That Would Never Do

Thurs. 10 Jan. ‘46

Manila

 

Dear folks,

Back again at about 9:30. I’m holding down the switchboard for a few minutes for one of the boys. I see a maze of buttons and cords and holes here in front of me but so far nothing has happened. Not much new. Tonight’s movie was “Mexicans,” a musical with Tito Guizar which was just fair. Last night we saw “Uncle Harry” with George Sanders and Ella Raines which was very good. Yesterday I got Gram’s Dec. 27 letter. The mail is pretty slow now. There is a backlog in San Francisco according to what we hear.

We still aren’t too busy. We expect to lose most of our men by Mon. Then the rest of ourselves will be assigned here until we deactivate Jan. 20. Then we’ll be transferred on paper to some other outfit and remain here on temporary duty to finish up. I don’t know how long it will take but we all intend to drag it out just as long as is possible. Once we leave here we might have to do some work and that would never do.

I hear I got myself a fountain pen tonight. Each month they get a ration of pens, watches, etc. I signed up for a pen and I hear I got a Parker 51. We get them at ½ the retail price in the states or about $6.00. That will make me 3 good pens. I have my old reliable Shaeffer from my graduation set plus another Shaeffer which is in good shape. I’m writing this with it. I also got myself a pretty good pencil for about $1.50 recently. So I guess I’m pretty well set.

Not much new in developments on the “when do we go home” front. Harry Truman put himself out of office, I can assure him of that, when he said the strange thing was not why so few men had been demobilized but rather why so many had. I’ve never said anything about him as I felt I didn’t know enough of him or his policies to make judgment but I’m learning fast. I expect that within a week we’ll get some sort of word as to how far points will drop. By then perhaps a few of these congressional investigations will have been made. They may not do us too much good but then again they may. I didn’t hear it myself but the radio carried a statement by Eisenhower today stating that theater commanders are ordered to return men as soon as possible regardless of critical scores, that is all men not essential. According to that they would go back in order of scores naturally but with no restrictions such as exists at 50 now. If that is true then our worries may be over unless the brass hats out here decide to claim we are essential. You know once the men are gone the brass will have to be reduced. Anyway it’s the only encouraging thing I’ve heard in a week. I’ve been waiting for “Ike” to make a statement. Through all this noise and discussion he’s been strangely silent. He’s “our man” and the one person who I really believe is in favor of getting everything for his men. He is the “G.I.’s General” and always has been. MacArthur can never compare with him. Maybe we’ll see something actually take shape in the next week or two.

That’s about all there is to say for things tonight so I’ll say so long ‘til next time,

Arlington