60) I really live for your wonderful letters.-- Dec. 12th, 1944

Tacloban, Cancaboto Bay, Leyte, Philippines
APO 72 Leyte, Philippines

Philippine Islands
12/12/44, 10:15 P.M.
Dearest,

I just received your letters of Nov. 18 and Oct. 25th. I really don’t know what kept that Oct 25th one so long. I received Anne’s letter a long time ago. Guess it is too late to send back the cards now. I know you did a good job of choosing presents for all the family. I hope you all have a very nice Xmas. I wanted to send Xmas cards but the only things that were available were those U mail kind and they had pictures of flag’s, eagles, drums & stuff like that. That kind of stuff doesn’t have any thing to do with Xmas in my way of thinking.

I know you must be really busy what with the sorority activities and your studies. I hope you enjoy school as much now as when you first started. Sounds like lots of fun. I sure would like to sit next to you in some of your classes. Maybe you would do my homework for me.

Darling I keep wanting to see you more every day. Seems like the more I think about it the worse it gets. I really live for your wonderful letters. If anything can build up my morale it’s a couple of those letters from you. Please! Keep on just the way your going. I love it.

We have a swell tent now. It is up off the ground about 3 feet and has a nice wood floor and sides to keep out the rain. Boy! Does it rain up here. I never saw anything like it in my life. It is hotter here than it was right on the equator. Our camp is pretty cool because it’s in a coconut grove.

Well darling that is about all I can think of. I wish I could be with you tonite and every nite. I know that we will be together in not so very many months if everything works out.

Goodnite sweetheart and pleasant dreams.

I love you with all my heart.

Yours,
Jack

59) Lonely and sad noise of rain beating down on the palm branches. ---Dec. 1st, 1944

Tacloban, Cancaboto Bay, Leyte, Philippines
APO 72 Leyte, Philippines

Dec. 1st 44
9:30 PM
My darling,

I really have been neglecting to write to you. Sometimes it is almost impossible to write regularly. I’ve often said to myself, I’ll write every other day. It seems to work out for a while then something will keep me from writing then maybe I can’t write for several days. So you see any system like that simply doesn’t work over any period of time longer than just a few days. I believe that now that you are a little bit busy yourself, you can realize just how hard it is to carry on a regular correspondence. You must admit that I do write more regularly to you than I do to anyone else. Maybe the fact that I’m in love makes some difference.

We really had a feast in the tent tonite. Fried chicken again. One of the fellows from the kitchen fried them. They weren’t as good as when Ralph & I fried them but chicken is chicken I always say. We ate it down to the dry bones and could have eaten lots more. While you are doing that cooking around home you might as well get to know how to fry chicken. I will probably be getting you to fix me some.

Darling I am so glad you got in the sorority that you wanted. Sure will make it a lot more fun to go to school. I know that you won’t have any trouble keeping good grades for the whole semester. I really don’t see how you can write letters to me from the classroom though. However, I shouldn’t say anything as long as I am getting your swell letters. After all it’s those letters that keep me going.

Anytime I get disgusted and blue or feel lonely I get out some of your letters and look through the pictures I have and honestly it really helps me somehow.

Just knowing that your back there waiting and hoping. Maybe someday I can explain it better to you. Might sound a little crazy but its true.

I got the last copy of the Courier Journal today along with it a letter from you dated Nov. 16th.

You will have to excuse the writing if it is a little worse than usual tonite. The fellows in the tent all went to bed and when the last one went to bed he turned out the light so I am writing this from inside the insect bar. It is raining out now and the rain beating down on the palm branches and the tent really makes a lonely and sad noise. I have the flashlight on and I am laying here just thinking how nice it would be to be where I could see you and visit you once in a while.

Right now I am getting so tired I can hardly hold my head up. Maybe I ate too much chicken.

Anyway I can’t mail this till tomorrow so I’ll finish this then. I will close this now and get it in the mail. Remember I love you with all my heart.

Yours, 

 Jack

My best to Anne & your Mom