Category: Hertha

Again Bill says they have little to do and he goes on to describe his day, including progress on his correspondence courses. It is also very hot.

Bill notes that December 6th is both his father’s 50th birthday, and the day he starts his 17 week basic training. Prior to the start of basic training, the army finds different ways to keep everyone busy, as Bill describes.

These are the first microfilmed v-mails received (see the 1944-09-16 posting for an explanation of v-mail). This suggests Bill is in a combat zone, and based on the date and his troop assignment, that would be Leyte. After asking his parents not to worry about his new assignment, he says there is little to write…

Although assigned to the medical group, Bill says he has not been assigned a permanent role. However, he must be busy because he started this letter on the 23rd and didn’t finish it until the 26th of October. Although he doesn’t mention specific details, probably due to the censorship, he is involved in the invasion…

It’ been 18 days since Bill last wrote. This of course signals something is up, as does the address “The South West Pacific”. We know now that he was on his way to Leyte, an island that is part of the Philippines. Bill has been transferred to the 1st Cavalry Division, and was shipped out…