Episode 39: Dirty Skunk

Episode 39: Donald loses big-time playing craps, and regales Feloma with stories from his 15-day training cruise on the USS Pierce.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:13

Welcome to 500 Letters Banana. I'm Carson. I'm Katie. And we have some big news today.

SPEAKER_00 0:19

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 0:19

Katie's like, do we? We do tell. We do. We have to say goodbye to our Trailblazers. Because it occurred to me mid-last episode that Donald is now a wild cat. He is. So guess what? We're wildcats.

SPEAKER_02 0:39

Oh no.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Hi, wildcats. That's right. Welcome, wildcats.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

Welcome to 500 letters. Welcome to the pod. Thank you so much for listening. Wildcats. Yes. You're right.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

He has um he had to get rid of the old Trailblazer patch. They ripped it off as soon as he got there. Now he is a Trailblazer. I mean, oh he's a wild cat.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

Yeah. He begrudgingly had to give up that patch. He did. And he is now part of the 81st.

SPEAKER_01 1:09

He had to walk 800 miles to get that patch. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

And he did.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

But now he is a wildcat. And as are you, listener.

SPEAKER_00 1:17

Yep. He um had his first uh what do you call it? It's not really a graduation, but you know, he passed his initial courses and whatnot. So he is officially a wildcat.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

He's officially a wildcat. He's made it to his company. So he is a wild cat. He's part of the 81st. Yeah. I love that. I don't have a vicious, I don't have a vicious wildcat cry.

SPEAKER_00 1:41

I know. What if I just ripped a total lion roar? I hope you do. Yeah, if only. Okay. So I don't have anything else. That was a good one though. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

We're wildcats.

SPEAKER_00 1:53

Yeah, I I do like that.

SPEAKER_01 1:54

It's getting crazy up in here.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

Okay. All right. So getting right into it today.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

This is the 133rd letter. I know. We are in March 28th, 1944. So what was the letter that we ended on last week?

SPEAKER_01 2:13

Okay, it's been two weeks. He his last letter was the 13th. And he did say he was going out, I believe, on a cruise.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

Yes, a 15-day cruise.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

He was gonna go bass fishing.

SPEAKER_00 2:23

Down the river. He was gonna go down the river, excuse me. Yes. Get some bass. Yeah. Um, so he is back now from that 15-day cruise. Okay. So he has a lot to go. It really was 15 days.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

It really was, yeah. Wow, is this gonna be a long letter?

SPEAKER_00 2:37

This is a long letter. Is it really?

SPEAKER_01 2:40

He had a lot to say, Kate. He had a lot to say. Well, he had a lot to say in general, but it's gonna be a lot now. Okay, does he have a pile of letters from Philoma waiting for him? I don't know. So my guess last time was like 18, and it was way off. So uh I'm gonna say he had 10 letters waiting for him. Okay, we'll see.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

Okay. All right. Okay. March 28th, 1944. Okay. My dear Philoma. Well, kid, it's been quite some time ago since I've heard from you, and it's the same length since I've wrote to you. Also, I would have liked to send a telegram, but I'm really broke, and I mean broke. He must have been playing some craps. I don't even have enough money to buy a stamp with. It's a damn good thing I have some on hand, or I wouldn't even be able to send a letter airmail. Donald. I have so many things to write about. I don't know where to start first. So I guess I'll start out on the subject of why I'm broke. Oh, I think I know. Okay. Here goes. When I boarded the ship Wednesday, I had 148 bucks. Donald. Which I had won a few days before I was going to send you home 50 the day before I left.

SPEAKER_01 4:07

He should have.

SPEAKER_00 4:08

But I was on KP and I didn't have time to write a letter to you because I didn't get off KP until 11 30.

SPEAKER_01 4:16

You know, he did say in that letter that he had KP the next day, and then he thought he was gonna leave after that.

SPEAKER_00 4:22

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 4:22

So that's right.

SPEAKER_00 4:24

And by the time I packed my gas mask and clothes, it was 1 30 a.m. Wednesday morning, and we started to load on the boat at four. So it was impossible. So I got in a crap game and was doing fairly well till a fellow by the name of Rogers slipped a pair of loaded dice in the game, and I lost every cent I had. I even had to bum cigarettes. Wow. It was a bad thing for me to do, but when I seen I was losing, I tried to get it back, but you know how it goes, and I lost my ass. Wow. Now in his defense, loaded dice, kind of hard to beat those. Absolutely. You can't. Yeah, I know. So does Donald. After I lost, I kept watching the game, and finally I decided the dice were crooked. So I picked them up, and sure enough, they were heavy on the sevens. Boy, then the fun started. Everybody wanted to lick him, but there was no use after it happened. So this is just me talking now. I don't understand why there's no use after it happened. Get your money back. It was unfair. Uh, you can get at least $100 back. Yeah, yeah. Um, absolutely not. Give me my money back, you cheat. Yeah. Dirty dog. He goes on. Well, anyway, when the game broke up, Rogers had $2,300. That's $43,000 our money. He won $43,000. Oh. Isn't that insane? That is insane.

SPEAKER_01 6:13

That is insane. It's awful. I mean, $2,300 is a lot of money. Now it's a lot of money. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

$40,000 what was it? $43,000?

SPEAKER_01 6:23

$43,000.

SPEAKER_00 6:25

He says a nice pile of dough, wasn't it? They didn't let him keep it, did they? I don't know. It seems like they did. I don't know. They are nuts. Because he's broke. He didn't get his money back. Oh my gosh. I know. That's crazy. You know, when I used to write and tell you I was about broke, I always had about a hundred bucks in my pocket. I usually kept enough on hand for a furlough if one ever turned up. Oh, plus his heart. I always felt safe and sure of myself. And now I'm sort of nervous and not sure because I don't really know anybody real well. And when you're a stranger, money is your best friend.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

But you know what? If I were Flum and I got this letter, I would be so mad. Mm-hmm. Because of the phone bills, and she's, you know. Oh my gosh. That uh wow. Bless her heart to get this letter. I mean, he comes out with it. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. He's not, yeah, he's not gonna hide it.

