Feb 16, 1954

16 Feb 1954

Pusan

Dear Mom, Dad, and Snapper

Well I am back in Korea now.  We left Sasebo yesterday afternoon about 2 PM and got in the Sgt Keathly.  We got to Pusan about 8 AM.  We are at a replacement depot and will probably be there till tomorrow sometime.  I hope I get back soon.

We had a fairly good trip back to Pusan, there were about 300 troops on the ship.  It is misty here but ot to cold.  I have got out of a lot of cold weather since I have been here.  There is only 2 months of cold weather left, March and April.  I will have been gone about a month tomorrow.  I bet the company has changed a lot when I get back.  A lot of the guys will probably have gone home and then there will be lots of new ones.  I’ll have plenty of mail when I get there too.  I’ll have a lot of letter writing to do to answer them.  I hope I still have my job when I get back as section leader.  I will have plenty of pay coming too.  I only got 68 dollars last time I was paid.  They were 40 dollars short.  I am sure broke now.  I have 1 dollars left.  I think I will go to the PX and spend that so I can say I am broke.

I would like to call Arkie up while I am here.  They don’t like you to use the phone here but I may find a way to do it.  I wont be here long enough to see him I guess.

I guess you are starting to have a little nice weather at  home now.  I know you had some worm days in Feb.  It shouldn’t be to long till you winter is over. 

Time should go fairly fast over here now.  I hope I get home befoe the year is out but it may be Dec.  It’s a 16 month tour.  They have never made it 12 months yet. 

I was told in Sasebo that Sigman Ree wanted to send troops to Indo China.  They told us to write home and tell the the people back home to write letters (to the president from organizations and people) and say that if Ree had so many troops to spare why not send us home from Korea.  I haven’t read anything about it in the paper, maybe you have. (note:  This was very interesting to me.  Viet Nam was heating and having an effect on the US long before most of us realized it.)

The 40 and 45^th will be leaving soon and the 24 Div will take their place.  So I guess Donald Underwood will be going north befoe long.  What have you heard from Richard J.?  I have been wondering about him.  You probably said in one of your letters.

I really enjoyed my trip to Japan.  I saw a lot of things and learned a lot and will always remember it.  The people think along the same lines as we do but only different. (note: sounds like a quote from Yogie Berra.)  They have different customs etc.  For instance I went to the rest room in Korean one time and the women and me us the same restroom.  They don’t think a thing about it.  But some of the places they cater to GI’s do.  In this one night club I was at in Sasebo they had a woman in the restroom to keep the place clean and shine shoes etc.  Well I saw so much and did so much I couldn’t start to tell you about all of it.

Well I will write you as soon as I get back to the company, if I leave tomorrow.

Lots of Love, Ted

Feb 13, 1954

Sat 13 Feb 54

Sasebo

Dear Mom, Dad, and Snapper

I am still here.  I don’t guess I will leave before Monday.  I’ll sure be glad to get out of here.  Now I am on guard again.  This is my 2^nd time so far.  Hope it is the last time.  Haven’t done much.  I went to town Tursday night again.  Did about the same thing.  That was my last pass in Japan.  We turned in all the clothes we had yesterday.  I got some extra socks and shorts so I think I’ll have enough to last me for the winter now.  I sure will be glad to get some mail.  I’ll be gone almost a month in a few days, so I will have a lot of mail to read.  You can mail that paper I got from the Col and Major back.  I might put it in my record jacket in case there isn’t  one in there.

I’ll be glad to get back to the company for severl reasons.  To find out if I made Cpl and get my mail etc.  I haven’t written much of anything because I have a hard time  trying to write when I don’t get any mail.  Not much of anything to write about camp.

I went to the show last night and saw Band Wagon.  I saw it once before but I enjoyed seeing it again.  I have been wondering how everything is at home and what is new but guess I’ll find out most everything when I read the mail so I won’t ask anything now.

I haven’t seen Richard yet.  He may have been here and gone already or maybe he isn’t here yet. 

