I am sorry I haven’t written you more but I have been using my spare time making up my lessons etc.I go to town once in a while.I went this afternoon and looked around.I am going again in a little while.
Not much new to write about because I haven’t had any mail yet.
I am fine.They sure have good food here.About the best I have seen in the Army.
I give my 15 min talk first thing Monday morning.I think it will go OK.I think I will go to Kure tomorrow and look around.I still haven’t found anything to send home.This place is kind of small.
Well I guess I will close now and writer again soon.
I got through my reading yesterday and it went very well.Yesterday afternoon we spent some time in the library.We were making up a subject to talk about for 5 minutes which I gave today.It went OK.The next talk will be for 15 minutes.
Last night I got a pass and this Air Force Sgt, which is in my same class, and I went to town.Didn’t see much.Went to a couple of bars and drank some Jap beer and dance with the girls.Some of the girls look just like American girls.Dress the same way.It is unbelievable.I didn’t stay out to late.I had to give the 5 min talk today.
I still haven’t had any mail yet.I am beginning to wonder if I will get any while I am here.I hope to because I miss haring from home.
Hope you like the pictures I have been sending.I still have a lot more to send.
Don’t know much new to write about as there isn’t much news.Might go to town and look around again tonight. The town starts right at the gate.It is called Eta Jaima.This weekend I think I’ll go over to Kure and shop around some for something to send home.I will close now and write you again later on.
Finished my first day of school today.Wasn’t too bad.The instructor is a Master Sgt.Looks just like Hollyinghead and about the same age.There are quite a few taking the course now.Some instructors here at Eta Jima are taking the course.There are 23 now.Most all of them are Sgts.We have 3 talks to give.A 5 min, 15, and 30 min.Today we read a story that he gave us.They didn’t get to me yet.I will give mine in the morning.Mine is taken from the Reader’s Digest.“Never Say Diet.”
I don’t know how the other talks will be or what they are about.I guess I’ll make out OK.It is worth the trip I guess and I will learn something.
We haven’t got a pass yet.Yesterday I took a few pictures and fooled around.It was nice all day.Last night they had another dance.I took that in again.I think we will have a pass tomorrow night so I’ll try the town if I can.
I sent some pictures in my last letter.That camera took some nice pictures. I’ll try to send you all I can and send a few each time I write.Take care of them and the next chance I get I’ll mail a picture album home.I’ll write on the back of the pictures what and who they are.(note:I have only seen a few of the pictures he keeps talking about and have no idea what happened to the bulk of them.)I have a roll in my camera now that I have taken and will send them when I can.
I haven’t found anything I can send you yet but before I leave I’ll find something.
I’ll be glad to get some mail from you, as it is I might not get any till I get back to the company.Maybe they will forward my mail over.I asked them to.
I have been wondering if I made corporal or not.
I read in the paper that they are moving the 40 and 45thDiv out of Korea.I have heard some rumors that the 5th was going to take over the 40 Div place on line.I had figured that was the out fit they would pull out.
Well don’t know much more to write about.Wish you were here so we could see Japan together.
Haven’t had any letters from you yet.It will be a while yet before I do.We had our inspection of our room today and foot locker.It didn’t amount to too much.Afer that we all went to the snack bar and had coffee.
The school will start Monday morning.So far there are 11 of us.They only have in the MOI about 8 to 15 men.Most of them are Sgts and have a lot of time in the army.I think there are two Sgt First Class, 5 Sgts, 2 Cpls and 2 PFC.I think this school will be a little hard.I don’t know yet.
Most of the guys are stationed here in Japan and a few of us are from Korea.There are several paratroopers and an air force Sgt and from other units all over.We live in a big building.There are several thousand.The mess hall feeds all of them but it only takes a minute to go through the line.
This place use to be a Jap Naval Officer’s Academy during the last war.This is the place they wanted to drop the A Bomb when they dropped it on Hiroshima.Sasebo was the other target when they dropped it on Nagasaki.
Last night they had a dance at the service club.They had all Jap girls.It is a weekly dance.The girls work here at the camp.They are not bad looking most of them and they talk fairly good English.I can speak a little Japanese but not good.I only know a few words.Most of the Japs know a little English so you can talk to them fairly we.
The weather is pretty good, not to worm though.
I looked around the PX and different things.They had some Nortakii China for $25.I was pretty.Had pink flowers etc.93 piece set.I don’t know what it would cost to wrap and ship to the states.Not to much.They don’t have any robes or much of anything else like that.May be in town.We won’t get a pass for a while.About Monday or Tuesday.
We won’t have to do any details.Just fall out for revellie in the morning.The 1st Sgt said there are just a few of us so we don’t have any extra duty.Most of the guys are Sgts with 5 to 10 years in the army.
Well I don’t know much more to write about for now.I’ll write later on in the day.I pick up the pictures at .Hope they are good ones.
Love, Ted
I got the picture.The small ones were with my camera, more on the way.
I am at Eta Jima now.It’s a petty nice place here except it is too much soldiering.They are really strict here.
We left CampSasebo last night about .There were only 6 of us traveling.We had reservations on the Jap civilian train.We had sleeping births right with Jap civilians.We had a pretty good time.We ate in the diner, had good food.They gave us Kimonos to sleep in and I trued to get away with one in the morning.The conductor was going to have me arrested but everything worked out OK.
We got to Kure about .Then we got a bus and they took us to the ferry and there we came across on the ferry and got here at Eta Jima.We sure traveled nice here.Wish I could go home the same way.
We don’t start our class till Monday.We have a big room to stay in here.There are 15 single beds.Sgts-air force and army.We didn’t do anything today.I looked around the PX and left my film there to be developed.I have about 10 dollars worth altogether.The food is good.I won’t get a pas till about next Wed or later.You have to average 70 for a weekend pass on your grades and 85 for a night pass.So I will have to study plenty.
