Tue, Aug 7, 1945: counting the days

"We are just counting the days now until you can be home.  What day and time do you get off? or is it too soon to know for certain."

-- Letter from my grandmother, Bloomington, Kans., to my father, Boulder, Colo., August 7, 1945.  My father had a leave coming up.

Sat, Aug 4, 1945: Japanese Cafe

"I went to Denver again last weekend.  For supper I stopped at the Japanese Cafe of Mr. Otagiri, my ex-reading teacher. He was overjoyed to see a former student; and proceeded to talk school affairs with me all during my chop suey meal.  The wife was even summoned from the kitchen for an introduction.  Mr. Otagiri had been requested to go to Stillwater to teach in the new branch; but like a lot of instructors he resented the high-handed methods used in an attempt to force the change and was tired after 3 yrs. of it; so he quit."

-- Letter from my father, Boulder, Colo.,  to my grandmother, Bloomington, Kans., Saturday, August 4, 1945.  The Navy Language School had recently moved part of its operation to Oklahoma A & M College in Stillwater, Okla.  For a time, my father thought he would be going there; but his class remained in Boulder. 

Sat, Aug 4, 1945: years of misery

"Dear Devere,

"Here I am again with a letter.  You will look surprised, I know.  You don't hardly know me anymore.  Five full years passed since I wrote you for the last time.  Years of misery for us as well as for you, but I hope this letter will find you in good health and I am very anxious to hear from you.  My family has passed war-time rather good and we all are save and sound.  Now we try to forget things as soon as possible.

"Yet I suppose that you should like to hear in what way I passed that long 5 years.  In the beginning the Boches did not alter much and behaves correctly. (I have to say that they always behaved correctly.  They shot you down with a smile and a face with the expression, 'I am very sorry but I cannot help it.  It is fair play.')…"

-- Letter from J. J. A. "Bob" Lieshout, Drieboomlaan, Netherlands, to my father, Boulder, Colo., Saturday, August 4, 1945.  Lieshout was my father's penpal in the Netherlands. 

Wed, Aug 1, 1945: docked at an island

"Daddy has his alfalfa out, the third time this summer, and is trying to find some one to help him get it put up. We called the War Prison Camp yesterday afternoon but they wanted us to call last night as they were not certain as to whether or not anyone was available.  Last night we were unable to get central so Daddy went up anyhow this morning and is not back yet so I don't know what luck he'll have!...

"Aunt Stella, Uncle Frank and Aunt Frances were out Sunday afternoon.  Aunt Frances had received a letter from Ira and he had seen Joyce.  Ira's ship docked at an island where Ira knew Joyce's outfit was located.  He had only two hours shore leave so he knew he couldn't find him in that length of time.  He happened across someone who knew Joyce and he said he'd see that Joyce got word his ship was there.  So that evening Joyce came aboard his ship and they had a fine visit.  Ira said Joyce was looking fine in spite of his long stay in the hospital.  It seems that Joyce and five others were assigned signal corps duty that lasted for five months out in the wilds of Negros Island.  That was pretty bad I guess...

"We have wanted all summer to go out there [to Boulder] but it seems its almost impossible.  Tires & gas and they're needing the trains and buses so badly. Guess we'll just have to wait until you come home to see you."

--Letter from my grandmother, Bloomington, Kans., to my father, Boulder, Colo., Wednesday, August 1, 1945. Joyce Sooter was Frances Sooter's son.  Ira Brown was her nephew, and Joyce's cousin.

Wed, Jul 25, 1945: threshers

"Saturday night we went to town to see 'Lad, Son of Lassie.'  It was fine and although Stanley was tired out from carrying water all day to the threshers he wouldn't have missed it for anything.

"We got our threshing done last Friday and then I helped Irma and Alice cook for threshers on Sat. and Mon. so I feel like I had my share. They finished the threshing in this community Mon. evening."

-- Letter from my grandmother, Bloomington, Kans., to my father, Boulder, Colo., Wednesday, July 25, 1945.

Sat, Jul 21, 1945: keys

[language warning] “On Wednesday we had our first experience with the new conversation grading system.... I'm trying to do good work in that field in an effort to get a job as an interpreter instead of spending my career as a language officer behind a desk doing routine translations.  Last month I had a 91 average, which was quite a bit above anyone else in the group - but it probably depended a lot on luck.