Hope you like the things I sent home.  I really liked the smoking jacket I sent dad.  Hope it fits OK.  Let me know.  Hope the robe fits Snapper too.  That seemed a little to large but he may be able to wear it later on. (note: I remember the smoking jacket and my robe. It fit just fine.)  Those scarves are Georgett silk.  Hope you like them.  I saw a lot of them I would like to send but thought I would wait till I went on R&R and send some better things.  I should go before to much longer.  Well I don’t have much more to write for now.  I will write later on.  Hope I get back to the company soon.

Lots of Love, Ted

PS  I have some more patches to send Snapper (note: I now have them framed, but I think I have mentioned that.)

Feb 10, 1954

Wed Feb 10, 1954

Sasebo

Well I am still here at Camp Sasebo.  Looks like I will be here for a while.  I never did see Richard.  The ship that came in Sunday with all the guys is gone already to Korea.  He may have been on one.

Monday 3 of us went in to town and had a good time.  First time I have seen the town.  It is fairly big.  Lots of Sailors of all kinds.  The town is high priced on everything.

  Last night I got stuck on guard.  That is the first thing I have done since I have been here. 

I got a line number today for the ship but haven’t had any word on when I am going yet.  I think it will be next Monday.  I am anxious to get back.  I bet I have a lot of mail there.  I am tired of this place.  We traveled good until we get back to this place.  They sure give us a run around.

I don’t know what I will do tonight.  May go to the show or something.

The weather is nice today.  About the best I have seen for quite awhile.  The sun is out bright and it is nice and worm.  It looks like this month will be gone pretty fast by the time I get back to the company.  I’ll miss plenty of cold weather I hope.

I hope when I get back I still have my job or a better one.  I still have a lot of pictures to send but I wanted to show the boys some of them.  So when I do that I will send them all.  A couple of the boys are leaving tomorrow for Pusan.  I think I am going to Inchon.

Well I don’t think I will go to town any more here.  I am about out of money.  Monday night we went to a big Japanese night club.  Had a big dance floor and a 12 piece band.  It was sure something.  Well I will close for now and write you later on.

Love, Ted

Feb 7, 1954

Sunday Feb 7, 54

Dear Mom, Dad, and Snapper

We left Eta Jima yesterday afternoon at 2 PM.  We got on a train at Kure.  It was a troop train.  Not to big.  All the guys were going to Sasebo and had just finished the CBR Course.  All of us in the MOI split up and about 6 of us stayed together.  We got a car with the officers..  We ate dinner on the train and we had a birth.  We got at Sasebo at 2 AM this morning.  We got off the train and they took us to the camp.  We ate breakfast and had a clothing shake down.  I guess we are going to get a complete new combat issue here.  I already have everything back at the company.  We finished by noon and I have been sleeping all afternoon. 

There were about 3000 troops that came in today from the states.  I thought I saw Richard but am not sure.  I think I will look around this evening.  Let me know when he got here incase I don’t find him.  We will trade our clothes tomorrow and I think we will go back Tuesday sometime.  I don’t guess we will have as nice a trip going back as we had coming here.

I sure have enjoyed the trip here. (note: I wonder if the girl he met there had anything to do with it.)  I am ready to go back now though.  It will be good to get a letter form you.  It seems like a long time since I have heard from you. 

Hope you like the package I sent and I hope the one I sent Dad fits.  They only had a large but they said it was small for a large.  It was made in Hong Kong.  They sure have quite a trading business with Hong Kong.  You can buy a tailor made cashmere suit that would cost 175 in the states for 35 to 50 dollars here.

Well I think I will go up to the PX and snack bar and look around.  I’ll write again as soon as I can.

Lots of Love, Ted

Feb 5, 1954

Fri Feb 5, 1954

Dear Mom, Dad, and Snapper

This is my last day in Eta Jima.  I leave tomorrow at 10:30.  I sure hast to go back.  I have really enjoyed these two weeks.  I finished the school in good shape.  There were only 10 of us that got our diplomas yesterday.  The rest of the guys had to go back this morning and talk to the instructor.  They gave the rest of us the day off.