SPEAKER_00 7:31

No, he he gets it over and done with. Okay. I also borrowed eight bucks and lost that. I'm a dirty skunk, aren't I? So he's actually eight dollars in the hole. Oh, don't old. Well, I guess that will teach me a lesson. But I really didn't have that much dough to spend that way, but it's gone. And it's too bad because I always have you in mind. Whenever I shoot crap, I was always trying to win so I could buy you something. I always wanted to win a lot.

SPEAKER_01 8:02

I mean, I do think his intentions were good, but the intentions don't pay the bills.

SPEAKER_00 8:07

They sure don't, no. Wow. I always was trying to win four or five hundred so I could send it home to you to buy yourself a bedroom suite. But I guess I'm not that lucky. Oh. So, kid, I wish you would send me some dough. I hate to ask you. He's asking her for you. Which he hit like never does.

SPEAKER_01 8:27

Not only am I broke, but I gotta ask you for money because I am so broke. That's scary. I understand why he would need money.

SPEAKER_00 8:34

Oh, yeah. No, you gotta have some walking around money. What are you talking about? I hate to ask you for this, kid, but I'm really up against it, or you know I wouldn't ask you for it. If you don't have it on hand, go to the bank and get some and send it to me because I really need it. Wow. Oh, that must have been so hard for it.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Heartbreaker. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:54

I received all your letters dated up to the 25th, and also your packages. So I can't tell you when the packages got here, but I got them anyway, and thanks a lot. That's quite a cigarette lighter, isn't it? Oh. So she must have gotten something nice. So he doesn't say how many letters he received from her, but letters with an S. So and packages. Mm-hmm. Well, now I'll try to explain the trip. I left Wednesday and loaded over the nets into NP boats and LCP and rode out to sea about four mile where the transports were waiting for us. So he says distinctly in the letter NP boats. I couldn't find a single thing about an NP boat. What I could find was PT boats, um, and they're called patrol torpedo boats. They were small, fast, and versatile for the U.S. Navy vessels in World War II, primary, primarily used for scouting and rescuing pilots. They were considered expendable. Um so I don't know, but they do say PT boats primarily came in two sizes: the 80-foot Elko and the 78-foot Higgins. Okay. So the Higgins are what you see in like the um Saving Private Ryan. Yes, thank you. On Normandy, where it like folds down. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:18

Yeah, it has that flap that folds down where they can run on shore.

SPEAKER_00 10:22

Exactly. So he's what I think he's talking about are these types of boats. So I'm showing you pictures of the two kind of okay.

SPEAKER_01 10:28

The other one looks kind of like a speed boat.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

Yeah, those ones were faster. They were like, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:34

They look fast. I don't know where people would go.

SPEAKER_00 10:36

Yeah, I don't so I don't exactly know because I guess in the boat on below depth, but I mean it's not anyway. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 10:45

The the PP boat does he got picked up at shore and was taken out four miles. Yes. I what I don't know if it would have been that kind of boat like from saving private rank because that would be a long ride. But I guess they go they went across the channel in it. Well, they use it to ferry people. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:02

That's fair.

SPEAKER_00 11:03

So I don't know. He did say NP boats distinctly in the letter. I could not find a single thing about that, so I don't know what the heck he's talking about. Okay. Okay. Anyway. Okay. We started out on our voyage. God only knows where we were, and boy, what a mess. Half the fellows seasick, vomiting was a sad sight. We made four landings on the whole trip, and they were pretty rough. There were enough brass and silver on the beach watching us to sink a ship. Wow. About the fifth day, we went out.

SPEAKER_01 11:39

We went across. Hold on. Hold on one second. So he went four miles offshore and he got on another boat. He got on a ship. He got on a ship that he basically was living on. Correct. And anytime they went on shore, do you think he probably got back in like with the same kind of boat? Yes, I do. Okay. Yes, I do. So that would make sense that that's kind of they're basically just practicing. Okay. Yeah. Probably jumping from island to island up there. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 12:05

They hit well, we'll see. Okay. About the fifth day out, we went across the USS California, the battleship. I was thinking of, and then there is a word that doesn't make sense, McDonald. Okay, so it's a person. I'm wondering if it's a nickname, but I don't understand it. So it's somebody McDonald. So um he goes on to say, if he's still on that ship, I wish you could ask his dad or mother. Maybe they haven't heard from him in a long time, and they would like to know where he's at. So you can tell them I run across his ship about 300 miles out from San Diego. Oh my gosh. So a few things here. There's a lot there, yeah. There's a lot here. So um the first thing I want to talk about very quickly is this McDonald's kid.

SPEAKER_01 12:58

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:59

So he was one. Sorry, I have a picture I want to show you. This was in um Nanny's scrapbook. So there were eight brothers from the same family, the McDonald's, serving in World War II. Eight brothers. Are they from Pennsylvania? They're from Mildred, right down the road. Oh my gosh. Yes. So it was Leo, Paul, George, Joseph, Gerald, James, Bernard, and Eugene. So I have no idea which one he's talking about, but one of them was on the California.

SPEAKER_01 13:32

You said Leo Paul so fast, I thought it was Leopold. But it's Leo, Paul, George, Joseph, Gerald, James, Bernard, and Eugene. Man, that's a wreck of names.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

I know. I know. So I thought that was crazy that he talked about him.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

Most of those brothers look like they were in the Navy. Six of them do.

SPEAKER_00 13:51

So the majority of the McDonald's brothers were in the Navy.

SPEAKER_01 13:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:54

Yeah. A couple of them were in the Army.

SPEAKER_01 13:57

Yeah. Wow. So basically, Donald ran into one of those brothers.

SPEAKER_00 14:03

He didn't actually see him. He just saw his ship.

SPEAKER_01 14:06

Oh. He knows that one of the McDonald's brothers is on that ship.

SPEAKER_00 14:13

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 14:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:14

And he said, tell their parents secrets that he is 300 miles from San Diego. I'm sure they're not supposed to know that. Okay. Yeah. Donald was spilling all the tea. He didn't care. It was probably comforting to them to hear it anyway.

