- my history
About Metamorphosis
A collection of poetry
Life Forms on Mars
A short story
THE WAR YEARS
Letters from Home
A recreation of life in Guadalupe, California in 1944 from
comments in letters by my mom to my dad and from personal memories.
To be added later.
The 165 days in the combat zone, Luzon, The Philippines, 1945. A limited recreation of what my dad faced and experienced from whatever comments I can find in letters from him to my mom and from a few memories of comments he made about his war experiences.
When my dad was reassigned to overseas he was in the 274 Rep. Co., 14th Rep. Bu. As of March 26, 1945 his unit became Co. F, 161st Infantry. He saw 91 continuous days of combat in Luzon, the Philippines, from early March into early June 1945. He was rotated to a resting area and was part of the occupation forces in Japan at which time he was assigned to Co. 4, 4th Infantry.
Letters from home
The Souvenirs of War
Letters to home
May 31, 1945
Somewhere in the Philippines
Dearest Professor, Jerry & Mike
Well how are you feeling today? I am ok, I guess. I just got some letters from you and was proud to get them , but instead of helping my moral it must have knocked it down quite a bit. For the way you sounded in the letters you were discouraged and seemed like nothing suited you. Well maybe you have a right to be but what do you think about the guys over here . Things never go right to suit us but we have to grin and bear it whether we like it or not.
You should be thankful Professor that you have a roof over your head and a nice bed to sleep in and that you have two wonderful children to be with you , and , although , you think they are alot of trouble to take care of, don't you think that they are well worth the while (effort)?
I just wished that it was where I could be with you and them but it isn't now, yet someday if I come through it ok I will. I know that you get terribly lonesome at times but do you stay that way all the time? Just put yourself in my place out here in a foxhole just wondering if the Japs are coming or if you're going to have to go after them. And believe me going out looking for trouble is no fun or have a Jap mortar to zero in on you and not know from one minute to the next whether the next one will get you or not . There are lots more things too, like being wet all over and trying to sleep in a wet foxhole or going without water so long til it seemed like you could drink the ocean dry.
That is what's known as a living hell and if I can stand it looks like you would be satisfied to wait on me and try not to get so discouraged. As far as getting lonesome , all I think about is home and I'm praying I can see it again. When you start feeling down and out sometimes and think everything's against you just think about Cook's wife. She has a little baby that he never saw and never will.
- (A footnote: Cook was one
of my dad's closest two war buddies and was killed in the same foxhole
that he was sharing with my dad sometime between March 26, 1945 and
April 8, 1945.)
You said that you didn't blame Jack Lowe for going with that girl , that she probably was lonesome and all that. Well maybe she was but what is her husband over here fighting for? I'll tell you, he's fighting to keep his home and people free where they can do as they like and he's dreaming of a time when he can go home to his wife and love her. Now how do you think he would feel when he found out that she had been running around with Jack Lowe?
In my estimation both of them are to blame and to me they're lower than even a Jap. And we shoot Japs over like anyone would a rabbit. But for them killing is too good. Now you know how I feel about that.
You asked me if I cared for you going to a dance with Tony and Inez. Well if you feel like it and want to, go ahead but you know how I feel about it. I thought that you had decided not to go to any dances until I come home and when I read that in one of your letters about a week ago I was really proud and it made me feel good that you thought so much of me that going to a dance without me wouldn't be no good. Why don't you wait til I get back when we can enjoy each other. I know you get tired of me saying wait this and wait that but what else can I say.
I have been closer to God than I ever was since I've been over here and I've learned alot too. Please don't think I'm trying to preach I'm just telling you these things to let you get an idea of how I feel about things. I just wished I was good enough to be a preacher.
About going to church, why don't you try a little bit harder. Don't you think it would make you feel better to go and I know if you want to hard enough I believe you can go. But I don't want you to go feeling you should for it won't do you no good.
Sweetheart it hurt me to have to write this letter but I felt like I should. I only wish I was there to talk to you then you would understand how I feel. I had my pictures out just this morning looking at them and thinking of the good times we've had together and thinking of when we can have those times together again. We can can't we?
Sweetheart I'll never do nothing to hurt you, so won't you try not to hurt me?
Well I'll sign off now. You can remember what I said or forget it. But I'm hoping you remember. I'll always love you no matter what.
Your devoted husband
Marshall
Footnote: I aim to scan in this letter in the near future.
July 8, 2007
© Jerry Copeland