Tinian, M.I.
Dear Mom:-
Your letter of the 17th came today and I was
glad to get a first hand account of the doings of the Martin families.
Love,
Bob
27 Aug. 1945
As you say, George's getting married was greatly
surprising, too. I had a hunch he'd decided they'd wasted enough
time when he got home, but his quick trip and the suddenness of the action
had me panting to keep up. As to your suggestion that I come if I
could --- well, after all, it's only 9000 miles from Tinian to St. Paul
--- I've had to disappoint you & George. The Japs aren't known
as very reliable people and the surrender had all the earmarks of treachery
at the time, so we had to be prepared for any and all emergencies here,
and the planes and equipment had to be kept right up to snuff. Our
last mission hardly rated press notice when it came on the Monday after
the rumored Jap surrender plea, but it did consist of over eight hundred
planes and dropped four thousand tons of bombs, the ordinary type.
Our atomic bomb really brought things to a quick conclusion though, didn't
it?
As to the status of the last of your son's
return to the USA, all I have to say is based on rumors, not too reliable.
I have been, as far as it's gone, declared non-essential to this wing and
my sixty-seven points make me eiligible for an early return to the states,
since 1st Lts. only require 58 points for release. Now rumor has
it that we will leave here before the 15th of September, but we will have
to stop at Saipan and wait for transportation by boat and Lord knows how
long that will be, with all the ex-prisoners, wounded, and the like who
must be brought back. Under the circumstances, I suppose I won't
be able to leave until after the troops are moved into Japan and their
ships released for return to the U.S. I'm a bit excited about it
all, of course, but I never plan on what the army may do and so am pleasantly
surprised when the best happens and not too disappointed when nothing happens.
At the worst though, I should be home for Thanksgiving day, so get a big
turkey!
Incidentally, we may be going back to England
for a visit shortly after I get home since I am entitled to transportation
at government expense to the place where I was ordered to active duty,
which was London. No use passing up a free trip one way anyway if
it's forthcoming with no trouble. I think I will get transportation
for Eve and Ray as well as myself, but I'm not too sure of that.
I'll have sixty days leave coming, so it will be a pleasant vacation.
By the way, forget about that package for me.
I'll be home before it would reach here at the rate they travel now.
Eve has about four yet on the way to me so they should hold me, though
they may not arrive before I leave.
I wrote to Maurice Dullea after I received
your cable (Aug. 16th) and told him about the wedding coming off.
I also received a letter from Dick Hamilton
from Notre Dame. I had one from him just after his graduation, too.
I sent him a Japanese 10 yen bill for a graduation souvenier in my answer.
He won't be able to use it, but it will recall the big events of this summer
for a long time. I've got one for the two Cane kids, too, but am
trying to get another one, so they can each have one. Outside of
Dick and yourself and Dad, I've had no letters from any of the relatives
since I've been out here in the Pacific. Oh, well. --- As long as
Eve writes practically every day ( I've received about 216 from her since
I left), it doesn't make much difference.
It's really raining here today. I bet
six inches have fallen since midnight last night. If you take the
hardest rain you've ever seen, like that time we went to Forest Lake with
Grampa in the Model T, and double it and have it continue for 24 hours,
you'll get some idea of how hard it's coming down here now.
I've got one heck of a cold now, too.
Don't know how I caught it. I'm barking in good style, as usual.
I'm taking sulfa diazine pills for it, but I guess it will have to run
it's course. Oh, me!
My shop is still working as hard as it ever
was. The end of the war didn't mean a thing to us. The pilots
won't fly if the Radar Equipment isn't working. They use it for navigation,
so we keep on, the busiest shop on the maintenance line.
Well I guess that's all for now, Mom.
I'll be anxiously awaiting a letter from you to tell me all about the big
wedding. I hope my cable arrived there in time for it. I had
no address so I just sent to Care of Edward Dullea, Jamestown, N.D. addressed
to the New Mr. & Mrs. Give my regards to all at home and thank
Art and Mary for me for showing Eve such a swell time at the Lake.