SPEAKER_01 14:26

Yeah, that's funny.

SPEAKER_00 14:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:28

I mean, I would feel better about him being on a boat near San Diego, too.

SPEAKER_00 14:32

Exactly. And so the other thing I wanted to briefly talk about was the USS California itself.

SPEAKER_01 14:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:39

Um, so that boat was actually in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Oh, okay. And it was moderately damaged. Um, but they fixed it. The the crazy thing about it was it was actually sunk at Pearl Harbor and they raised it up and repaired it.

SPEAKER_01 14:58

No, they didn't.

SPEAKER_00 14:59

They did.

SPEAKER_01 15:00

It must not have been in very deep water. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_00 15:04

Yeah, I know. Isn't that they didn't bring her back? Yeah. And then so it went on to help operations in the Pacific War, including the Mariana and Palau Islands. Um, and she's sturdy. She's sturdy, and then it helped with uh the Battle of Okinawa and the was planning to do it. Where is it now? Oh, it's it's scrapped now.

SPEAKER_01 15:28

Oh, it it's not like living a happy life in a well, I don't think it's still active. That's not what I mean. No, I know. You know how they have like boats in different places. Yes, like I don't know. I don't know my boats.

SPEAKER_00 15:41

No, but just when I was reading about it, I thought the history of like it was through Pearl Harbor, it sank, they raised it up, they patched it up, and then they sent it to battle again in the Pacific. I think that's amazing. Yeah, so just very brief history of the California. That's interesting. Mm-hmm. Okay. So he goes on about the oil skin sack. So I'm assuming he sent this to her.

SPEAKER_01 16:07

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

That's to put over a rifle so the water won't rest it. The field jacket you can give to your mom or give it to Newt if she doesn't want it. If your dad can use it, give it to him. I'll leave it up to you, but let me know who you give it to. What was it? A field jacket. He sent another one home. Oh, he sent another one. I wonder if that's the one I have then, because it's a little bigger. It's the one he procured. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:32

You have a hot field jacket.

SPEAKER_00 16:34

Uh-oh. Don't tell anyone.

SPEAKER_01 16:36

Maybe that's why it was never worn.

SPEAKER_00 16:38

Maybe. That's funny.

SPEAKER_01 16:40

Because you did well, it's not a 40, but it was a little bigger than what you thought your nanny would wear.

SPEAKER_00 16:45

Yeah. Yeah. It's interesting. Hmm. I bought myself an officer's field jacket just before I left. So I got that much out of that dough I lost. I can hardly get over it though. I was planning so much on surprising you by sending you home $50 to buy you a pair of waders and a fish pole. Because I want you to have just as much as I have. Because you and I are going to do a lot together after this is over.

SPEAKER_01 17:13

Okay. I mean all the woodemans, the could have beens, and the should'veins. I know. Oh. That's tough.

SPEAKER_00 17:23

You bet I was thinking of you on our anniversary. So their anniversary is March 24th. Oh, okay. Okay. Because at 11 30 p.m. of the 23rd, I was just getting off the ship, getting into an LCP, getting ready to make a landing. Interesting. So I saw our anniversary come in and I was awake all day till 2 a.m. on the 25th. So I was awake when it came in and awake when it went out. Oh, that's kind of cute. I know. These LCP are about 36 feet long and 10 feet wide and hold 36 men. I was sitting on the bottom looking. What does LCP stand for? That's the boat with the thing that comes down. Yeah and saving Private Ryan. Oh, oh, oh. It stands for landing craft personnel.

SPEAKER_01 18:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

Yeah. Okay. I was sitting on the bottom looking at the stars and thinking about you very much. At this time, you were still sleeping because it was from one it was from 11 o'clock PM till 6 a.m. of the 24th. You probably was to work by the time it got to 6 a.m. Because it would have been 9 home. Then the night of the 24th, I lay on the beach awake all night, looking up with the stars, thinking of you. Only the roar of the waves breaking the silence. It sort of makes a lump come in my throat when I think for so long about you. It's a son of a gun when a fellow is laying on the ground awake in the night and looking up at the stars, thinking about home.

SPEAKER_01 19:06

I gotta say, he's kind of romantic here. I know. He asked for forgiveness for gambling, and he's like now trying to smooth smooth it over with the anniversary, you know.

SPEAKER_00 19:18

Uh-huh. I I usually try to visualize you sleeping about half curled up, the lamp burning in the hall, the doll sitting on the chair, all your pins hanging in the corner, all those things I think about. There were four transports and five LST, two submarines, a couple of cruisers, and the battleship California in our convoy. I was on the USS Pierce, a new transport just built last year. It's about a 10,000-ton ship. Okay, so he's correct.

SPEAKER_01 19:58

Did he just get on the boat to get from point A to point B or was that where he was like That's where he was living.

SPEAKER_00 20:04

Living, okay. He was living on the Pierce.

SPEAKER_01 20:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:07

Um that boat was commissioned in June of 43.

SPEAKER_01 20:10

Okay, this is like eight or ten months later. Okay, ten months later.

SPEAKER_00 20:15

The other troop ships were the Comet, Moravian, and the Alabama. The ship I was on just came back from the Marshall Islands. It took the 7th Division down there where it landed on Macon Island. You probably read about it. She was hit twice down there, and in the compartment where you sleep, you could see one of the holes that was welded up. Wow. So from Wiki, thank you, Wiki, okay, it says the Pierce took the 7th Division to the Marshall Islands in January 44. The capture followed the same pattern as Macon, only at much larger scale, was achieved within a week. Upon departure, Pierce was sent to the Naval Repair Base in San Diego, California for an overhaul. After that, on March 14th, 1944, she commenced the training of three landing teams of the 81st Infantry Division, totaling some 200 officers and 4,000 enlisted men. And Donald would say the Wildcats are part of the 81st. That's it.