There is plenty to do here but no one seems to do it.There are not too many here from Korea.Most of the guys are here from the states.We have a foot locker and wall locker.I don’t have much in them.I saw plenty of things on the way up on the train. (note: just think a boy from Fairmount watching the Japanese country side wiz by the train and bus widow; it certainly was a World Away from anything he was ever around.)We came through Hiroshima where they dropped one of the A-Bomb.I don’t know whether I will get any mail here or not.No need to writing me here as I would almost be ready to leave by the time I get you mail.Well I don’t know much more to write about now so I guess I will close.I’ll write tomorrow.
I have to use stamps here (note: the envelope had an airmail stamp on it costing 6 cents)
Tuesday 19, Jan 54
Dear Mom, Dad, and Snapper
Right now it is about and I am on my way to Japan.Yesterday I went up to the Bn at 1230 and they took me over to Regt S-3 at .There were just 2 other guys going besides me.One boy was going to a typing school.It’s a 6 week course.The other boy is going to the same school I am.
We are traveling first class.We were taken to Seoul in a jeep.We had reservations on the UN Express.Went to Seoul then to Pusan.I didn’t know what kind of train it was going to be.I thought it would be a Korean train but it was a US Army train, a regular state side train.It use to be a hospital train.We had births with mattress, pillows, and sheets.We walked around Seoul for a couple of hours.I brought a couple of books that I had bought at the UN PX.I also ate there.We got on the train at and arrived Pusan at 7 AM.I slept fairly well but I could not get use to the bed and not being cold on it.After we got to Pusan we ate breakfast at a place for Army personnel. Boy, back down and around Pusan they sure live good.They have regular bunks, sheets, pillows etc..We got a bus then and went to the Pusan replacement center.They processed us right away.We turned in all our clothes and kept only our personal items.They gave us all new clothes, our OD uniform, brass, patches, T Shirts, shorts, new fatigues, just our regular issued stuff but not quite as much because we will only be gone 2 weeks.We also got the officer’s trench coat to wear.All of this was done by .We waited till and we got our shipping orders.We ate lunch and then there were about 16 of us altogether all going to different places.I thought we had been treated pretty good so far.They put us on a buss and took us to the dock.There we boarded the Sgt Muller a civil service ship.It runs regular from Japan to Korea.It is a small ship compared to the one I came over on.When got on the ship they put us in compartments.They were officer’s quarters.4 men to a compartment. (state room)Desk, private bath etc.There are a few officers, some Belgium officers, civilians and that’s about all.We ate in the officer’s mess.Had our meals served on the tables for us and everything.We had biscuits, hamburger steak, beans corn, coffee, ice cream, potatoes, and apples.Every thing was number one.I bought some things a the Sea Store and took a nice hot shower.I can’t believe the army can treat any one as good as they have treated us. (note: after living in tents and being a private in a company setting near the front line, I can just imagine how he felt.He really sounds impressed.)
We left about and docked in the morning a 730 AM in Sasebo.From there we will go to Eta Jima by train most likely.That just about covers it.I have seen a lot of things so far.I saw where the fire was at Pusan.It sure cleared a big area out.
Before I left the company I got a letter from Arkie.He is Pusan.He said he tried to call me one time but couldn’t get through.He gave me his number but I didn’t get a chance to call.May be when I come back I can call or see him.Maybe Don Underwood too.He said he goes home in July and goes dancing 3 or 4 night a week.There are a lot of GI women in Pusan.Nurses etc.Well I’ll close for now.I’ll finish this letter later.
It is Wed night now.We got to Sasabo, Japan about 830 this morning.We have fooled around most of the day.The weather is mild, not to cold but it has been raining most of the day.We were here long enough to draw our bedding and make a bed and then they told us we were leaving.We turned our stuff in.I had my uniform pressed and patches and stripes sewed on.I have my Regt crest on and I really feel dressed up.I haven’t got any ribbons yet.There are about 5 I can wear.A Korean Campaign, UN, Asiatic, Presidential citation and a Korean Presidential Citation.
We are leaving at , one more hour so I will close.We are going to Eta Jima on a train.I sure have met some nice guys.Seems I always meet the nicer guys when I travel or in school.Don’t seem to have any in my out fit except one or two that I really like.I lost a fatigue shirt and a dress shirt some place along the way.I don’t know where they went to.I’ll have to scrounge up some in my travels, you know me.There are a lot of nice things in the PX here.I think there are better items at Eat Jima though.I saw some Northlake china for 45 dollars and shipping charges.It had a green flower like print.I may not be able to get it his time but I will on R&R.I saw some pearls for $25 for 3 strands.Will write tomorrow.
This will probably be the last letter you will get from me for a few days. I leave tomorrow and probably won’t get a chance to write for a few days. I am going to pack up all my clothes in the morning and I am only taking shaving gear, shave brush, writing paper, camera and film, besides the clothes I have on.
I haven’t done much all day, I wrote a couple of letters and I also mailed that book “baby san” and my diploma from the NCO School. I mailed Snapper a couple more patches. (note: the jacket that they were sewn on has long vanished but just the other day I came across a bunch of the old patches, put them in a frame and they are now hanging in my living room,)
I have a lot of film to take with me. About 12 rolls that different guys gave me.
Well I didn’t get any mail today. Some might come in tonight.
It sure is muddy out. It is almost frozen again now but during the day it melts and the mud comes up over the boots.
I haven’t heard anything about making corporal. I don’t guess I will know now till I get back. Well I don’t have much to write about. One of those days. I’ll write on my way to Japan.
and 45th 
UN
and a Korean Presidential Citation.