77) I am in constant fear that somehow we will be separated.---Feb. 16, 1945

APO 321 Mindoro, Philippines

Somewhere in the Philippines

10:10 PM Feb. 16th 45

My darling,

Another long day gone by with lots of swell thougths of you but no mail.  I really did expect a few letters today.  Funny how you expect letters more on some days than you do on others.  Ever feel like that?  I thought of you last night until I finally fell asleep.  What have you been doing?  You tell me you are in a swell sorority with lots of nice girls.  Why don’t you tell me what some of the people you come in contact with are like?  What do you do on week-ends?  Do you still practice cooking or cleaning the house.  The simple little things you do and all that happens.  I think that if I know some of these things it will help be be ready to share them with you in the future. 

The most wonderful thing that I could imagine would be you & I doing things for each other and sharing all we have & all we are and all that happens.  Can you dream of anything that would be a more complete happiness.  I want so much for this to be all over soon so we can be together.  I am in constant fear that somehow we will be seperated.  Don’t ever let it happen that way.

We have been doing practically nothing for the last week.  It is so hot here in the daytime & about this time at nite (10:15 PM) it is very chilly.  Tonite it is really quite breezy out.  I hope the tent don’t blow down.

Bing Crosby is on the radio now and singing some swell songs.  “I Heard You Cried Last nite.”  Any songs he sings are swell.

The boys in the tent have just broken up a card game and it is getting a little bit too noisy for the way I feel so I suppose I had better quit & go to bed.

Goodnite darling & sweet dreams,

Yours,

Jack

NOTES:

1. 9th FS Unit History- "February 14th a rumor arose that our Group was to exchange camps with the 18th Fighter Group, 13th Air Force, located at Lingayen on Luzon. For almost a week this rumor bounced around and was denied consistently. On 16 February cover was maintained over the beachhead at Nasugbu, Luzon, but the enemy made no appearance. On this day the news came that our Navy planes were attacking Tokyo in great strength. Needless to say, this news occasioned great elation."
2. I Heard You Cried Last Night---This is a link to Frank Sinatra singing this song-- I couldn't find the Bing Crosby version. The music was written by Jerrie Kruger and composed by Ted Grouya. Click to listen

76) Jack visits some farmers, scores some corn and continues to imagine a future life with Betty---Feb. 11, 1945

APO 321 Mindoro, Philippines

Philippine Islands
10 PM 11th Feb. 45
Dearest,

Well it hasn’t been so many days between letters this time. I hope you will realize how things are at this end. Today was my day off. Yes! We are getting a day off now and then. I went back in the hills with one of the fellows who also had time off. It being Sunday we visited some Filipino farmers we know who live near here. We were treated swell as is the usual custom over here. We ate all kind of fruit & brought back about 40 ears of sweet corn, which we have been stuffing ourselves on all evening. I went to sleep about 7 & just woke up a minute ago.

Darling I just had to write to you today. I got up on the high hill top today over looking the whole country around here. We took about a hours rest and Pete fell asleep by a small tree. I just sat there and day dreamed & hoped & wished that you were with me. If I had had a pen & paper with me I could have written the most wonderful letter. I thought about all the little things I want for us when we can be together for keeps. Just that feeling that I know you are holding on back there & waiting for me, somehow makes it all O.K. I’ll go anyplace & do anything if I can just feel that there is someone who loves & understands me waiting to live together in a swell world. (After we straighten it out a little.)

I do hope you have lots of fun at the parties & teas & dances & games you have been going to. I want you to have lots of fun and don’t worry too much about me. I’ll get my share of the quiet life when I get back. Excitement is getting old about this time. I just want to get back and take things easy & really live in style.

I received you mother’s & Anne’s letters & I sure enjoyed hearing from them both. Your Mom writes a swell letter. An Anne is just as crazy as ever. How does she like being called double-ugly? That’s a special nickname reserved for Pops very special favorites. He sure likes both of you girls. Writes about how sweet you are all the time. As if I really didn’t know. Ha! Ha!

