#5: "Just got my first look at Korea"

PM 4:00 Korea Feb. 15, 1951

PM 10:30 L.A. Feb. 14, 1951

Hello Sugar,

Just got my first look at Korea about ten minutes ago and I must say it didn't even look good. Nothing but big old mountains with snow on them. It doesn't seem very cold but I wasn't up on deck very long. It was supposed to have been 15 degrees below here this morning and that is pretty dang chilly for a fellow from sunny Southern Cal.

Well it's been a long boat ride but it's over with now. We're getting off in the morning to go to our units and from then on business as usual. I still have to get my pack packed and all my stuff fixed up. I did it last night but the powers that be decided to do it another way, so I got it all to do now over again. Well it's not much anyway except that it's so darn crowded down in the hold you can hardly do anything.

I sure am in a hell of a shape. Got about a gross of fever blisters on my upper lip. Got them day before yesterday an they're starting to dry up now. So I guess they'll be gone before long. Finally rid of my cold anyway. Guess it just took an ocean voyage to cure me.

I just had a calamity yesterday. I was scuffling with a guy and he accidentally pulled my watch off and I stepped on it and busted it all up. Now I have arranged with a guy whose brother is a jeweler to send you a watch to send to me. So if you get it one of these days you'll know where it came from.

Just got the ships newspaper and it looks like we're bumping off a lot of commies but there seems to be a bunch left. Guess they just breed them too fast in China. The ROKs [Republic of Korea] just made their landing in Wonsan [North Korea] but I guess that will be old hat when you get this. Guess they're going to mess around and not stop at the 38th again. Not much to do about it but go along with the gang though I guess.

Standing up on the deck here this joint looks so peaceful I just can't get used to the idea that there's really a war going on. There's a whole bunch of native boats all around the bay fishing and messing around and everything is real still. I can see mountains way up the coast that must be near Wonsan and I guess things aren't so peaceful there.

Somehow this just doesn't seem like going to war, not like what I was used to anyway. We used to always be talking about what we were going to do and making plans and getting ready mentally. But there hasn't been an of that this trip and I guess we're all in for a rude awakening.

Well let's see here now, I don't think I've mentioned that I love you yet in this letter but if I have, please excuse the repetition. I guess it's just on my mind. Furthermore, I think I'll just keep on loving you until you tell me to stop, or longer.

Well P.G. here comes the bottom. I guess I'll let this go until later. May have something of interest to say then. All my love Sugar, be seeing you. Your loving old man,

Bill