May 11, 1945

(Letter from Vic in the Philippines to brother Paul in Berkeley, California. Photo shows Bronze Star awarded to Vic for action on April 24, 1945. The ribbons are: Two Bronze Star ribbons - similar to pattern on Bronze Star cloth; Two Philippine Liberation ribbons - two flanking red bars with thinner blue and white centre bars and small bronze star; Two Good conduct - the red background with two flanking triple white stripes; American Defense Service ribbon - yellow with two thin red, white and blue stripes - and two stars; 1945 Victory ribbon - solid red middle flanked by two multi-coloured bars; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign ribbon - yellow with two flanking white/red/white stripes and a thinner blue/white/red center stripe.)
Friday morning,

Dear Paul,

This is the first letter I've written in over a month. Will get busy & write the folks to-day and also try to catch up on my correspondence in general.

Came in off liaison two days ago after a month on the line with our infantry. We're up in the mountains and it's one tough and dirty war. The Nips have good positions and plenty of supplies - food, clothing, equipment, & ammo. In fact, they don't hesitate to share with us their lead in the form of rifle & machine-gun slugs and grenade, mortar & artillery shells.

If you think the war is over in the Philippines I suggest you talk to someone just back from the line - not the rear area commandos. After we take one mountain we can look forward to taking another, and they continue on over the sky-line out of sight. Nips have all underground positions and tremendous supply caves.

Your last letter dated the 26th April arrived OK. Yesterday I 4received your package containing the six roles of 620 film. Thanks for them, Paul. It's impossible to obtain film over here & we must depend upon getting them sent from the States by our families & friends. I realize how tough it is to obtain same back there and fully appreciate the pains you took to get ahold of so much film.

I put in for furlough tho it means if I'm lucky enough to be picked I'll have to return to my outfit & this theatre. If I don't hit the states soon I figure on blowing my top. And still we have some original N.G. vets with us who can't get home come hell or high water it seems. Can't understand how they can take it and so damn much of it. Wonder how many troops will come over this way now that the show over on the other side is over. Boy, that Okinawa deal sounds like a tough nuts, and it's Army troops who're doin' all the fighting & pushing there.

Did you know that Dave Altman was killed over here several months ago? His unit was on our right flank, and recently I intended going over thataway on some pretense & looking him up when I received a letter from Johnny Rody from Germany giving me the brief news about Dave. I was shocked to hear of it, and intend looking up his buddies some day & asking how he got it. His outfit is in rest area now now but I can't locate his particular unit.

Was sorry to hear of Kingsfield. A lot of home-town friends certainly have been getting it lately.

Hear from Phil quite regularly now. Was in to town yesterday on a one day (actually about 10 hrs.) pass and looked up Nick Julian, Lt. Floyd Hillier, and some Filipino friends.

Had my ole case of jungle-rot came back. Need a new fitting (refraction) of my G.I. Specs. The frame is cracked & out of shape so I should get a new one plus different lenses.

Am enclosing five negatives that I took about two months back. Have two good prints made of each and send one set to me & one set home.

Best Regards,
Vic

Am sending this via regular mail which means it won't arrive for thirty to sixty days. Won't travel any other way with negatives enclosed.