapse of yellow

jaundice caused by change of climate, fatigue,

and drinking. For about three weeks I was

sicker than hell - lots of stomach trouble, and

I was getting fed intervaneously for a while. I

still don't feel in the pink of condition, but I am getting

along pretty good now. Tomorrow I am being evacuated

to a General Hospital in Tokyo (if the plane comes in).

I stand a good chance of being evacuated to the

States in the very near future.  If so, I will

probably be sent to Letterman Hospital, San Francisco.

According to one doctor, it will take me quite a while

to completely recover my health - months.

However, I think I may be in the States by Christmas

and if so, I am going to try and get a 30 or

45 day Temporary Duty Rest leave to recuperate. I

should be in condition to do this so that it will

include Christmas and New Years - I can dream

can't I?  So don't get yourself shipped overseas -

maybe we can all be home at christmastime.

                      -1-

[page 2]

     Don't tell the folks about this - I don't

want to raise their hopes or have them

disappointed.

     There is nothing to worry about in this yellow

jaundice - the thing that makes it bad for me is

the severity of the first attack and then this relapse.

It just means that I have to get lots of rest

and stay on a fat-free, non-alcoholic diet. Also

my resistance is low - six months of steady combat

left me run-down and in poor shape. By summer

I should be back there really pitching. I am

thinking of starting school in the fall (I don't

know which one yet - maybe back east).

     Well Bud, whats new with you? - you haven't

written, yourself, for quite a while - or is the mail

system just bad. What are you going to do when 

you get out? By the way I now have 73 points,

how are you doing? By the way I Say I hear

you boys were awarded the American Defense

Ribbon the other day - congratulations! Well

I hope I will see you soon -

                           love

                           Leonard

P.S. Please write but don't send

       anything.

               "BACK ALIVE IN 45"

GO TO NEXT LETTER

Leonard's Story: October 3, 1945

The occupation of Japan started at the end of August 1945 and didn't pick up speed until September, so this letter is not all that long after the occupation began. 

_______________________________________________________________________

                                                   [top line cut off - probably Osaka, Japan]

                                                    Oct 3rd, 1945

Dear Arnold,

     How are you Bud?  As you can see by the address I am now in

Japan.  We are living in a very nice hotel, in fact I have heard

that it is the best hotel in Japan at the present time.  I have paid

anywhere from $5 to $10 per day in the states for the type of room

I have here.  It has twin, inner springs, beds (one of which is

occupied by another officer), separate bathroom, etc.  We eat in

the large main dining room downstairs.  The food is excellent, and

the dining room is very modern and attractive.  We also have a bar

where we can get drinks.  At present we only have Japanese beer to

drink (its damn good), however soon will have have whiskey and other

mixed drinks.  This is just like living on per diem in the states.

We work in an office building, and have plenty of room but not too

much work.  This is a good way to reacclimate back to civilian life.

     The B-29s burned out the major portion of OSAKA, but here and

there are areas (like the hotel and office building) that were un-

touched.  There is block after block of rubble, without a building

left standing.  Most of the people have gone to the country, and

though there are still plenty around the place it is'nt crowded.

     The Japanese people are very friendly and cooperative.  They

are glad that the war is over, even if it did end the way it did.

At present there is a food shortage, and the rice crops were poor

this year.  Consequently the people are worried about the coming

winter.  Only uniforms have been produced in the last three years,

and there is also a cloth shortage.  Most of the men you see (Japs)

are wearing some sort of a uniform, and the women wear pants tight

at the bottoms like a zoot suit.  Yesterday I bought about 29 yards

of white silk cloth at two yen per yard, 13 1/3 cents per yard, which

I will send to mother.  She should be able to make a lot of blouses

out of it.  As usual the GIs have gone all out for souviner buying

and prices are going up.  I am going to wait until I can get over

to NARA or KYOTO before I do any large scale buying.

     What is your situation in regard to overseas service?  I have an

idea that you may never leave the states.  I don't see how they could

use you over here now in your present type of work, and I don't think

they would put you in the MPs, or Inf.

     A small SNAFU has just come up here, which will require my

undivided attention, so I will sign off.

                                            love

                                  [signed] Leonard

GO TO NEXT LETTER

Leonard's Story: August 7, 1945

Apparently Uncle Len had Hepatitis A, or infectious hepatitis.

________________________________________________

                                               Philippines

                                              Aug 7th

Dear Arnold,

     This may catch up with you in Florida.

You should be getting rich on travel pay

and per diem. I feel perfectly well

but will probably be here another week

or so. Two other fellows and I built

a couple of model airplanes, one a

flyable Zero, and the other a solid model

of the P51, which we are giving to a nurse.

If you ever get sick get yellow

jaundice. The only cure is plenty of

rest, and except for two weeks when

I couldn't eat and felt like I had

been kicked in the stomach it hasn't

bothered me at all. However I

a pretty good case of it, they didn't

take my index until I had started

to get well about 16 days later and

it was 95.

     I am starting to put on a

little weight and gut. Enclosed are

two pictures of me. I probably weighed

around 140-150 lbs then (still do).

  

[page 2]

     Although I am a little late may I

extend birthday greetings to an old

man of 24. The three or four years have

really ripped by, what, and they

start accelerating from her on in. When

are you going to get married? or even

get a girl? or have you one in the wood-

pile that I don't know about?

     It looks like we will have to land

on Japan to make them surrender, and I'll

probably be there. How many points have

you got? I have 61! Not counting

my illegitimate children, so I'll

be around here got quite a while.

     Well that's about all for now.

                       love

                     Leonard

GO TO NEXT LETTER

Leonard's Story: July 16, 1945

                                                      July 16

                                                     Leyte Is PI

Dear Arnold,

     Well here I am back on Leyte, a hole

of the first waters. I am in a General Hosp

with a rather severe case of yellow jaundice.

For a while I was pretty yellow (still am), but

its clearing up a little now. I will probably be

here for a month or six weeks or so, as about

the only cure is a good long rest. I would get

sick just as we were coming out of combat. I

had expected to planned to visit Manila

and Baguio, and look up a lot of old friends.

Now I suppose that I will return just in

time to push off for Japan.

     Naturally there isn't much for me to

write about, inasmuch as I have been in bed

for almost three weeks. All I do is read,

sleep, play cards, or chew the fat with some

of the other patients. A hell of a life!

From your letter I surmise that you had a

good visit in the valley. I sure wish I

could have been there. I tell you what

I would like to have right now a thick

malted milk at that malt shop in Hanford,

or even a plain glass of cold fresh milk.

[page 2]

     If it is possible would you explain in a little

more detail just what kind of work you are

doing now (if any).

     Wel Bud, its pretty hard to think of

something to write about, when absolutely

nothing new happens, and when there isn't

much life (pep) in you. So I am going

to close. Write soon.

                        Love

                        Leonard

P.S. Address

     118th Gen Hosp

     APO 1002 c/PM

     S-- ---

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