A Waste Of Good Roosters

Monday 24 Dec. ‘45

Manila 2:30 p.m.

 

Dear folks,

Xmas Eve and it’s been raining almost steadily all day. I woke up at about 6:15 this morning when they announced chow but the rain sounded so good I turned over and went back to sleep. It’s an ideal day for sleeping but unfortunately it can’t be done. Sat. night we had a pretty good movie “Kiss and Tell” with Shirley Temple. It’s the first I believe I’ve seen her since she grew up but she’s a pretty good actress. Last night we saw “Too Young to Know.” It was fair but we had already seen it once. Tonight we have a Xmas picture of some sort, I don’t know the name yet. Yesterday I got up fairly early and went to church here in our chapel. We have a pretty good chaplain now. I’m sending along the program so you can see it. Then in the afternoon after dinner – chicken, etc. plus ice cream (we have it nearly every day now) about 5 of us took off for a couple hours. It started out as a swimming expedition but they gave it up as the ocean near here is filthy. We ran on to an interesting old church which we explored and here is a picture of the bamboo organ in it. It was a lot like the church back in Stratford where Shakespeare is buried and seemed a bit unusual for this part of the world. On the way back we stopped of all places at a cock fight. The people get as excited over it as we would at a football or baseball game and you ought to see them bet. All they do is tie some spurs on their feet, get them a little mad and let them go. It lasts about ½ a minute and one of them becomes roast chicken. Looks like a waste of good roosters to me. We got back for supper and the show and that was yesterday.

Nothing new today. Miller was back yesterday. They were alerted two days ago but he still hasn’t got orders. 2 flat tops are in the harbor and he hopes to get one of them. They make it in 11 days. That would be a break as it takes upwards of 18 days for the average ship. I hope I’m waiting for some sort of boat by this time next month. I should be if things go right. We are having quite a time around here – someone is stealing the place blind. Last night it included a jeep and several carbines.

Well that’s about the size of things folks so I’ll sign off and hope you’re having the best possible Xmas. Next year it will be a little different.

Be seein’you,

Arlington