September 3, 1945

(Letter from Vic in the Philippines to younger brother Paul in Berkeley, California. Photo show a couple of soldiers working on a tent barracks.)

Monday morning,

Dear Paul,

Having a break on our detail now between truck-loads of sand so I'm taking this opportunity to drop a few more lines your way. We're still building up this area even tho we probably won't remain here long. Expect to move down south somewhere within a hundred miles of Manila. Rumors have us occupying many different areas, but we know we'll never again get a set-up in the metropolitan area as we did after both the Lingayen-Manila and Mt. Pabawagan (Mariquina-Wawa dam area) campaigns. Can't tell when I'll ever embark for the States, but it probably won't be for six months at the rate of available shipping in these parts.

Imagine this letter'll arrive with the one I dropped you last nite. am enclosing three items herein that might interest you. Don't recall whether I sent you one of these ten sen notes that Yuts send down from the Okinawa theatre. Here're a few Tagalog expressions and their English equivalents. Also please note the propaganda leaflet that our planes dropped up in the Baggao area (Cagayan Valley) last June announcing the fall of Nazi Germany & telling the Nips they were by-passed and isolated & might as well surrender before their homeland is utterly destroyed.

Just heard a newscast announcing Gen. Yamashita surrender in Baguio yesterday instead of to-day as originally scheduled. Some Nip admiral came in down south & also turned in his forces. As yet we have still to see the mass of Nips within our division sector come in. They're up in the Sierra Madre mountain range and're in poor physical condition for the most part. Daily some of them pass near our out-posts & wave, shout, & smile. We're not allowed to shoot except in defense. Those Nips'll thrive in out stockades 'cause the facilities & chow provided represent such a vast improvement over the conditions they've been existing under.

Well, I also heard the 1st Cav. div. landed in Japan as occupation troops. Guess the 11th Airborne div. will also be in on that deal. We came pretty close to it, but were transferred into another command from the 8th Army just at the right time. When we hit the beach at Langayen last Jan. we came in as part of the 14th Corps, 6th Army. That was our old Corps from the Solomons, but that Army formerly ran all troops in the New Guinea theatre. In May at Pabawagan we were attached to the 1st Corps (that is, our combat team).

Yes, I did receive my specs some time back. They came thru in perfect shape after some delay. Would appreciate receiving those pics of you and your gal. Write soon & often.

Your brother,
Vic