SPEAKER_01 21:21

It was the 14th of March. He was there. That's crazy. Well, he had KP on the 14th and he was leaving on the 15th. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 21:28

Well, he she but she got there. The Pierce got there. This training took place at Coronado Strand, San Clemente Island, and Aliso Canyon, California, and consumed the next six weeks. And then she sailed to Pearl Harbor. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 21:44

So yeah. So for three of those weeks, Donald was living on her. Yes. Katie, that's crazy.

SPEAKER_00 21:50

And he saw where they welded it up after she was hit in um the Marshall Islands.

SPEAKER_01 21:55

Okay. You know, this letter started out with him like asking for forgiveness. Uh huh. I've forgotten all about it. This is kind of interesting.

SPEAKER_00 22:03

So interesting. And um, that's fascinating, Katie. I know. There really is. And him like seeing the holes where they welded it up. I loved that. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:13

I mean, wow. Mm-hmm. That's just kind of crazy.

SPEAKER_00 22:16

I know. When I read that on Wiki, I was like, oh that's nuts. That's nuts. Boy. It was really terrific on these troop ships. It starts. He's joking, by the way. Sorry. I was like, really? It was good. No, I saw your face. He's kidding. It starts to Okay, you got me, Donald. It starts to smell of sweat and oil and guns. Oh, yeah. In about three days.

SPEAKER_01 22:44

My husband says boats have a smell. They just they have a particular smell.

SPEAKER_00 22:49

Well, it's just like metal and body.

SPEAKER_01 22:51

I mean, we we took the kids on some boat sometime, you know, like like like what I was talking about, like where is the California now? You know, we went on one of those boats, and of course, I can't remember the name of it, but my husband's like, oh, this smells like a boat. Oh, he knew that smell. Sure. I mean, because he was in the Marines before he was in the army. Right, brings back all the memory. He spent some time on some boats, you know. I bet. Yeah, and he was like, it just has a smell. You can't you can't forget it. He lived on I mean, he lived on the boat.

SPEAKER_00 23:21

Right. You know, no, he totally understands.

SPEAKER_01 23:22

I bet any I mean he was living on an aircraft carrier. So I mean, that's a big boat.

SPEAKER_00 23:27

I'm sure anybody listening who has been through that is like, oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 23:30

Yeah, it just has a smell, is what he said. I'm like, well, what's it? He's like, it's just a certain smell. Like when he went back on it, he was like, Oh, I know the smell. But I mean, it's like all that stuff, the the the odor, the smell, the this, the that. Like it just it has, you know. They smeared their smell on it.

SPEAKER_00 23:50

Ew. Well, you know, to your point, he goes on. You can imagine there was 78 of us sleeping in a space about as big as our garage. So you can just imagine how it is with all your packs and barracks bags. Boy, it was really tough sleeping in these close quarters. I didn't get sick though. I was surprised. I guess I have a good stomach. I mean, he does.

SPEAKER_01 24:18

He's got fortitude.

SPEAKER_00 24:22

I fished one afternoon off the boat and caught ten Spanish mackerel. Good for him. I was thinking if you could have had them home, it would have been nice. The fellows would have enjoyed them. I got some chalk line off some sailors, and I made a hook out of some steel wire, and the cooks gave me some beefsteak. So I was all set. I mean, this man is resourceful. Mm-hmm. I really enjoyed it. They were about 18 inches long and they were really nice. That'd be fun to catch. He probably got the same fish. He got the one dumb one in the ocean. They're a beautiful fish when you see them fresh. The captain asked me for them, so I gave them to him and the cooks to fix them for him.

unknown 25:10

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 25:11

Aren't you something, Donald? Yes. I have a picture of what they look like. So he says a Spanish mackerel, but he's in the Pacific. So of course I looked it up. There is a quote Spanish mackerel, but it's actually a chub mackerel. It's a mackerel. A chub mackerel in the Pacific. So that's what it is right there. It is pretty.

SPEAKER_01 25:29

Yeah. How big? 18 inches? Mm-hmm. Yeah. Well, that's what he says. Did he have a license? Go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 25:36

No. The captain let him keep them. I know. The captain didn't care. He was like, yum. Yum. Fresh fish. Fire those up.

SPEAKER_01 25:44

Yeah. And the cooks are like, thanks for making us do more work. I know.

SPEAKER_00 25:49

They're like, awesome. Love processing fish. Yeah. We weren't allowed to smoke from sunset to sunrise on account of Japanese submarines. That scares the absolute crap out of me. I hate that. I hate that thought. That's crazy. Of just like something under the.

SPEAKER_01 26:07

It's like you had to black out your windows. Oh. I mean, I'd be okay with that. I don't know that I feel like you wouldn't be able to see a cigarette light, but I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 26:20

I mean, I feel like you'd be far enough away that you couldn't really see the tiny little light, but well, and maybe it's just a point where like if you think about not even doing a cigarette, then you're not going to do a flashlight. You're not doing something bigger. I just get it. I hate the idea of something underneath me. I I don't like it. In these 15 days, I seen 12 men get killed. Ooh. And I would say about 30 that got legs broke, and besides the cuts and gashes on their arms and eyes. You know, when you load off them nets over the side of the ship, somebody drops a rifle or the helmet falls off and it falls down in the bow on somebody. There was a sailor who died of a heart attack, and one of the seaplanes came out and got them. It's quite an experience to go through. I hope I don't have any more of it. The salt water made sores on my feet. Interesting. Mm-hmm. He probably can get his feet out of his boots. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 27:22

They're probably just wet.

SPEAKER_00 27:23

Mm-hmm. Two of the LCVP that were carrying the bulldozers sank. They busted about ten of the little boats all to pieces making these landings.

SPEAKER_01 27:35

Okay, so they maybe ran ashore and just broke apart?

SPEAKER_00 27:40

Sure. Sure. They could be. Um, and I was wondering like bulldozers. Yeah, they had bulldozers to like clear stuff on the beach.

SPEAKER_01 27:48

Well, that's they said that in Guadalcanal. Yeah. They were talking about how they had to clear. They had to clear things.

SPEAKER_00 27:54

They did.

