April 4, 1944

(Letter from Vic to younger brother Paul, from Bougainville in the Solomon Islands to Berkeley, CA. Photos show a flipped tank and U.S. soldiers posing above a corpse.)

Dear Paul,

After re-reading your letter of the 11th March I find there was a number of points I'd neglected to cover in my reply of yesterday.

Reason for my previous letter's sloppiness was lack of stationary and preparing its contents into understandabe paragraphs in sequence.

Well, I've decided to enclose a few snapshots of damaged Japanese materiel and deceased personnel. There are four in all, and I'd appreciate a very prompt reply on your part indicating whether or not any of them were confiscate. Thus I can judge whether and what to send next.

With the pay for work at the Oakland Army Base I can't imagine how you could possibly pay for your meals. In additions to that you have your rooming bill? How do you manage it? Are you getting sufficient good food to work on? Did the Vets Administration get around to helping you? Are you still receiving their meager compensation.

I've two hundred 'n' fifty smackers in soldiers savings plus some in the bank home so don't worry about me. Put that dough into S.S. since I came overseas and also have twenty-five a month going towards bonds. Lately I've dropped some in poker. It's fun but boring after much of it. Doing some reading but can't seem to concentrate on books and magazines of late. We have a fair supply of late material on hand these days.


It was most interesting to learn something of the composition of the students at your college. Imagine those foreign students entered school before the war began. Are any of them exchange or fellowship students? I don't imagine you can understand any of the Icelandic tongue. I should estimate Yuts to have been a good three hundred miles away at his last writing. Bob H. and Phil M. both owe me letters so I can't give you any news concerning them. I correspond with quite a number of home-town fellows and it helps pass the time. Surprising how regular most G.I.'s reply to there buddies. They realize the morale value of mail moreso than civvies.

Glad to hear you've friends and are fairly well acquainted around the campus. Let me know how you're coming along, and take it easy, but take it!

Best regards from you brother,
Vic

April 3, 1944

(Letter from Vic to younger brother Paul, from Bougainville in the Solomon Islands to Berkeley, CA. Photos show the American graveyard at Bougainville, March 1944, and a photo taken from a dead Japanese soldier.)

Dear Paul,

Many thanks for your most interesting letter dated the 11 March which just arrived yesterday. Believe I wrote you several days ago. How is the mail service in that direction? Were all the items safely enclosed?

Out intelligence readily passed that stuff, but one never can tell about some of the old base censors. Well, I'm enclosing a few prints herein, three of which were sent to me, and the fourth deals with native subjects as you can see. I have a fair group of war scenes now, but, as we cannot send them back to the States nor transport them on our body or amongst equipment they will undoubtedly deteriorate within a few more months in the tropics so as to be unrecognizeable.

Most of the war-film troops have deals with subjects that are hardly of use to the enemy even if he could obtain same, and yet one can hardly expect any photos to pass on to the addressee. Understand, our organization's censors haven't the authority to without film, unless, of course, it deal with outright and valuable military info., but enroute all mail with material enclosed other than writing matter is inspected by our beloved base censors. Do you think I should attempt to try sending a lot thru to you?

Please forward these snapshots on home unless you care to keep them. These were terribly poor imitations of Jap photographs that I forwarded to you recently, and you can keep or discard same at your pleasure except for the dog-tag which I'd like you to keep for me.

However, I mailed Ruts three pictures that weren't too bad that you ask to see. Two of Tojo's stooges viewed in them have joined honorable deceased ancestors.

I am glad to hear you have begun metallurgy, but why do they specify physical? I thought your studies would deal with both chemical and physical properties of metals. You should be able to satisfactorily complete such a course and graduate a metallurgist so buckle down to it! I should think it would be very absorbing.


Personally, I've been considering completing my high school credits for a diploma that I might take a U.S.F.S. civil service exam and make forestry. Received some dope from Wash. U.S.F.S. office that sounds mighty interesting.

Of course, it'd be necessary to have some time to concentrate on the required subjects, and overseas is as good a place as any. Look like I've a minimum of fifteen months more time to serve over here unless the qualified time for relief in this theatre is lowered from two yrs.

Am awaiting word from Wm Horlick's on my credit standings. Can't say how I'd manage it were I to hit the States in the future. However, that's almost the remotest of possibilities. What do you think of the idea?

Do Rudy and Ed write to you regularly?

I've been corresponding regularly with Ray Reed so I have his latest address but thanks anyhow. I sailed from Noumea, New Caledonia to the Canal on his ship last summer on it was the winter (rainy) season down there then. His ship is a swell transport as far as G.I. transportation facilities go. It's fast and comparitively new.

Ray recently said he'd written you a while back and had the letter returned as the address was old. Apparently they didn't have a forwarding address of yours at that place. Ray says he's been in the general vicinity of this place, but I don't he's come all the way up as yet. Believe he's hit New Guinea already.

