June 8, 1953

Monday  June 8, 1953

Dear Mom, Dad and Snapper

Well I finally have time to write.  Have done quite a lot since I wrote you last.  Friday we got a pass till last night.  Martin and I went to Paso Robles.  I left my clothes there to be altered.  About 9:30 pm we decided to go to LA.  We hitched hiked to San Lous Abisbo and got a bus there to LA.  We got into LA about 4 am.  We got a nice hotel room about 6:00 it cost us only $3 for both of us till Sunday morning.  We slept till about noon and then fooled around town for awhile then went over to Hollywood.  We went to the Pantages Theater and saw a 3D movie “It Came from Outer Space.”  It was good.  You should see one of those 3D show some time.

We went to the USO for awhile then to Hollywood Planet.  Less Brown was there.  That was some place.  It is a lot like the Playmore only a lot more and a lot nicer and bigger.  After that we came back to the hotel and got a bus about noon Sunday back to camp.  I didn’t think much of LA but did like Hollywood.  We only got around Hollywood and Vine and Sunset and Vine.  If you had a car you could probably see a lot more. 

I got your letters and a box tonight.  I haven’t opened the box yet.  I know it will be good and I enjoyed getting it.

That was a nice letter Snapper’s teacher wrote.  I’m glad he goes to bible school.

I will finish basic next Thurs the 18^th and I will come home just as soon as I can get away.  If you think you could send me another $25 I could use it.  Don’t send anything that won’t get here by then.  I may not get it if you do.  I would like to have the money with me in case I need to use the phone when I go to LA to catch a plane.  I’ll sure be glad to get home. Don’t know what I want to do when I get there,  I do want to go out to work and see the guys and go out a couple of nights and see a few people.

I hope my orders are good and I can go to a good school and go to Germany.  If they sign the treaty tonight Korea might not be so bad.  I hope they sign it and its over with.  They don’t say much about it here.

I might go to church tonight if I have time. 

I want to go and take that High School test before I leave here.  No sense in taking my car now I guess.  I think 1650 might be to much. 14 or 1500 would sell it now.  It would be better to sell it at that price than to fool around with it to much. 

Our training is fairly good now.  We have squad tactics and combat tactics now.  The main thing we do now is do the bayonet course, assault course and Combat City.  I guess I told you about our training with tanks.  Riding on top of tanks etc.

Thurs  we are supposed to give blood.

Not to much more important stuff to do.  That deal about Marylyn Monroe was a record.  They played it over a loud speaker.  It was made just for that training.  She tried to talk you into surrendering.  Psychological warfare is what they call it.  Something like Tokyo Rose use to do. 

Well not much more to say.  I’ll write more later.

June 3 and 5, 1953

Thur Morning June 3, 1953

Dear Folks

I haven’t had time to let you know that everything is ok.  I got back last night about 5:00.  I got some pictures back that we took the first week at Hunter Liggett.  I got your box.  It was sure good.  Well I have to close now.  I will write later.  We have a night problem tonight so it will be Fri or later before I can write.

Love, Ted

PS you can send the money anytime.

Friday June 5, 1953

Dear Mom and Dad

How are you.  I haven’t had much time to write.  I had a night firing problem last night and I did not get back until about 12:00.  I got up at 5:30 this morn and we didn’t leave till about 9:00.

Last night we fired all tracers at targets that were about 200 yard in front of us.  They turned a spot light on the targets.  The lights were two miles away and in back of us.  The instructor said you could read a newspaper 35 miles away from the light.

We have some good classes for the next 2 weeks.  We get to fire a lot of live ammo.  We have several convoys too.

We start our 15^th week today.  Yesterday I stayed in the Btry area.  They gave me 11 new men that hadn’t started basic yet and I had to get then to clean up the bivouac area, except for the tents the kitchen used and all the stove water cans etc.  Everything was lined up on the parade ground to be worked on.

We get a pass tomorrow, I guess that will be the last one.  I don’t know what I will do yet.  I want to take my shirts some place and have them worked on. 

I might need a little more money.  If I do I will call you and let you know.

I haven’t heard anymore about the school.  I hope it turns out to be something good and I hope I stay in the states or go to Europe.

Well I don’t have much more.  I haven’t written to Margie for over a week.  I just don’t have much time to write.

Love, Ted

June 3, 1953

Thur Morning June 3, 1953

Dear Folks

I haven’t had time to let you know that everything is ok.  I got back last night about 5:00.  I got some pictures back that we took the first week at Hunter Liggett.  I got your box.  It was sure good.  Well I have to close now.  I will write later.  We have a night problem tonight so it will be Fri or later before I can write.

Love, Ted

PS you can send the money anytime.

Explanations 3, May

May Explanations

Things seem to be smoothing out this month for him.  He can see the end of basic just a few weeks ahead and does not sound depressed. 