SPEAKER_01 27:55

So the Japanese had a lot of the that equipment already there.

unknown 27:59

Ah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:00

So I mean the the Americans may have brought some in, but they talked about they did, you're right. Like when they built in Guadalcanal, the Japanese were there, I I guess first. And they built that big landing strip where planes were landing. Yeah, Japan took over and then they had the bulldozers there to clear the strip. And then they paved it and all that so the planes could come in.

SPEAKER_00 28:26

Yeah. Yeah. I guess I just wasn't thinking logistically, how do you make camps and things like that? You're gonna need a bulldozer.

SPEAKER_01 28:32

Yeah, because you're you're clearing areas, right? So they did have that kind of stuff. Yeah. So again, I think in Donald's brain, he's like, wow, the waste. The the that I mean Oh yeah. Oh I mean, yeah, you're losing all this equipment.

SPEAKER_00 28:46

That's crazy. We used our life belts for pillows at night, and in the daytime you had to wear them all the time. On one of the landings, we hit a coral reef and run aground. Our gate wouldn't go down, so we had to jump over the side, and boy, did we ever get wet. I mean, you're jumping off a boat into the ocean. What did he this man couldn't swim? What did he do? He was wearing a life vest.

SPEAKER_01 29:12

Oh my gosh. The water was about 40 feet deep off the reef. First of all, have you ever jumped off anything with a life jacket on? Yes. It's horrible. Miserable. Because like you you try to go down and you you don't go anywhere. You stay above water, you know, it's just a jolt when you land. Oh, yeah. No, I think. Because you're not sinking.

SPEAKER_00 29:33

I would much rather just swim up. Yeah. Yeah, but he couldn't. That's crazy. Um the water was about 40 feet deep off the reef, and it's a good thing I had a life belt. Or I guess I would be down with Davy Jones by now. He would be. He would be. Sometimes the gate would still be scary.

SPEAKER_01 29:55

Not knowing how to swim and just trusting your safety. Absolutely not. And 40 feet of water? No. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:02

And all the equipment. No. That's heavy. Sometimes the date the gate don't go down. If this happens, the first six men in the front are supposed to get it down. If it still won't go down, you have to jump over the side. And this is the sad part when it happens.

SPEAKER_01 30:22

Exactly. He learned it fast, didn't he? I mean, that's why you have this training. Right. Because inevitably you're gonna have mishaps.

SPEAKER_00 30:30

Yeah, you need plan A, B, and C.

SPEAKER_01 30:32

And probably D.

SPEAKER_00 30:34

Yeah. We got back to Morrow Bay about four o'clock this afternoon, and I didn't get off the ship till six. And by the time the trucks got us back and got straightened around a little, it was eight o'clock. Wow. I should be in bed now, but I just had to write to you. I like to let you know what's going on, and I hope this letter gets to you fast. The reason I sent the sweaters home and that cap is because we're not allowed to wear them here, so I thought I might as well send them home. Well, kid, it's 12 o'clock PM now. He means AM.

SPEAKER_01 31:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:11

And I have to take a bath and shave yet. It'll be one before I get done. But after you're in the army a while, you start to do without sleep. I hope this hasn't been too much of a strain on you, and I hope you are in the best of health and everything is going along fine. I'm glad I was able to let you know about this cruise. At least you could expect it. That's true. Yeah, she didn't know that like he she wasn't gonna hear from him for a couple weeks.

SPEAKER_01 31:37

Yeah, but that would I mean he was such a writer that when he didn't write, he knew that she would be worried. Worried, of course. So that's it's just easier understanding why you're not hearing. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 31:52

I love you ever so much, dear. I love you with everything I have to offer. I hope this would be over soon so I could see and stay with you every day.

SPEAKER_01 32:00

Ever hopeful for the end.

SPEAKER_00 32:03

I love and miss you as ever. Love and kisses, Don. P.S. P.S. Please said money. This is so funny. If you write to Anna, this is Barney's wife. Okay. Tell her you live by yourself and that you're not working, because that's what I told Barney. Why would he lie? Why on earth? Why would he lie?

SPEAKER_01 32:31

You live by yourself and you don't work. What the heck, Donald? Why would he lie? What could be further from the truth?

SPEAKER_00 32:37

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 32:38

And it's like, are you Oh, maybe he said, I need eight dollars to send to my wife because she lives alone. Maybe. And she doesn't work. We don't have any money. I bet he I there that must have been it.

SPEAKER_00 32:51

I don't know. And I don't know if it was like he felt some sort of way about her working. Like, you don't have to work. She doesn't have to work. She just likes to work. Like what I like. I don't know. I might be the money.

SPEAKER_01 33:03

I think it's money. I think it's money related because he's not real Donald. I mean, I think he tells a tall tale every now and then again. But I don't think he's a liar. Yes. I don't like I said, he can tell a tall tale, but he's not a liar.

SPEAKER_00 33:17

Right.

SPEAKER_01 33:17

Like he that serves no purpose other than I'm broke. We need money.

SPEAKER_00 33:21

Right. I you know what? You have mine melded with Donald so much that I'm gonna let I'm I'm gonna ru roll with it.

SPEAKER_01 33:28

I mean, I feel like that would be the only reason because I mean he loved living with her and her family.

SPEAKER_00 33:33

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:34

I don't I I think that is pretty good.

SPEAKER_00 33:36

He wouldn't be ashamed of it.

SPEAKER_01 33:37

No, I don't think it was that at all. I think it was he kind of needed to cover his tracks financially. I totally thought it was gonna be please send the money.

SPEAKER_00 33:48

He put the bag early on and then said about all the difficulties and the craziness, and oh, so many people died. At least I'm alive. Send me money.

SPEAKER_01 33:58

I really thought the PS was gonna be don't forget the money.

SPEAKER_00 34:01

Yeah, please.

SPEAKER_01 34:03

Oh my gosh, that is funny. That's really funny.

SPEAKER_00 34:06

Okay, so we'll do uh we'll see where we get on this next one. March 29th, 1944. My dear Philoma, well, another day has passed and I didn't receive any mail from you today, but I received the Easter cards from Gramp and your mom. The weather has really been swell here for the last 15 or 20 days. In fact, I really got a good sunburn. If you get a map, you can see the two islands that we made landings on. I was looking at the map tonight. So you get a map of the United States, and off the coast of California, you will see the islands of San Clemente and Guadalupe.