Incidentally, Jake Valentine will be leaving that place in the future under the rotation plan as well as Max Mueckler. Dave Altman quite recently wrote me from that place also. You can see he couldn't have taried long on the west coast. Sorry you didn't get to see him as he's a swell guy and a vet-member.

Yes, I correspond with Yuts, Sid and Irv Goldberg. Haven't seen Yuts up this way as yet. Did you hear of or read of the War Dept.'s statement regarding their intention of discontinuing the A.S.T.P? The need for overseas replacements and technicians is more than vital than sending able-bodied men to school to enter studies of their choice. If there isn't enough draftees to send over to help fight the war why can't they send us those YSO commandos who're wearing themselves out playing college students?

Paul, I realized that the W.D. has pulled some boners and been rather erratic and that certain lousy congressional cliques favor dropping the program that is educational, but did you learn the opinion of that Navy overseas vet you mentioned?

Naturally the A.S.T.P and V-12 programs have a number of good points. Say would you favour letting G.I.s go home to college from overseas?

Your brother
Vic

Didn't you know - we have two seasons here in the S. Pacific - rainy and wet.

March 28, 1944

(Letter from Vic to brother Rudy and wife Ann, written from the South Pacific to Passaic, New Jersey. Photos were taken from the bodies of dead Japanese soldiers, as described below.)

Dear Ann and Rudy,

This is the additional letter I promised you the other day when I forwarded that brief V-mail. At the present I've quite a bit of leisure time and am making the best of it.

The weather here now is most unusual in that we have not had a noticeable rainfall in almost a month. The air is quite dry now and reasonably comfortable aside from the tropical heat. It's not the supposedly wet season and the continued lack of precipatation is, well, astounding.

In our division news sheet, "South-Sea Reveille", I recently read of the bus accident in Passaic. Did you know any of the ill-fated occupants?

I'm enclosing a few Japanese photos (three to be exact), and I'm inclined to be of the opinion that the honorable (?) soldiers of Nippon show so warriorously posed have joined honorable ancestors in doubtful places - if you get what I mean.

No doubt the base censors will hold over this brief line while closely examining prints of Tojo's honorable stooges - late. So that'll account for any noticeable delay enroute that may've puzzled you. Write soon, often and regularly.

Best regards
Vic

March 28, 1944

(Letter from Vic to younger brother Paul, from Bougaineville in the Solomon Islands to Berkeley, CA. Photo was taken from Japanese soldier as described below. The other photo is of the Japanese Dog Tag and the censor note accompanying it.)

Dear Paul,

You haven't written recently so I thought I'd send you a brief letter in hopes of prompting you to write often and regularly in the future.

Enclosed please note four unusually poor Japanese photos, a form sheet with printed characters, and an enemy dog tag. They were amongst personal belongings of deceased Tojo stooges.

I had quite a pack of their snapshots, but they became wet and were spoiled. Some stuff wouldn't pass our crack G-2 inspectors so I no longer have same.

Please don't expect much in the line of equipment. The accompanying odors where one is apt to search for souvenirs is rather nauseating and not too safe in a physical sense. Besides, the Gov't is collecting so much material for exhibits articles will soon lose their novelty, if ever they had such. This letter shouldn't be delayed as the enclosed items have already passed the only inspection that can judge its' actual military value. Let me know how long it's enroute, Paul.

The weather has been rather nice here of late, and I'm in good health. Please write soon.

Your brother,
Vic

March 27, 1944

(Letter written from Vic in Bougainville, Solomon Islands to his parents Emilie and Peter Petersen in Racine. The envelope is stamped by the army censor. The photo shows an army tent of some kind on Bougainville. Note the basketball hoop on the board nailed to the tree.)

Dear Folks,

To-day I received your letter dated the 6th and another envelope containing articles. Rudy's third recent letter arrived several days ago as did one from Git. I'm awaiting word from Ed and Rudy as regards my request that they help Paul financially in his studies.

Neither Bill nor Karl have written in some months. Bob Greubel writes me regularly and he said that Karl hadn't even written to him since he arrived in Canada.

I was most surprised to learn that Leonard Hoey was or is at my location. However, I haven't his address so it's improbably we'll meet.

Ray De Fault has a nice position it seems. I imagine it quite agrees with him. Send me any word you have on him and Howie and Vernon. Your letter was the first from Racine to give me any definite news of their whereabouts.

Please give me all the information possible about the coming local and state elections. Is there much opposition to Goodland? Does the lousy Rep. clique intend sponsoring him again? Where do the Progressives stand on issues and what's their support amount to? What kind of following did Wilkie accumulate around Wis.?

