EAST OF MILAN, ITALY
MAY 24, 1945
DEAR MR TURNER –
JUST A SKETCHY ONE – HOW ARE YOU?
REMEMBER YOU WROTE ONCE ABOUT KEEPING WAR TROPHIES FOR THE 100TH CLUB? WELL, I STARTED IT BY SPEAKING TO MAJOR FUKUDA, AND CAPT KOMETANI. APPOINTED CPL GEO IZUTA AS BOSS AND I’M GIVING HIM A HAND – COLLECTING WEAPONS AND ETC HAVE BEEN GOING ON SUCCESSFULLY – THE RESPECTIVE COMPANIES HAVE BEEN MOST GENEROUS ABOUT HELPING – SEVERAL LARGER STUFF WE’VE PICKED UP AT A CLOSE BY ORDNANCE – NOW HERES THE CATCH –
IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT SMALL TROPHIES SUCH AS HELMETS – NAZI FLAG, COMPASS AND ETC BE SENT HOME VIA MAIL. TO YOU OR KAJI TO KEEP AS CUSTODIAN UNTIL SUCH TIME THE ONE PUKA PUKA CLUB IS ORGANIZED BACK HOME. I COULDN’T SEND TO KAJI CAUSE HIS ADDRESS IS ONLY TEMPORARY – AT A REPLACEMENT DEPOT- THE ONLY OTHER WAS YOU – SO – I’M SENDING THE PACKAGES TO YOU – THE 1ST ONE SHOULD BE ON THE WAY IN A FEW DAYS – PRICELESS STUFF! I HOPE IT REACHES YOU SAFELY – THE LARGER TROPHIES AS MGS AND RIFLES – WE’LL TRY TO GET IT HOME WHEN AND IF WE DO GET HOME – THE ONLY HANDICAP IS THAT FELLOWS HAVE BEEN LEAVING THE UNIT INDIVIDUALLY. I’M HOPING THE NEXT ONE WILL GET ALL OF THE LEFT OVERS OF THE OLD 100TH – (SOME 150) – SOME TOGETHER AT THE SAME TIME TAKE HOME THE COLORS WE SO CHERISH. THEN I COULD CRATE THE TROPHIES AS ORGANIZATIONAL EQUIPMENT AND GET IT HOME – OTHERWISE I’M GOING TO HAVE DIFFICULTY.
WELL – SO MUCH – FOR THE TIME BEING – CLOSING NOW –
GOODBYE –
YOURS –
OHTA –
