Rest Camp in the Pacific
May 6, 1944
Dear girls,
No sensational news, except that we’ve been doing a lot of work lately. Except for those pretty grim inspections, we had little to do for the first six weeks after we got here, but the last six weeks have been spent getting us back into shape – and we are in good shape now. “Don’t send any more V-Mail, only Air Mail” is all that I’m allowed to say.
Got your “Good Night, Sweet Prince” yesterday – looks so good that I’ve decided to save it for a while. We’ve been so busy the last few weeks that I haven’t had time to read. Sit down with a book and I fall asleep half the time. Don’t even have much chance to play poker.
Ervin made Sergeant last week, and Henderson, one of my Squad leaders, made Corporal at the same time – they had been waiting for it for a long time, so I gave the Section a beer party to celebrate. Rounded up ten cases of it – hard to get, as they are limited to two bottles a night at the slop chute – even had to steal two of the cases – got grills and hamburgers to cook out there – had it all taken out to a little spot in the boondocks – ice, cigars, pogie-bait and fruit – then broke them out in marching formation at 4 PM. They didn’t know anything about it, and grumbled about it, thinking they were going on a special working party – when we got there and they saw the spread, a great shout went up, and they fell on the food and beer. It was a great success, since everyone got potted – we even had to carry two of them home when it broke up about midnight. We talked and chatted and sang old songs around the fire – and one Squad put on an impromptu floor show, which, as I remember it, was very funny.
They’re a damned good bunch of boys – we’re known in the Company for the “gung – ho!” spirit – which is just fine, as far as I’m concerned.
The mortar section, April 1944.
3rd Squad: Claude Henderson (squad leader), Leo Ksiekievicz, JJ Franey, Tom Johnson, John Czepiel
2nd Squad: Wilbur Plitt (squad leader), Ed Hackett, Donald Peters, John Svoboda [?] (ammunition NCO), Bartholomew Wanagaitis, Kermit Shaw [?] (assistant section leader), Ron Bartels
1st Squad: Howard Haff (squad leader), Ed Lykins, Frank Gosiewski, Ronald Palmer, Joe Roff, Bill Imm
Absent: Phil Wood, Arthur Ervin (section sergeant), Kenneth Shea, Dale Owings
Had an amazing time on liberty the other day – we had been working, and were stiff, so when we saw a massage parlor, it looked good. I went in with Murray Fox – neither of us had ever had one – it was a Jap place, and the proprietor told us to go into one of the booths and take off our clothes. I left my scivvy drawers on, but when he came in to do my back, he made me take them off. It felt good – very restful. I was dozing after he left and lo! and behold, a woman came in. I thought she had come into the wrong place, and grabbed a small but handy towel to protect myself. But she pounced on me, pushed me back prone on the table, and started mauling me, jabbering all the time in Jap.
When she had pounded me until I was gasping, she stepped back, hands on hips, surveyed me up and down, and said “Too much to do, charge and a half” – reached over, and snatched my towel away. I sat up, screaming that she had no sense of shame, but she had a bottle of rubbing alcohol in her hands, and she poured it on my stomach, and it was frigid (I use that word after due thought) and it ran all over the place – I realized that I was helpless and relaxed to enjoy the inevitable. I liked the massage itself, but no more masseurs for me.
The pictures with Harry are the conventional thing to do here, but it took a bit of persuading to get Harry to do it. For a quarter more it would show her kissing us, she said, but we said we didn’t have another quarter. You can even see the rosy glow on Harry’s face.
Until later, lots of love, and a kiss for each.
Love,
Phil
Souvenir photographs were a hot item on Maui...
...whether with your friends, or if you had that extra quarter.
(Left: George Smith, Peter Colombo, Albert Zrmisek, Edward Horan)
(Right: Richard Dues)