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