December 2, 1943 Somewhere in
Dear Dad,
Finally gotten around to answering your letter. Time is beginning to slow down a bit over here and there seems to be a lot more of it. We were busy as hell for quite a long spell and although there is still lots of work I'm able to catch a few hours each day to myself.
I've sent you and mother a Christmas present. The only practical thing I could send was money so you will be getting a government check for $5000 sometime before Christmas I hope. It’s hard to tell just when it will arrive but it’s on the way.
I wish I could tell you all about what's going on over here but there's a 'law agin it' I can tell you that our outfit is doing one swell job and that goes for the whole Troop Carrier Command. A number of our pilots have already gotten the Distinguished Flying Cross and rightly so. They work hard and take whatever comes their way, sometimes it’s not so pleasant.
I've been along on a number of trips myself when I 'should of stood in bed' No gray hairs yet but a good foundation for a whole head of them. We have had a few bombings and our fox hole is not just an ornament. With it all I'm staying healthy and not losing any sleep.
Looking out over the area I am amazed to realize what we have accomplished since our arrival. From jungle land to a small city in a short space of time. The boys really do a swell job. From all sorts of spare parts etc., we have made generators for electricity and we even have an ice box. All our tents are really small homes, all built from logs that we cut and sawed. There are some very clever arrangements and I hope to be able to get some pictures to bring home.
There a few luxuries that we miss but all in all everyone has fallen in stride and none of us are suffering. The food is fair and the little extras we occasionally get are enough to keep us happy.
That's about all I have to say for now so I'll send lots of love to you and mother and get back to work. Best regards to all the neighbors.
With loving affection
Walt