Thursday, April 21, 2011

October 15, 1953

Thursday Oct 15, 1953

Dear Mom, Dad, and Snapper

I am at the IX Corps rest center waiting to go back to camp.  It sure is nice here.  There is a lake and everything, they ar right up in the Mountains.  They have almost everything you want.

Last night after writing you I went to bed.  The shaving lotion was OK.  I just sip on it.  I had to get up at midnight to guard the prisoner.  I just guarded him for an hour.

I stayed in the area this morning and worked on some of the tents.  We filled sand bags and stacked them around the outside to level the tents so we can put the floors in.  It reminded me of the time Dad and I piled sand bags during the flood.   (note to reader: that was the KC 51 flood where vol were asked to go down to the river near the airport and stack sand bags) At noon my Sgt said I could go on Sho-She R&R, Shoe-She means little. It's just an afternoon at the IX Corps rest center.  I borrowed a couple of bucks and left.  It's almost 8 miles from our camp.  They take so many a day from our company down in trucks. I think about the first thing I did was get a hair cut by a Korean barber.  Hair cut 25 cents, shave 15 cents.  Ask Johnny what he thinks about that.(note to reader: that was Johnny Collins our barber who cut our hair for years).  They cut funny, one barber comes along and clips your neck and another comes along after that and trims it up.  I didn't like the shave I got. He was rough and it felt like he was dry staving me.  I bought some things at the PX, they have almost everything.  Then I went to the snack bar and got a hamburger and a beer.  I didn't get any ice cream because I didn't have a cup.  They were out of cups.  That is what I was counting on mostly.  They are building a place to ski.  I always wanted to try it.  May be I will come back this winter and try it.  Right now I am just waiting for the rest of the guys to get back from what ever they are doing.

I got a letter and another package at noon today.  It had the icebox cookies and shoe polish in it.  They were sure good.  I am saving some of the cookies for later.  I was glad to get the cigarettes too.  I had almost ran out of shoe polish.  I thought that was nice to get two packages in a row like that.

I am not sure but I think we have another alert tonight.  I hope not. 

Did I tell you how the R&R works about going to Japan.  Everyone takes turns about going there.  You get 7 days from the time you get to Japan and the time going there doesn't count.  It takes about 5 months for one person to go from the time he gets to the company.  Just so many go each week from the Regt and there is about 4000.  I will probably get to go twice before I get home.  Did I tell you that in Japan they had us change our US money into military script.  I'll send some when I get some so you can look at it.  It's different in size and it's different from what you use.  There are even 5 cents in paper up to a dollar, then 5 dollar bill is bigger than a 1 dollar bill.  A 10 dollar bill is the same size as the 5.  I don't know if they make anything larger than a 10 or not.  I still used the 5 you sent.  I may have you send me 3 one dollar bills so I can send some pictures in.  About the money you have - why not go ahead and put it in the First Federal Savings and Loan so it can draw some interest.  Then when I send for some more you can just put that in too.  I don't know how much I will send home.  I may send all I can and then before I go on R&R have you send me a money order for some.  Well don't know much more to say so I will close.
Love, Ted

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