The "bombing program" you mention hearing about over the radio was news to me. I imagine the announcer describes the take-off or landing of "strike". It simply means a foce of planes bent upon a mission. Aside from a rough oral out-line of such an aerial mission broadcast from a bomber strip, I cannot imagine what type of broadcast you heard. Please give more details of same.

At the time we were busy with war details as you might've read in later communiques. I have leisure time now and at present am quite unoccupied. That's typical over here: we're very busy at times and at others we have quite a job of passing time away. It hasn't rained for about three weeks now which is astounding. It's supposedly the wet season too, but the air has become quite dry and reasonably comfortable.

Did I ever tell you about the earth tremors we've experienced during our stay here? Shortly after arriving here they were numerous and the earlier ones were quite severe. In fact, I'd say one shake rated the earth-quake category. It's an odd sensation to feel the ground quiver, shake, & seemingly move under your feet in gentle heaves. The trees sway wildly at some of these times, and if one's asleep the cot or hammock rocks crazily.

Your letter actually arrived here yesterday but I dated this a day ahead. It probably won't pass censortship until to-morrow the 28th of March because I'm finishing it to-day after a day's laspe. A few hrs. ago two V-mail eltters arrived from Wm. Fiala.

Regards,
Vic

March 24, 1944

(Letter from Vic to brother Rudy and wife Ann, written from the South Pacific to Passaic, New Jersey. In the bottom left corner of the envelope is the writing "Censored by (no name) Lt, F.A. Above that is a stamp "Passed by U.S. Army Examiner 25603". Written on the back of the photo is 'Funeral of Sgt. F. Lazar March 1944 Bougainville)

Dear Ann and Rudy,

Your two additional letters containing the clippings and mailed as of 3rd March arrived several days ago, but the letter you medntioned intending to write concerting the state of affairs within your local has not been received as of this writing. Understand the new exec element is stinko and the elections came off very unsatisfactorily. Heard you withdrew from the election after running for the Exec. Bd. at Large, Ruts.

The campaigning and primaries seem to've been a bungled affair from what I gather. Firstly, I think you could have campaigned on some very good and prominent issues and been more oriented with the opposing faction and their methods. Secondly, your forces could've been more unted and compromised to the extent of putting into office the best available union material. Thirdly, you should have had warning beforehand of the vote validness when viewing the mere election board roster, and taken steps much sooner to guarantee a genuine and democratically legitimate voting system when the members cast their ballots.

Perhaps you did some mighty good work and the opposition was stronger than I imagine. In any case, please give me coverage of the complete campaign.

The box containing the film, flash-light, lighter, etc. held up very well. In fact, I haven't received any package that were notably torn or mulitated. However, I've seen some come into the Btry. in sad shape and the owners had to salvage the unknown origial contents from a few mixed-up piles. These packages are en-route usually between one and a half to four months. Ordinary mail (3c 1st C) takes from three to five, ten, or fifteen wks. V-mail & air-mail vary between as short a time as 8 and 9 days to eleven or fourteen days. The most rapidly transited packages or mail luckily make good connections while the tardy stuff has sometimes unaccountable delays enroute. Does that satisfy your enquiries as concerns delivery?

I believe I already gave you my views about the present congressional legislation. Many fellows over here are of the opinion that congress is more or less selling them out. We don't get too much actual dope on impending and submitted bills so that some of us aren't too well familiar with their contents, implications, etc.

It's pure bunk when certain politicians sound off back there to the effect that Pres. Roosevelt gives unsided dope to the armed forces. Fact is, we don't get the true and detailed situation enough on some issues, and Roosevelt would certainly be inclued to give us sound information included in what little he has time for in his time aborbing duties.

I can't attempt to state how the soldier (overseas) will vote on the elections. Naturally, politics varies over here, too. No doubt Roosevelt would get a sizeable proportion of support - how much or whether it'd be a majority I cannot judge.

As to the possible Republican Candidate - be it Wilkie, Dewey, or MacArthur - there's even less formed opinion over here. That may be due to the fact that as of today many fellows don't believe they'll get the opportunity of expressing their legitimate right to vote in the coming elections. There's something in Vandenberg's (Rep. Senator, Mich) article on MacArthur in the recent Colliers'. However, the author is only another politician tho no doubt the Gen. is a strong character. Personally, I don't think he'll run and that Wilkie will get the Rep. nomination and be defeated by our President who qualifies better than any other figure in my estimation.

I just received a letter from Bob Mueckler who's been in an ack-ack outfit over in New Guinea for too long. Yuts Conrad is south of me in these islands and Ray Reed plies these general waters aboard a transport. Jack V. was still in N.G. last I heard. Bob Hoey was still in a marine rest area after Tarawa.

Well, I must sign off now but I'll continue this correspondence in a few day if I have time. Please write soon and often.

Best regards,
Vic