November 20 and 23, 1945. Dad writes two letters home from Guam with “the news…as well as the rumors.” Apparently one of the rumors (from the Executive Officer of the group) is that the “35 pointers would be screened and would remain with this outfit for about 5 to 6 months and then the outfit would return to the States.” As far as Dad’s prospects, “35 pointers and above were to be returned to the States by 15 Dec. …I figure we’ll be getting a 30 day furlough and by the time we have to report back we may be discharged….I will have 3 years in the Army by then. …fifty-four pointers have left for the states about 6 days ago now.”
Dad mentions that as he is writing the letter, “It is around 1500 hours here on the line and the airplane engines are going at full steam. They expect to test hop quite a few before they are ready to leave for the States towards the end of this month…today has been very good for flying as have been most of the days lately.” He details, “This afternoon my friends from ATC are checking a couple of planes that are to leave for the States in the next 24 to 48 hours.” He further details that as their planes are being sent back to the States, “our crews are going to fly them while the passengers are men from Iwo and Okinawa… I guess they must have quite a few points… Including the flight crew, the total men allowed on a B-29 are 16 passengers…”
As far as others going home, Dad writes, “The Navy has finally come across and Army personnel are being loaded on LST’s to go home. No doubt they keep the Aircraft Carriers for their own personnel.” He goes into more detail that the men being shipped out on the LST’s are “fifty-four pointers”. He comments that an LST on the ocean is “like being on canoe on Lake Champlain” but concedes, “…at any rate…I’ll take an LST headed for the States.”
Dad also writes about the ongoing food situation. “We can eat our chow fairly well without closing our eyes or pinching our nostrils together. The ‘C’ rations in cans are the lousiest meals. We have fewer of them now and some fellows have even considered trading them for the ‘K’ rations the Japs eat. Perhaps some food is better than no food, but they must remember we are human beings. Even the dogs around here won’t eat Spam.”
He continues on the 23rd, “Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day and a holiday for all. For dinner we had turkey with the customary cranberry sauce which you could pour over the turkey… I had both dark and white meat. It was a very good dinner with jello and all. As usual I managed to get a couple of drops of cranberry sauce on my trousers but since I had fatigues and not my Sunday best it was OK.”
He writes that work is finishing up on the Chapel and details, “It is being painted white and looks swell. It has a round Roman entrance with Gothic style windows on either side of the door. … The Chaplain expects our Chapel to be completed around [the] beginning of December. The American Bishop on this island will officiate in our Chapel his first pontifical high mass since having been appointed bishop just prior to his departure from the States.”
Undated photo of the 331st Bomb Group Chapel on Northwest Field. Note the “Gothic style windows on wither side of the door.” Photo credit: www.315bw.org, Rider Collection
Before closing he writes, “That’s about all I can think of at the present.”