SPEAKER_01 34:49

Oh, that's funny. My husband's done training at San Clemente. Oh, it must be a hub.

SPEAKER_00 34:56

Uh there's a lot there. Yeah, some sort of training hub. Yeah, yeah. I wish that invasion in Europe would start because that's all that's holding this thing up from being over. That's it. Right. That's it. Wrong again. I know. I'm certainly glad you sent me that shaving cream. I was really out, and those handkerchiefs, I certainly lose a lot of them. They just disappear. Told.

SPEAKER_01 35:26

Oh, certainly nobody's stealing those things.

SPEAKER_00 35:29

Exactly. Boy, today I was thinking how much I had to write about, and now that I'm writing, I can't think of anything. You know that letter I wrote last night. Well, it had six pages in it, and it felt kind of heavy. So just to make sure, I put in two airmail stamps. And today, everybody got their letters back but me, because the price went up to eight cents and no one told us about it.

SPEAKER_01 35:56

Oh, that's funny.

SPEAKER_00 35:57

Boy, oh boy, was that the best six cents I ever spent? Because that would have just delayed another day, and I know you will get the letter by Saturday now. And if I hadn't, you probably wouldn't have got it until Monday, and then you would have had been worrying over Sunday again. That's funny.

SPEAKER_01 36:15

Okay, just to just to be fair, how much is six cents an eight cent? Like how much oh, great question. Like how much would an eight cent? I mean, I know it's it's not a lot, but I'm just kind of curious how much six cents was versus eight cents.

SPEAKER_00 36:29

Absolutely. One second, I'll tell you. Six cents was a dollar fourteen and eight cents was a dollar fifty. Okay, that's kind of a big difference. Yeah. I wrote to Blasey, Arenda, and Chip also tonight. I found a little time. Tomorrow our company Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Donald found what? Time. That's what he's been asking for. I know. Well, they have been out for two weeks straight, so maybe they said, you know, you can have the evening. Tomorrow our company pulls guard, and I'll probably be on it. That's the one thing I don't like about this outfit. Every time there's a detail, one of us new fellows gets it.

SPEAKER_01 37:12

Yep. I think that's how that works.

unknown 37:15

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 37:16

Yeah, wait till the next new guy comes in, Mom.

SPEAKER_00 37:20

When I was on the ship, there wasn't a day past that I didn't have to clean the latrine or mop the floor, carry the rations. Every day I was always on a detail. That's what I don't like about it. Most of the sergeants are from Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, and boy, they hate our northern guts. There's still that old feeling here between the north and south. Oh, that's funny.

SPEAKER_01 37:48

Like you have a world war going on, and this is what's this is what's happening. That's crazy. I know. Crazy.

SPEAKER_00 37:58

I never had to clean my pack and rifle all the time I was at a dare the way I have to clean it here. You daresn't have a drop of oil here or a speck of dust anywhere. I have a toothbrush to clean my parts with. I received a letter from Heberling and he made staff sergeant already. A nice fellow he is. Boy. Was that a tough break for me that I didn't get to go to Fort Meade in Maryland? Cockburn, Cole, Morales from my squad in Adair went to there, and the only reason I was sent here is because Powell was AWOL, and I had to fill his place, or I was supposed to go there. Isn't that crazy?

SPEAKER_01 38:42

Like a tiny twist of fate. Wild. So where was Heberling? Do you know? Do we know where he was? Who did the radio training? No, Barney. Barney went to radio school. Okay, Barney went to radio school. Okay. I don't feel like we actually know where Heberling is. So it's it's kind of funny.

SPEAKER_00 39:05

I guess that's the breaks. I'm zero and four, but the next break is gonna be in my favor because I had two against me already. What does he mean?

SPEAKER_01 39:14

Well, like, first of all, he got up the breaks. Those are the breaks, kids. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:19

Okay, I was like, Yeah. He got called up. He got set across country. Okay. He, you know, didn't get his furlough in the last year.

SPEAKER_01 39:27

I kind of just I didn't understand what that was, but I got it. Yeah, yeah. Those dim the breaks.

SPEAKER_00 39:32

Mm-hmm. I'll say they're cleaning up the fellows in town when they're calling fellows like Joe Trop. I don't know who that is. I couldn't find anything about him.

SPEAKER_01 39:42

I mean, this is another one, like, oh, they're even taking him.

SPEAKER_00 39:45

I know.

SPEAKER_01 39:45

I don't know if he's just a nerd or what.

SPEAKER_00 39:47

Donald's Donald's attitude. He's so judgy.

SPEAKER_01 39:50

Yeah, he's so judgy. He's like, hey, all these farm boys, we're good, we make good soldiers. Right. Those other guys over there. Yeah. I don't know if you want him.

SPEAKER_00 39:59

Scrawny. He is funny about it. Well, kid, I'll sign off for tonight. Ooh, short one. And always remember that I think of you always and say a prayer for you every night. I love and miss you as always. Love and kisses. Yours always, Don.

SPEAKER_01 40:16

I love the idea of these prayers are just still floating around in the world. Like I'm thinking of you always, Philoma. It's just sweet. He was so good to her. He loved her so much. Alright. One more.

SPEAKER_00 40:30

One more. March 30th, 1944. My dear Philoma, I received two letters today that you wrote on the 26th and was glad to receive them. That's too bad about Nikki Bianchi, but I guess that's how it has to be. I don't know what happened to Nikki Bianchi. I looked him up and he lived until like he was 70. So I I don't think it was anything super tragic. Who knows?

SPEAKER_01 40:56

But also she hasn't gotten his letter that he sent her first. Oh, that's true. You know what I mean? Right? Like, she hasn't gotten word about losing $148 and needing to send money. That's true. We haven't. I feel like we're gonna hear something.