Well that’s about the way things run from this end of that long wire.

Oh! Yes! I received two wonderful letters yesterday. Jan. 20th & 23rd. I hope my letters to you will be coming through better by this time.

Goodnight my darling & sweet dreams always.

I love you more each hour.

Jack

Love to your Mom & Anne (double-ugly)

75) Jack continues to dream of post-war plans---Feb. 7, 1945

APO 321 Mindoro, Philippines

Philippines
2-7-45

Dearest,

I know that you will probably never understand why the letters from me are so irregular. Honey I want you to continue to be as patient about it as you have been. Sometimes I feel like I could write pages & pages & when I get the pen in my hand and the paper in front of me I don’t know what to say. It’s a funny thing and I don’t really understand it all myself. So bear with me till we can be together where letter writting won’t be important at all. I don’t want to get very far from you once I get home.

We are quite busy and the days are very hot over here. We are lucky and have very cool nites. I always sleep with one blanket. As for the food, well, it seems to improve then all at once get bad. I guess by this time I am about resigned to it. Guess a person can get used to anything even if he don’t like it. We actually had fresh butter yesterday. Last week we got in a small supply of PX supplies. Speaking of supplies I haven’t gotten very many of the packages you all sent. I haven’t given up hope yet though. Maybe I’ll see some of them.

Darling I really don’t know just how to tell you about my plans for after the war till I can be with you and hold your hand and talk the whole thing over. Maybe if I wrote them in a letter you would get the wrong idea or not like the ideas & then I could not argue with you. See what I mean. Some of these plans I want to be a surprise to you. A very sweet & pleasant surprise. Don’t you have some suggestions for the future?

Remember & remember always that I love you with all my heart and nothing what ever will keep me from coming to you as soon as I possibly can.

Every day in evey way I dream of what you are doing and wish I could be with you.

I love you always & all ways,
Jack

My love to Anne & your Mom.

I haven’t received a letter from you in 1 week, today’s mail will maybe bring a bunch of letters. I’ll cross my fingers & hope.

I think the reason my mail didn’t get to you was a delay in the transportation from this end. They used all the planes in the invasion of Luzon.

NOTES:

1. From 9th Fighter Squadron Unit History--Feb. 1945--- "The 9th got off to a bad start this month when 2nd Lt. J. Forgey, returning from a routine convoy escort mission, crashed when making his approach to Hill strip. He informed his wingman by radio that he was in trouble, and a few seconds later his plane crashed and exploded; he was unable to get out prior to the crash and perished in the accident.  February 8th the squadron sent 13 planes on a dive-bombing mission to Luzon. Targets on lower Bataan Peninsula were hit and Corregidor Island bombed with good results. On the 12th, 14 of our planes dropped 1000 lb. bombs on the same targets with excellent results." 
2. Invasion of Luzon--9 Jan-27 Feb 1945---"With Mindoro secured, American forces were now just south of Luzon. While MacArthur's intention was to make his main landing assault at Lingayen in northern Luzon, elaborate attempts at deception were made in the south. He had his aircraft unceasingly make reconnaissance flights and bombing missions in southern Luzon. Transport aircraft made many paradrops with dummies, while minesweepers cleared Balagan, Batangas, and Tayabas Bays. Filipino resistance fighters in southern Luzon, too, were called to conduct major sabotage attempts. All the effort was to provide a false notion that the American landing was to take place in southern Luzon instead of Lingayen. General Tomoyuki Yamashita, commander of the Japanese ground forces in the Philippines, must had at least been slightly unsure, for he did not move his headquarters to northern Luzon until after the landing had already taken place at Lingayen. The opening amphibious operation at Luzon landed more men than the first wave of the Normandy landing, and 175,000 were ashore within the first few days, securing a beachhead twenty miles wide. When all of his first-phase landers set foot on Luzon, MacArthur would have 280,000 men at his disposal; that was more than Eisenhower had in the campaigns for North Africa, Italy, or southern France."  Link to article