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