Letter Home 07-14-1944

Friday 1800
07-14-1944

Hello Darling:

One of the boys in the tent took a trip over to the mainland today to see about getting some souvenirs. He sure is crazy about that. If he takes home all the stuff he hopes to get he will need two trunks to carry it all.

Anyway he did get a few booklets in Japanese. Evidently they are field manuals. He also got some of the Jap invasion money. There two I am sending you are part of it. They aren’t worth anything. The Japs were going to use them to pay the natives for helping them. I suppose they did use some of it. Maybe that is one of the reasons the natives hate the Japs so much. They certainly don’t have any use for them. They take everything from the natives, but never give them anything in return.

Besides this money I guess I better send you some real stuff that can be used in the good old USA. I don’t know if I will get a chance to go to the finance office tomorrow or not, but if I don’t I will do it as soon as I can. I think I will be able to send you $200.

I got interrupted to go to the show. It was Bob Hope in “They Got Me Covered.” It was old, but I’d never seen it before, so I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Other than to complain of a lack of mail I don’t think there is much more I have to say. I hope we start getting something soon.

I thought of something just now that I would like. A finger nail clipper. Not for my finger nails – for my toe nails. I used to have a nice sharp pair of scissors, but I guess I put them in my foot locker. I got a pair over here and they are big dull things. I used one of the boy’s clippers and it worked OK. So since it is small I though you might be able to send me one.

One of the boys in the mess hall the other day said he had a letter from his mother, and she said that it was no longer necessary to have a request to send packages to officers overseas. I don’t know if it is true, or if it includes enlisted men or not. I meant to tell you before, and let you check up on it, but I forgot it till just now.

I said I could not think of anything, and then wrote another whole page. I certainly ramble along at times don’t I? Now I see I have one more sheet of paper in this pad, so I may as well wrack my brain a bit and ramble some more to use it. I thought the other night I only had one pad left, but I found this one with a few sheets in it, so I still have a pad left.

It doesn’t take any effort to think of how much I love you. I do that all the time every day. I think of you a lot also all the time.

Stangel asked me to something about my drinking at home, and if you drank. It reminded me of the one time I got tight with you. Remember what’s his names party? I know – How could you forget it!

I played a little poker last night. That is the first in quite a while. Not bad though. That’s why I can send you some money. If I am lucky maybe the boys will help build us a hut yet eh? Don’t worry darling I am still careful, and don’t just gamble everything I own whenever I do play.

I love you very much sweetheart. Always and all ways. Deed I do!

Love George?

Letter Home 07-13-1944

Thursday 1700
07-13-1944

Hello Darling:

I’ve got a few minutes before chow, so I will use it to the best advantage. And what could be better than talking to you. Being with you and talking to you personally instead of in a letter of course would be better I guess. Or rather I know it would.

I got up at 4:30 this morning for a mission, and then did not go. We all went out to the planes, and I couldn’t get mine started.

The boys in the tent here are arguing about how much damage either of them have done to planes since they have been flying. They are really radical about it. I can hardly hear myself think they are hollering accusations at each other so much.

It just changed, and now the argument is about poetry and Shakespeare. What a crew! Never can tell what will come next. Anyway it is a bit of variety.

We went swimming this afternoon. While you are in the water it is nice, but when you get out and start to dry off a bit you feel too sticky. That is the salt water. I prefer some of our lakes back home.

I am at a loss of things to talk about tonight for some reason. However I am never at a loss for one thing to tell you always. That is I love you. Which I do very much indeed.

Love George?

Letter Home 07-12-1944

Wednesday 1600
07-12-1944

Hello Darling:

Here is a sample of our new money. We just got paid yesterday. I meant to send you this last night, but I forgot it. It is one Guilder, and is worth 53 cents. Since they are only worth half as much as American bills it seems as if we are getting an extra amount when they pay off.

However it should help remind us more of the value of money. When we had Aussie stuff we did not really pay attention to its value. The boys would throw Pound notes and 5 Pound notes around like our dollar bills and five spots.

Actually they would be spending $3 on the Pound, and $15 on the 5 Pounders. With these we can throw a whole handful around, and not spend very much.

Money doesn’t mean much over here though. For example two buck privates from some infantry battalion were around here today that had a Jap rifle and a mortar gun. They wanted to trade them for some whiskey. They would not sell them either. Money was of no use to them. They could not spend it if they had any. They only want something they can use right now.

My stationary supply is running very low. I don’t think they have any in the PX either, so perhaps you could send me some? I don’t know what pads like this would be best. I have plenty of air mail envelopes now. I laid in a supply just in case we hit a spot where we can’t get them.

I’ve been trying to get some laundry for about 4 or 5 days now. They washed it the first day, but ever since it had been wet. Just when it begins to get dry it starts to rain again. Today has been a pretty nice day though, so perhaps I will finally get some clean clothes. I sure need them!

This is the last sheet in this pad. I’ve got one more to last a while longer though. I guess I will quit for now too.

I love you sweetheart lots and lots –

Love George?

