Feb. 17, 1951
Dearest Helen,
Well I'm an old timer in Korea now, we landed yesterday and were distributed to our outfits. can't say that I approve of this place even though there isn't much I can do about it. We came ashore at Pohang and rode in trucks out here to this camp which is four or five miles south of there. The town seemed to be quite large in an oriental way. That is it covered a lot of area but there were only two building over one story high. Much of the town has been burned naturally, as it has been taken and retaken several times. There are a lot of people around and I can readily see why they have so much trouble with the commies mixing in with the civilians.
This engineering battalion I'm in now has got a pretty nice camp built here. All tents to live in with electric lights and stove in them. The food is all rations and dehydrated stuff but they manage to cook it pretty well or else I've just been hungry since I've been here. They have a movie in a big tent, a PX, and several luxuries like showers with curtains around it and toilets with tents over them.
The weather is a little milder than I expected but it's still plenty cool. The mountains around here have snow all over them but we don't have any down here in the flat lands. There is a constant wind blowing down out of the mountains and that son of a gun is really cold. It's really very picturesque around here with the rice paddies and the little grass roofed villages with snow covered mountains in the background, but when I think of climbing those things it sure makes me tired. I wish I had a camera to take some pictures of this place and send you but I don't so I won't and maybe it's best anyway cause when I get home I won't have them to remind me of this dump.
By now I have a faint idea of what my job is to be. The way I understand it I guess I'm supposed to do anything they have to do. Such a repair roads and bridges and whatever else they happen to have to do. I don't know what else that is thought but I gather it's usually something unpleasant. In fact I guess this outfit is one constant working party. I had notions of doing something in the surveying line, but apparently the Marine Corps never even heard the word. Maybe after I'm here awhile I'll discover a special talent and get a permanent job of some kind. If I do it'll be a lot better cause then a guy knows what he'll be doing from day to day.
The guys here in this outfit have been here since the Inchon landing last September which makes about five months now and they're all tired of this stuff. They were in on that retreat last December and I guess they really had a time of it. They seem to be a pretty nice bunch of guys, all of them youngsters, or most of them anyway. Loud and Noisy and full of bull, but pretty nice guys anyway. It seems funny to be thinking of them as youngsters. I never felt so old before, but for some reason I'm beginning to feel quite mature. So I guess you can figure you've got a man for a husband now and not a boy anymore. I don't know if that's good or bad, but there it is.
The cost of living is pretty reasonable here. Rent is nothing, food nil, cigarettes and candy they give you, and the laundry is free, and the show don't cost nothing. The laundry is the thing, they have four Korean women here washing by hand out in the open and I don't know how they keep from freezing with that cold wind blowing on them but they get the clothes good and clean. Oh yes, the barber is free too. So if wages were good a guy could lay away quite a stack. By the way my wages are up nine dollars a month for overseas now. Mail is free too. And on the rare occasions when they get it beer is free. Guy stays over here a couple years he'd come home loaded. In more ways than one!
There seems to be a rash of divorce in this tent I'm in. Sixteen of us in here and three of them getting a divorce. For what reason I don't know but it seems that they have impatient wives. I sure hope you don't get impatient but I know you won't cause I bet you fifty cents you love me as much as I love you and if you do you couldn't even be happy without me cause that's the way it is with me. And if for any reason I ever do lose you I might as well get lost myself. I don't know why I brought all this up anyway. Maybe so I could reassure you so I'd be reassured myself.
Well I wonder where the rest of the boys are today. It'll no doubt be some time before I get a chance to find any of them. They don't seem to want a guy running around here by himself so I don't have much chance to look for them. Most of the guys went into the infantry anyway and I hear they're leaving today for the front up around Wonju.
We are supposed to tear down this camp tomorrow and leave here Monday to go up that way but how far up or how close we're going to the front I don't know. I'll probably find out Tuesday though, cause we're supposed to get to where we're going then. So we'll just wait and see what develops. By the time you get this I'll know all about it. Good or bad. At least I'll be riding this time instead of walking.
Well sugar fool guess this is about all of the gossip there is for this time. Don't suppose I'll have time to write for three or four days but I'll write when I can. It's really easy to write to you cause I love you and I miss you so it's kind of like talking to you, only not as good. Gosh I sure would like to take you in my arms right now and give you a great big squeeze and kiss your little nose and ears and neck and then you're lips for about ten minutes. I better quit it, I'm getting myself all excited. But it sure is a good idea. I'll file it for future reference.
It is now chow time honey so I guess I'll leave off and go get something to eat. Say howdy to Sparkey and the folks for me and keep a light in the window. I'll be seeing you.
All my love to the dearest gal in my life and the world too.
Your loving old man,
Bill
P.S. This card is a medical card for you. If you get sick or want an examination you can go to a naval hospital if you want to. Hope you don't need it.
Love,
Bill
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