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