I have not done much of anything  today.  Just resting etc.  I have two packages to send.  One for Snapper with you scarves in it and one for Dad.  Yesterday I mailed some valentines.  They didn’t have much variety of cards so the card were not just what I wanted to send.  There are two other packages I wont be able to send till I fill out some cards and have it signed by an officer.  I should get that done by noon and they will be on their way.  I hope the things are not to heavy to send airmail.  I have been wondering if you got the other things I have sent before Xmas and if they got there not broke up.

I guess I have a lot of mail back at the company.  I’ll be glad to read them and find out what is new at home.  I have been wondering home Jim and Rosalyn are now.  I guess they have moved by now.

They say it is cold over in Korea now.  More than it has been.

Hope you like the pictures I sent in the valentines.  I still have a lot more to send.  I’ll send them right away.  I saw the Noritake China again.  There are several patterns to pick from.  I don’t have enough money to get it this time but I will have on R&R.  (note:  I don not recall Dad ever sending the China.  He might have been but it never made any impression on me.  I know my grandmother had China but don’t know where it was from or where it is now.)  I will probably go in a month or so. 

Here is a picture of Kiyoko Shimokawa and myself.  I took these with my camera.  She sure is a nice girl.  She is on the quiet side.  Works at the PX.  Have some more pictures to send.  Will send them later on.  I’ll write soon.

Love, Ted.  (note:  Dad has mentioned this “nice girl” before but I don’t recall anyone ever saying anything about it.  It will be interesting to see if I come across any pictures of her or if there is any further discussion about her.)

Feb. 2, 1954

Tues  Feb 2, 1954

Dear Mom, Dad, and Snapper

I guess you are thinking I have for got about writing.  I haven’t, it is just that I have been busy doing everything.  I had a pass Sat and didn’t do to much.  Sunday I took a friend of mine to Kure and bought a few things.  I got Snapper a robe (note: I remember getting the robe) and got you some scarves, 6 of them.  Georgette silk.  They were not very expensive but they were the only ones I found that I liked.  I looked for some linen table cloths but couldn’t find anything but cloth-rayon.  I didn’t know what you wanted so I thought I would wait till R&R.  I’ll send the other things soon as I can.  It’s kind of hard to shop if you don’t know whether it is any good or not.  Because you can’t talk to the Japs very well.

I took a girl friend with me.  She works here at Eta Jima.  She is a nice girl.  She understand English but can’t talk it very well.  She is 22 years old.  She remembers the A Bomb at Hiroshima.  This air force sgt friend of mine went with me also.  We took in a show.  I saw the “Emperor Waltz” with Bing Crosby  and the “Springfield Rifle.”  They had Japanese sub-titles written on the side of the screen.  It was a Japanese movie house.  We ate at a Jap restaurant.  I had curry rice.  It was pretty good.  We went to Kure on the Jap ferry etc.  I saw a lot of things.  I can’t write about all of it. 

They sure have funny customs and live different but they have changed since the Americans have been here. 

I will leave here Sat morning at 10:30 as far as I know now.  I haven’t had any mail yet.  Guess they didn’t send any over here.  I will have plenty of mail when I get back.  Hate to go back in a way.  They say it is pretty cold over there now.  I hate to give up this civilization.  I wish I could be here all the time.  The guys who get stationed here sure are lucky.

I gave my 15 min class yesterday and it went OK.  I give my last class tomorrow, 30 min and a 30 min critique.  I have head count today in the mess hall.  That’s all the detail I have had so far.  I got to be at the mess hall at 11:15.  I got out of class an hour early so I am writing.  Everything will change when I get back to the company.  I guess I will get a lot of news from home also.

How do you like the pictures I sent. (note: I have come across a scrap book with a lot of pictures but not all of them are identified as to what or who is what.  I will post them as one blog from time to time.)  I still have a lot more to send but think I will wait till I am back at Company.  I have taken a few pictures here.  I’ll send them also.

The class I gave was on the mortar.  So is the one I give tomorrow.  I was a little nervous  when I got up on the platform but when I started talking it went away and I felt easy.  This is a hard course.  It is harder than the Methods of Instruction course we had at NCO school.  Most of the guys in the class are Instructors already.

Well don’t know much to say.  I’ll write again later on and let you know the news.

Love, Ted

January 30, 1954

Kure

Jan 30, 1954

Dear Mom and Dad

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.

Love, Ted