Manila City Hall
September 12, 1945
Manila
Dear Dad, and the rest of you “State-Siders” –
Yesterday I celebrated your birthday by receiving my first pieces of mail since leaving Okinawa. It was the best present I could have gotten on your birthday. Come to think of it, you use to celebrate your birthday by giving us presents – well I got mine, even this year. I have lots to tell in the way of experiences here, but first there are some things to comment on in your letter.
This is the letter which he wrote at the end of probably what will have been the most eventful week of all times. The Atomic Bomb had been dropped on the Japs and they had taken the “hint” and decided to quit. It also contained the news that there was a possibility that Lad was in New York at the time. I hope he was – and I hope that because of the way things have been going, that he doesn’t have to come over here. However, if he is going to come to the Philippines, it might be a good idea to tell him how to see me. I only hope that if he does come out here, that this letter gets home before he leaves there. Here it is. I am connected with GHO in Manila. The headquarters building is now what used to be the City Hall. Anybody in Manila can tell you where the City Hall is, but just for the record, it’s just west of Intramuras, the Walled City. From there you ask for the Signal Communications Building which used to be the Water Works Building. They will tell you it’s around the corner and down a side street. It is only about as far from the City Hall as Kurtz’s store is from our house. Once in the Water Works Building, you take the stairs going up right in front of you till you get to the third floor, turn left, and you’ll walk right straight ker-plunk into XXIV Corps Rear Echelon Signal Center. There are only seventeen of us here, and we’ve all been together a long time. Just ask for me – and then they’ll probably tell you I’m down in the tent. Soooooo, you go down the stairs, out the door, turn right, and proceed down the road which you just came up. You will notice that right beside the building there is a bivouac area (it isn’t completed yet, but probably will be by the time Lad gets here). The tent I am in is the first one (on the road) in the second row. The Orderly Room is across the road, and if they don’t know any more about us than they do now, better not inquire about me there. When you get to my tent, and ask where I am, they’ll probably tell you I’m out exploring the city and won’t be back ’til supper time. So, to save you all the trouble in the first place, I’ll give you our phone number and you can call here and have me call you back, or maybe they could find me downstairs. Here’s the phone number – ask for Manila City Hall, 28 – that’s us. So much for that. I hope you don’t ever get the chance to use the information because they kept you in the States, but if you ever get out here, at least you’ll know how to find me quickly. You really shouldn’t have any trouble.
I had forgotten that I had said anything about being convinced that we would all be home a lot sooner than most people thought – but I might as well take advantage of it – “I told you so”. In answer to your question to when I get home – your guess is as good as mine. They’re making all that information public – points etc. All I can tell you is that as of V-J Day, I had 30 points and will be accumulating 2 every month I’m over here. You can follow events with that information and draw your own conclusion. I don’t know any more than that myself. It does look, though, that I stand a very good chance of being home before the September ’46 mark that I had set a week ago.
I’ll tell you one of D. P. Guion’s post-war plans – submitted here for your approval. I am sending home $50.00 a month (by the way, are you getting those checks? They should have started with my pay for June – that would be $150.00 to date) and I won’t have enough to buy a car when I get home – even if I wanted to spend my money on getting one. So, I thought that I might take your car off your hands – use it during the day for business – and at night for – – – – – –, well, use it at night. You don’t like to drive, so I would do the driving and pay for the entire upkeep on it – tires, gas, repairs, grease-jobs, etc. What do you think?
I liked Mr. Senechal’s letter. It should be preserved. (Don’t reprint the following) – it reminds me of some scenes in “Where Do We Go From Here”, a movie in which a 4-F finds a magic lantern and rubs it – a genie appears, asks him what he would like, and tells him he has three wishes. Well, this guy has his heart set on getting into the service, so asks for the Army. A cloud of smoke – and he finds himself with George Washington at Valley Forge – something has gone wrong with the time machine which the genie used. After some hilarious experiences, he found himself with Columbus, and finally, he found himself with the Dutch in Neiow Yourk. They kept talking there, putting their subjects and predicates, and adjectives etc. in the wrong place. Mr. Senechal’s letter reminded me of that – very quaint.
I also received a short note from you, Dad, in which you expressed joy in that I hadn’t met with misfortune during the war. It was a nice note, Dad, and it only proves more the things I wrote in my last letter to you – you’re really A-1, and then some.
Tomorrow, I will post the rest of this letter which takes us for a tour to a few spots in Manila.
Judy Guion
"Greatest Generation" Life Lessons 