SPEAKER_00 41:13

Well, let's see. Let's see. When we was pulling into San Diego, I saw about 250 to 300 Navy planes that were cracked up. Wow. They had them out of the way on sort of a peninsula, so the people couldn't see them every day, I suppose. But boy, they certainly were smashed up all kinds and all types. So I imagine there were a lot killed by the looks of them.

SPEAKER_01 41:40

You know, I here's the thing. I don't know if that's true because people made it back with those planes. Exactly. Yeah, because I mean, if they're going down, the plane's going down. So I feel like all these planes are back here for repairs.

SPEAKER_00 41:57

Maybe. I don't know. It's a good thought. I had a thought when I read that too. Yeah, so there's this thing called survivorship bias. And uh they did this. Um, there was a book about different things, and part of it was they had all these planes come back that had all these bullet holes, and they were like, oh, this is where we should put more armor. But then somebody realized, hey, these are the ships that made it back. The planes. The planes. I mean, yeah, when I say ship, sorry. And so the ones that didn't come back were hit elsewhere, so that's where we need to put the armor, basically. That's true. It's like the opposite, and it's called survivorship bias.

SPEAKER_01 42:38

Um, you think you think you need to fix where the holes are, right? But the truth is where the holes are, they survive because the plane is the plane has landed.

SPEAKER_00 42:49

Right, exactly. So I did, I thought that was interesting, and I'm glad that you said that because we don't actually know.

SPEAKER_01 42:54

Well, I mean, the planes are on the ground, they're not in the ocean, they're not they they're in the United States, they're not somewhere else. Okay. They might need to be worked on, and these are sh maybe these are planes that can't be fixed, or maybe these are planes in queue to be fixed, right? Who knows? Yeah, but that's a lot of planes to see.

SPEAKER_00 43:15

I know, and I you know, and I think it would be disconcerting as a person knowing they're probably going to war and seeing all those planes smashed up, and you're like, oh, this just got real real. Ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Agreed.

SPEAKER_01 43:31

Crazy.

SPEAKER_00 43:32

We're having a shakedown inspection Saturday. And boy, everybody is going nuts around here getting their stuff washed and cleaned so they will be ready. A shakedown. Everything we own, we have to carry on our backs about half a mile to the parade ground and dump it out of both barrack bags on the ground. I only waste of time.

SPEAKER_01 43:55

I know. I mean, but this is what you do.

SPEAKER_00 43:58

I only hope. It doesn't rain or my OD and suntans will be a mess.

SPEAKER_01 44:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:04

By the way, we're going on a four or five day problem starting Monday, so I won't be able to ride again for four or five days. Boy, that's the shits, isn't it? They're drilling the shit out of us just like they did when we come in the army. The same old stuff over and over. It's certainly getting on my mind fierce now.

SPEAKER_01 44:26

Well, you know, I mean, here's the thing. When you're at a dare, you're at the tip of your training. Okay. Now he's they're doing more. He has less time to write letters. He's out training. And he's also seeing planes, boats, equipment, and he's about to head into the Pacific. I mean, he knows all. It's like shaking the eight ball. All signs point to yes. Okay. Donald's on his way. Ask the magic eight ball.

SPEAKER_00 45:00

All signs point to yes. I know. You gotta keep going. You can't just stop. You're gonna lose all your. Here's the thing. If I don't actively do something often, I will forget it. I it will go right out of my mind.

SPEAKER_01 45:12

So I mean, they're just like, yeah, we he's ramping up. And there's a reason. There you go.

SPEAKER_00 45:21

I've been putting two airmail stamps on my envelopes because I don't even have enough dough to buy some two cent stamps with. Oh that's bad, isn't it? That is bad.

SPEAKER_01 45:32

Well, think about how much two cents was. Oh, I know. I mean, eight cents was a dollar fifty.

SPEAKER_00 45:37

I'll tell you right now.

SPEAKER_01 45:38

Hang on. I mean, two cents doesn't sound like much, but when you don't have any money, it's a lot.

SPEAKER_00 45:44

38 cents.

SPEAKER_01 45:46

Oh, poor Donald. He was broke as a joke. Oh my gosh. He was so broke.

SPEAKER_00 45:52

Oh, it's funny. Today we had to dump all our stuff out of the barracks bags again and check it over. Boy, this is snafu worse than it was at a dare. I missed guard duty, but I'm on as a table waiter tomorrow. So it's not much difference. Yep. And Saturday I'll probably be on KP. So I'm getting the works put to me. I've pulled more KP and details since I've been here than all the time I was at a dare. It's getting on my nerves.

SPEAKER_01 46:24

You know what it might be, but he is not complaining about a lack of food.

SPEAKER_00 46:28

No, he's certainly not. He is not complaining.

SPEAKER_01 46:31

He has not said one thing about the food.

SPEAKER_00 46:33

Nope, I bet it's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 46:36

I mean, he got a banana for a cereal. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 46:39

I received your picture and the card that Hannah got for me. Thank her for it, and if I get time to write, I'll drop them a line. It's so hard to find time to write that I can hardly write to you. If a fellow gets a little time, he has to shine his shoes, clean his pack, wash clothes, shine the mess equipment, clean the rifle, shit, shower, and shampoo at the same time. So you can see they give you little time to yourself. Shit, shower and shampoo.

SPEAKER_01 47:14

Oh, it's quite a shower, Donald. Oh my gosh. I mean, he's busy. He's a busy boy.

SPEAKER_00 47:21

He's got to get it all done. I'm glad you liked your necklaces. They weren't very much. I'm sorry that I couldn't buy something a little better for you at that time. Is this what he sent for their anniversary?

SPEAKER_01 47:36

Okay. Mm-hmm. Oh. See, that was the good part. The bad part's coming for her.

SPEAKER_00 47:41

Yep. So you have the crossed rifles on your coat. I didn't even know I put them in the box, but I have three sets of them anyway, so you can have them if you want to wear them. I was so dang busy that I don't even remember half the stuff I put in that box. The weather is really beautiful here. Boy, you can certainly get a beautiful tan if you wish. I certainly have a good watch. I thought I ruined it on one of the landings. You see, we run aground on a coral reef and the gate wouldn't go down, so we had to jump over the side and boy, it was soaking wet, and I thought for sure the salt would ruin it, but it never rusted or lost a minute. Wow, it must have been sealed up. Mm-hmm. That fellow Rogers that I was telling you about, with the load this is the guy with the loaded dice, wanted to give me 40 bucks for it, and the only reason I didn't sell it was because you bought it for me. I couldn't sell it for no amount of dough.

