The Lull Before?

Tues. 4 Dec. ‘45

Manila

 

Dear folks,

Tues. afternoon and not much doing so I’ll write. Yesterday I got Dad’s Nov. 23 letter and another from Edna. No mail so far today but we might get some this afternoon. The boss got things taken care of yesterday and had my orders rescinded so I’m staying here. The way it stands now the outfit may deactivate this month and then we’ll all be transferred anyway. If that does happen the Major up at AFWESPAC wants to see me so I’ll probably end up with a fairly good job. We don’t know for sure just how long the outfit is going to hold together but expect to find out within a week. There goes another convoy of troops to the docks, the second or third today. Latest report is that we leave 50 pointers off the payroll so they must expect to drop below the present score of 55 yet this month. I sure hope so. If they get to 50 in Dec. they’ll be pretty close to us. Today’s paper says 45 points or 3 years service is expected to be good on Feb. 1. So that leaves us about 2 months before we will be eligible but I’m hoping it’s less. Maybe I’ll make it by St. Patrick’s Day yet.

Not much new outside of that. Last night we had “Salty O’Rourke” a movie about racing. We had seen it before back in Marseille last June. The pictures we are getting lately are rather old. Tonight we have “Gypsy Wildcat” which was on back in Maxey a year ago.

Not much doing today. Guess it’s the lull before? We’ll be shipping about 50 men out on points in the next few days so things will speed up some. This morning I got ambitious and wrote Aunt Edna a letter in answer to ½ dozen or so I had from her. I’m still way behind.

This afternoon I dug out my camera and we finished taking up the last roll of film. It had been in the camera about 5 months. Miller, Voth & I took 3 pictures back in Marseille in July and none had been taken since. The camera is in bad shape and maybe the pictures won’t come out as there are a lot of light leaks. We have our own developing outfit here so they should be ready in a day or so. We took a couple pictures of the section, a couple of me alone and one of Miller, Voth & I together. I am sending along 3 that one of the fellows took when we were in town together a week ago. The two taken in Manila are awfully dark and Miller & I are hardly visible. The third one taken here in the area came out fairly well. If the others are any good I’ll send them along too. I hope that spot doesn’t show up in the center of the film.

It doesn’t seem possible that Xmas is only 3 weeks away. It will be a year Saturday since we left Kilmer. It’s been a rugged year, I hope I never have to see another like it.

Well so much for that. There isn’t much else I can say so I’ll close up and go back to work for awhile. Bee seein’yo’

Arlington