At sometime in basic training everyone goes out and stays in the woods and become tactical.  They make it as real as it can be.  You are always pretending that the enemy is right around the corner.  You carry everything with you, eat C rations (which is different than the K rations he had earlier.  I am not sure what the difference is – we ate C’s while in basic.)  I bet they have been doing this for years without changing a lot.

He likes going to the movies and more so because they are free while doing the war games.  

He shaves out of his steel pot, like we did.  Burners are put in large water cans to heat the water, like we did, ran out of cigarettes, like we did.  Tried to sleep when they had their 24 hour war game, but couldn’t because of all the racket, so did we.  Ate every chance he got, like we did, especially if we were lucky enough to guard the mess hall.  Hated most of it while doing it, like we did.  Thought it wasn’t that bad and enjoyed it after it was over, like we did.  Like I have stated earlier, some thing never change.

May 31, 1953

Sunday May 31, 1953

Dear Mon, Dad, and Snapper

How is everything today.  It was nice to talk to you last night.  I was wanting to call you all day long but I didn’t think I would be in camp.  It was good to get back to a bed and some hot food.  We go back out about 3:00 and will probably stay in tents for the rest of the time we are out.  I think we will be back about Thur.

I have really climbed some hills while I have been gone.  Friday we marched 12 miles to get on some trucks; it took about 3 hours.  We carried our field packs all the way.

Friday we had a Korean night problem.  We stayed awake all night in our fox holes.  Well at least we were supposed to stay awake.  They had tanks running all around the area.  The noise coupled with the thought that a tank would run over us sort of kept us awake.  They kept setting off dynamite and dropping flour sacks and even had some psychological war fare.  They played records of Marilyn Monroe talking and singing.  It was interesting.  The North Koreans do that to make you home sick they tell us.

Saturday we came in and worked around the barracks etc.  I went to the show last night.  I saw “Stage Shows.”  They have some good movies and we don’t even have to pay.

Well not much more to say.  I’ll write again this week.

Love, Ted

PS The cookies were really good and everything.  I’ll probably get the other package soon.  Well I have to get ready to go before long so I’ll close.  I finish basic on the 18^th of June (Thur.)  We probably won’t get our orders till the next Monday, 22 June.  So I will be leaving some time after that.

May 27, 1953

Wed  May 27. 1053

Dear Mom, Dad, and Snapper

Well everything is going fine.  Sunday we went into the base camp for KP Monday.  We ate good there.  Steak for breakfast.  I guarded the kitchen Sunday night and got to sleep till Monday noon.  The KP stayed Monday too, we came back out Tues noon.  I guarded Monday night also.  I ate all night long.

I got you package Tues morning.  I have plenty of cigarettes now.  The cookies were sure good.  We have hot breakfast and then hot C rations at noon and cold C rations at night.  I carried the cookies, crackers and cheese out to the field and we at them.  I saved the candy and sardines.  I had the sardines for dinner last night along with some cold pork beans.  I had to eat everything fast because I couldn’t carry all of it, we move all the time and carry everything we have.  Next week we will be in tents again and it will be better if we have packages.  We go back to the Camp Roberts area about Fri and finish our bivouac.  So far I have enjoyed it.

I was an aggressor last night and didn’t have to dig a fox hole.  All the guys have to did fox holes to sleep in.  Martin and I are still together.  He has KP with me and he was an aggressor with me last night.  We laid our stuff down on the ground and slept next to each other.  Really kept warm that way.  The aggressors play the part of the enemy.  We slip into camp and attack them etc.

We are on one of the highest ridges on the Hunter Ligett Militia Reservation.  They call them hills here but I would call them mountains.  The weather out here is still the same.  It hasn’t rained yet.  If it rains wile we are in the open we have our ponchos so we wont get wet. 

I think you should plan on sending me $50 in money orders.  I wont need it for a while.  Well not much more to say.  I’ll write again.  Everything is fine.

Love, Ted

May 24, 1853

Sunday  May 24, 1953

Dear Mom, Dad, and Snapper

Haven’t done much of anything all day.  It is about 2pm now just finished eating.  Last night we just fooled around till dark then got in our tents and covered up and went to sleep and didn’t get up till 7 o’clock this morning.  Ate breakfast and we dug slit trenches for our platoon. 

Lucas, Martin, and I took a walk in the hills and took some pictures. 

They have hot water now.  They put gasoline burners in a big can of water.  I shaved again and gave my self a Jew bath.  I washed my feet good. 

The Chaplain came out and had service for protestants members.

It looks like it might rain.  I hope not.  I think I am on KP tomorrow so I go to a base camp about 8 miles from here and stay there tomorrow and tonight.  They have a building there. 

I wish I would have remembered to have you send me some cigarettes and candles. In the package you are going to send.  I don’t think you will have time to send them when you get this letter so I can get them.  We may get cigarettes in our C rations once in awhile.  Candles help keep the tent worm and put out light.  I didn’t get any mail out here yet.  Probably get some tomorrow.  Well now much more to say now so I’ll write the next chance I get.

Love, Ted