Letter Home 07-11-1944

Tuesday 2130
7-11-1944

Hello Darling:

I am soaking wet tonight, so I think I had best get to bed early. We went to the show to see “Johnny Eager”, and it started to rain when it was nearly over. Naturally we had to see how it cam out.

That wasn’t the worst of it though. We were using my sack to sit on at the show, so it is wet too. The bottom half of the air mattress is fairly dry, so I guess I will get by. I put two blankets on it to help absorb what water is on it.

We had a quart of whiskey a few nights ago. George Burgess came over the second night we had it, and the two of us each had one drink apiece out of it. The rest of the boys hadn’t even touched it. Last night George came over again, and we were going to have a drink, only to find the bottle gone. Isn’t that a heck of a note? Someone swiped practically a whole quart on us. Next time we get a hold of a bottle we will sure hide it.

The whiskey is combat whiskey. After each mission all the pilots are supposed to get a shot if they want it. They don’t issue it that way here. Every tent gets a bottle occasionally instead. I guess it is every couple of weeks. So we have to wait a while to get another one.

Someone has a Victrola around here and they are playing a lot of old numbers that remind me of you. I sure hope the day comes soon when we can listen to a few records in the front room together. Maybe if I am not too lazy I might even ask you to dance with me to a couple of them. Would you?

Think I will crawl in my sack now darling. I love you very very much – always!

Love George

Letter Home 07-10-1944

Monday 1630

07-10-1944

Hello Darling:

I hear that we have a show tonight, so best I try writing to you before supper. I hope we have something good tonight.

We were just discussing a couple of rumors we have been hearing. One is that after being over here 10 months they intend to send the boys home for 2 months. Then bring them back here to their old outfit. That is not supposed to start for some time though, so I don’t know if this time we put in until then will count or not.

Another rumor is that once a guy gets sent home he stays there. So you see we can’t believe anything. All we can do is wait to see what happens. At any rate I doubt if anything will happen to us for a year or so anyway.

I was on a mission the other day up over Biak and Noemfoor, but we did not see anything but our own planes. We have a tough time finding Japs these days.

It must be coming on towards the rainy seasons around here. It has rained every night for the past 5 nights. Also we had a couple of day’s rain and bad weather. We don’t complain about rain at night. When that happens we can be fairly sure of a good night’s sleep. The bombers like a nice clear night to do their work.

We are feeling the lack of mail quite a bit these days. We don’t really expect any for a few more weeks, but that doesn’t stop us from missing it.

It is nigh on to being time to eat. Maybe I better leave you for now. You will still be with me though all the time in my heart.

I suppose that is because I love you so much. Could be! Anyway I do love you – but definitely.

Love George

Letter Home 07-09-1944

Sunday 2030
07-09-1944

Hello Darling:

I am all tired out tonight, so I hope you won’t mind a short letter. We just came back from a nice long mission, and I don’t feel like sitting down again for a week. We landed just before it got dark, and it took us quite some time to take the boat over here, and eat ect.

They are having a show tonight too, but it was already started by the time we got here. By now it is probably half finished. I don’t think I’d care to sit through it anyway.

I love you darling. Very much, but I think I will hit the sack – Good night – I love you.

Love George?

Letter Home 07-08-1944

Saturday 1930
07-08-1944

Hello Darling:

We had a nice day of rest today. The weather was bad, so we could not fly. It rained all last night, and all morning. This afternoon it stopped raining, but the weather still was no good for flying.

Three of us happened to be down at the beach this afternoon when a couple of guys were going fishing, so we went along. They had one of the landing barges to cruise around in, and it was quite a nice ride for the afternoon.

There were 5 of us fishing, but only one guy caught anything. He got a kingfish that I imagine must have weighed around 10 or 12 lbs. It was nearly 2 ft, or so long. The rest of us just fished – period!

Last night just as I started to write you they called us all over to the C.O.’s tent. I thought it was to be a meeting of some kind, but found out different. He had three or four quarts of whiskey, and was having a bit of a party. Most of the boys – no I should say only a few – got to feeling pretty good.

One of the reasons, or perhaps the only reason, for the party was to celebrate the promotions of three of the boys. Morrison, Wheeler, and Blend got their Captaincies, so they had to celebrate.

Along about 10 o’clock I was getting read to leave, when I met with a slight accident. One of the boys was standing in front of me with a drink in his hand, and someone hit his arm. Nearly all the drink hit me right in the face. I was blind from the whiskey in my eyes, and was trying to get it out, when someone decided to help me. He took a glass of water, and threw it in my face. Kind of rough first aid, but it sure felt good.

Well that settled it I was soaking wet, so I left. I came back here to the tent, and took off my clothes. Then I was going to write you, but my eyes still burned, and it was beginning to give me a bit of a headache. I hope you will excuse me (and the boys) for the little mishap. Am I forgiven?

I found out that I can tell you a little more about where I am now. I am not in New Guinea any more. I am on a little island off its coast. Can’t say what one.

You remember I said we lived quite a distance from our strip? Well in fact we are living on another island. The two of them are quite small, and very close together. We take a barge across the water that separates them every morning when we go to work. It is a pretty nice set up.

I guess that’s all the news for tonight darling. Except that I love you very much – always I do!

Love George?