O ‘Reilly G. H.
Oct 23 ‘44
Dear Col.
I rec’d yours of the 15th this am and glad to hear though I know they are keeping you busy. Read in a recent adv. of your going to speak at Artesian and King. Many of the boys who write tell me of having seen you. I will write to Mits today but I guess you know he has gone back to the outfit already. He said, “he never saw time go as fast as his 30 days at house. Last I heard King was still at the replacement depot awaiting transportation and should be home by now. Did I tell you that Jim heard from Roxy who had been visited by A. Richards who had talked to Mac in France. I was sure that they had gone to Yugoslavia until Kome’s letter straightened me out.
The story on Jack was very indefinite but here it is as I read it. Two [gun?] came down to take the Bn after Clough refused to go back on the flats east of Cassino. Jack, Mits, and Clough tried to talk him out of going but his answer was. We are going back Fukuda will lead and Johnson come with me. As they reached the path in the mine field some boy hit a mine and attracted attention which drew fire. Mits was ahead and out of fire but Jack and L.G. were in the line. The legs of both were badly hit off apparently by grazing M.G. fire but someone told me they definitely heard a mortar shell. Due to their positions on the path, the aid men had to remove L.G. first and then go back for Jack. The silt washed in from the dammed river made a sea of mud, knee deep and it was four hours before Jack reached the aid station. He was still alive at that time however. The aid man who worked on him at the mine field said that the wounds on his leg did not seem so bad, so there is a chance there were others that he did not find. Kome says he also had a wound on one hand. Mits may be able to give you more but I don’t believe he saw him after they started down the path.
They told me here that I must stay at one of the nerve centers and they have documents from the Surgeon General to substantiate that however in the last few days there has been some return of one muscle and I can turn my foot some. In the near future there will or should be some return of the other and then I will be ready for the board. I asked as to my final disposition and they say probably L.S. which I will definitely fight. The only feature of that is that it will get me house. They told me that if the rate of progress remains the same I should be through here in about 2 to 3 months which is way ahead of the previous answer they gave me. Yokoyama (Dental Tech) at L. Wood will be down Sat and we will have a feed on Sunday as the food is on the way from Mrs. Miyasaki in Chicago. Glad to hear of Ryder and Hendrickson but Smith was out of A.[2?], 133 and is now L. Service.
I guess I have given about all for now. Hope you are both fine and enjoying civilian life in Hawaii. I guess 298th is in it now.
Aloha
Jim
