April 22, 1954

Thursday April 22, 1954

Dear Mom, Dad, and Snapper

I haven't written for a couple of days.  I had MP duty in town the other night.  It is a good job.  All we did was walk around the streets.  I was with a US and Korean MP.  Had a green helmet, pistol, billy club.  We walked around all the beer joints, side streets, whore houses etc and looked for trouble.  We walked from 745pm to 1015pm.  Then I came back to the camp and slept all the next morning. 

I opened the packages.  They were sure nice ones.  I enjoyed the Easter eggs and mint candy in the little package.  I liked all the things you sent.  Magazines and all.  Also the shaving lotion.  Both bottles.  The ginger cookies in the regular mail package were very good.  They were just as fresh as they are when you send them airmail. 

I hope to get my boots before long.

Last night I got a letter from you dated March 29.  I don't know why they were so late.  The other letter was dated April 15.  You wrote on the bottom of the letter about just getting a letter from me at Pusan.  Seems like it was a long time hearing from me.

I don't remember Bill Harrington.  I think I would remember him if I saw him.  Six years is a long time to be in the army.  You asked about Sgt First Class and how many stripes that is.  A Sgt has 3 up and one down, an SFC has 3 up and 2 down.  A master Sgt has 3 up and 3 down.  So he is in between.  Master Sgt is hard to make.  We don't have one in our company.  Our first sgt is one but he works in the orderly room.  He has 3 up and 3 down with a diamond in the middle.  He is the same as a Master Sgt only he works in the orderly room and not in the field.  He is the NCO right under the old man.  We call this one First Soldier.  Burt Lancaster was a First Sgt in that picture From Here to Eternity. (note:  they have changed it around now of course.)  I would like to make SFC while I am think I can make it because I don't have enough time in the army.  They have good jobs and make good money. 

You asked what Bn I was in.  I am in the 2nd Bn.  Zink was or is in the 3 Bn.  1st Bn is a Koje-do, 2nd Bn is at Pusan and 3rd Bn is at Tageue.

We have a lot of PT here and I sure can feel it.  My feet and legs are sore all the time any more.  Yest they cut the R&R down quite a lot.  I am close to the top of the list for going but I don't care to much about going.  May put it off for awhile.  There is quite a flare up in Indo China (note: Viet Nam even back then.)  Do you think they will send troop there. (note: how prophetic.) There is a lot of talk about the 5th RCT moving out of Korea but I have been wondering where.  They are the best trained Regt in Korea and they only RCT.  It would take us about one hour to load up on a ship.  They talk pretty strong about going to Camp Carson.  I hope they do and I hope I would be one of the lucky ones to go back with the Regt.

Arkie just called.  Just wanted to say hello.  Well I go on guard in a few minutes so I will close.  I'll write you again later on.
Lots of Love, Ted
PS  I couldn't find out what that was on the envelope.  I showed it to the interpreter at MP Hq.  He said he did not think it was Korean.  I wrote o the paper what he thought the words were.  (note: Don't know what he was talking about.)