SPEAKER_01 48:44

Good for him. But he should have given him $40, period.

SPEAKER_00 48:48

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 48:50

Dirty rotten scoundrel.

SPEAKER_00 48:51

Mm-hmm. I'm sitting in the hut all alone tonight, and it's awful still in here. Sometimes you start to hear things. I haven't seen Wallish as yet. He's located about three miles up the camp from me. Wow. That's a big camp. Mm-hmm. Well, and he's in a different like company. Yeah, or division or whatever. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:16

But still, I think I was thinking on a much smaller scale. Yeah. Than this guy being three miles away.

SPEAKER_00 49:21

Yeah. I certainly have a lot of writing paper now, and in fact, just a little too much to handle. You never mentioned if you received that little booklet of this camp that I sent about a month ago.

SPEAKER_01 49:35

Gosh, it's been a month since he sent that. Mm-hmm. Wow. I mean, he was gone 15 days, sorry.

SPEAKER_00 49:42

No, that's okay. So Johnny Pillow landed on the other side. He thought he was going to when he left Adair. I really don't believe we will be stationed at this camp much longer anymore. I suppose we'll be moved to another camp. Is Johnny Pillow?

SPEAKER_01 49:59

Does that mean he went overseas to Europe?

SPEAKER_00 50:01

Yeah, he's overseas somewhere.

SPEAKER_01 50:02

Like but he says the other side. Does that mean Europe? I don't know. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 50:06

Yeah, I don't know which side he went to. Okay. This outfit has been here for about six months, and you know the army. They don't leave you in any place too long. These officers watch all us new fellows close, and every little mistake that we make, they chew our ass out, and the old fellows can make the same mistake, and they never say a thing to them. So you can see what I mean. I mean, poor Donald, he has it so hard.

SPEAKER_01 50:34

No.

SPEAKER_00 50:34

He's the new guy. He's the new guy. He's the new guy. They don't trust him yet. I haven't much to write about the works around here, so I'll talk about you. How are you doing, dear? By your picture, you're just as sweet as you ever was. Aww. And I suppose that is your new outfit that you have on. If it isn't, it looks new and good to me. Anyway, I have your picture that you just sent, and how familiar the porch looks, and no snow on the ground either. I guess if I was home, I would have the fishing beaver. Do you have this picture of your nan on the porch? I don't think so. Okay. Yeah. I'll look. I will look, but I'm not I'm not sure that I do. I mean, she had a strong photograph game.

SPEAKER_01 51:19

She did. She's like, no, we're not just taking one picture, we're taking lots of pictures. And I'm gonna just take a few. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:26

We're gonna make sure we actually get what we need.

SPEAKER_01 51:28

Yes. So she she knew the she understood the mission.

SPEAKER_00 51:32

She she did. She's like, this is important for Miracle.

SPEAKER_01 51:35

She, if she were alive today, she would have a strong selfie game.

SPEAKER_00 51:38

Oh, her Instagram would be so much better than mine. Are you joking? I mean, she'd be running the social account for this podcast. She'd be so good at it. She would be. It's funny. Gosh, dear. When I look at your picture, it really sort of makes me hurt. Oh. Sometimes I want to look at I know. Sometimes I want to look at your pictures, and then I don't because it really hurts when I look over and I can't be near you. Well, kid, take care of yourself for me. And maybe old Henry Ford was right about this war being over in a couple months.

SPEAKER_01 52:14

Donald, stop it.

SPEAKER_00 52:16

Well, kid, I love you more than ever, and I'll sign off with loving and missing you as always. Love and kisses, Donald. Don. I'm sorry, he just says Don.

SPEAKER_01 52:25

That's okay. No PS.

SPEAKER_00 52:27

No PS.

SPEAKER_01 52:28

Wow. He's too tired. He is too tired. He has so much to do. He's got KP coming up. I know. He's got to be a waiter and then he's got KP.

SPEAKER_00 52:38

Here's the thing. I couldn't imagine him as a waiter. He would be so rude. He would be so rude. I'm not saying you have to be bubbly, but he would be actively rude. Like he he is not, he is not a public-facing customer service kind of guy. No. He's just not. He's not. He's not. No.

SPEAKER_01 52:56

He's just gonna say it and move on.

SPEAKER_00 52:58

Yes, yes. Like, ugh. That's funny.

SPEAKER_01 53:02

That if he has to do that, other people have to do that too. Of course, of course. So everybody gets a chance at this, and so everybody's probably nice about it. Yeah, you know, I mean I'm sure it's your day is coming.

SPEAKER_00 53:12

Right. Your day is coming, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:14

You know, or your day has been, you get it. Yeah. I don't know. I like that he has a new picture of Philoma. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 53:21

I mean she keeps him updated on her outfits.

SPEAKER_01 53:24

I love that.

SPEAKER_00 53:25

I know.

SPEAKER_01 53:26

And I love that we know he sent her a couple necklaces.

SPEAKER_00 53:29

It was two necklaces, right? It was two necklaces, and he said one he hopes matches the bracelet he sent her at Christmas. Oh, that's sweet. I know, very sweet. It is, it's so nice.

SPEAKER_01 53:39

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 53:40

Well, that's where we will stop for today. Okay. Yeah. So thank you all again so much for listening and following along with Donald's journey. Um, you can keep up with us at 500letters to Nana.com and at 500letters to Nana on Instagram. So we are signing off from San Luis Obispo, California, and we are about 2400 miles from Nana.

SPEAKER_01 54:04

Adios.

SPEAKER_00 54:04

Bye. Bye.

SPEAKER_01 54:18

Five hundred letters to Nana. Woohoo! Yeah, yeah, yeah.