"Last week we had some very amusing and interesting lessons.  In one a Jap gave his impression of the western world after a first visit to Paris and Brussels.  He was astonished by the large number of keys and from that developed his point that keys could sum up our lives from the spiritual to the material side of living. Another good story was on the life of Buddha, and the last story of the week was about the Magellan round-the-world voyage."

--Letter from my father, Boulder, Colo., to his family, Bloomington, Kans., Saturday, July 21, 1945.

Thu, Jul 19, 1945: sugar situation

"Just as we were getting through with dinner yesterday, Herbert and family came to visit with us.  Daddy had to go to help thresh but the rest of us got to visit.  We went down to the swimming hole and Herbert and the kids went swimming.  They had a fine time riding Foxy also.

"I would like to bake cookies etc. much oftener to send to you but the sugar situation is really getting serious and we are not getting as much canning sugar this year. I baked some with honey the other day.  They weren't so good but I am going to doctor up the recipe and see if I can improve it somewhat.

"Keith Parry is home on furlough, the first time for three years.  He went into the army about the same time Dale did and had only one furlough before going across. He was wounded seriously in the leg several months ago on one of the Pacific islands.  He came to the states two or three months ago and was in a hospital in California but is home now for 30 days and has to report back to the hospital at that time.  He uses a cane and limps considerably but gets around very well.  Mr. Parry said he drove the tractor some last week.  He doesn't know yet whether or not he'll be discharged."

-- Letter from my grandmother, Bloomington, Kans., to my father, Boulder, Colo., Thursday, July 19, 1945.

Sun, Jul 15, 1945: tobacco

"Incidently, Marvin didn't pass his physical for the Army, either.  Ada said he didn't want to do any work while he was up at Leavenworth, so when they handed him a broom he told them they couldn't make him do any work, because he wasn't in the Army, yet.  He also found out that, by sleeping in the bunks in the middle of the room one wasn't nearly so apt to be told to do something. He and another boy hid behind some empty bunkhouses (or whatever they were) so they wouldn't have to work....

"Thursday Mom and I went to Douglass.  On the way down there we stopped at Grandma's and Grandpa's. Grandpa, who had been silent practically all the time we were down there, got up just as we were leaving and said, 'You're not going, are you? I was just getting ready to talk to you.' Grandma whispered to me, 'He's going to spit out his tobacco.'"

-- Letter from my aunt, Bloomington, Kans., to my father, Boulder, Colo., July 15, 1945.  Marvin Lenz and his mother Ada were neighbors of my grandparents in Bloomington, Kans.

Sat, Jul 7, 1945: secrecy

[language warning] "(I just took time out for a bike ride.)  We travelled up to Wall Street, a gold mining center -- 12 miles up Four Mile Canyon.  Unfortunately the place is still deserted.  We looked at the equipment - narrow gauge railroads, etc. - but didn't see a soul.  Either they haven't gone back to work yet or else the town's population had all ceased activity for a Saturday night in Boulder.  However, the rusty padlocks with which mine entrance doors were sealed shut seemed to indicate that no one had entered in quite some time.  I'd like to make another expedition up later.  If we could contact some old-timer - 'sourdoughs', I think they're called - we could probably get a nice background on gold mining history in these parts….

"Evidently the rules on secrecy here have been relaxed to a certain extent.  Names of graduates are now being read at graduation ceremonies, etc; so the publication of my name in the Gazette probably won't make any difference.  After all it'd be a little simpler for Nip spys to slip into graduation exercises than to read all hometown newspapers in the country.  That is if they care about learning who language men are."

-- Letter from my father, Boulder, Colo.,  to his family, Bloomington, Kans., Saturday, July 7, 1945.  

Fri, Jul 6, 1945: sweating out

"Well Son, my experience in Germany is now a thing of the past and I am now back in France awaiting redeployment. What we are sweating out is wether [sic] or not we will go to the Pacific direct or go through the states.  Of course it goes without saying that we want to go through the States so I certainly hope we can get together some way."

-- Letter from Everett Samuelson, Reims, France, to my father, Boulder, Colo., July 6, 1945.  Samuelson was a college buddy of my father.