Based on the letters of Earl Philip Reinhalter (1922-1953). Edited by his son, Earl Philip Reinhalter (1950-).


<- PREVIOUS LETTER January 10, 1945
Tanauan, Leyte, Philippines
NEXT LETTER ->


Philippines

Jan. 10, 1945

Hello Ma:

      Received your letter which was written Christmas Day. Also, the envelope contained those letters from Kitty, Daddy, Phus, and Yvonne. It seemed strange for Daddy to write a letter. I bet it was the first letter he had written to anyone in a long time. Glad you all liked the presents. You still didn't tell me what you got yourself for Christmas. According to Yvonne's letter, she must have had a nice Christmas. Is Yvonne well enough to go back to school yet? I hope she doesn't get too far back in her work. In regards to all of your doctor bills, you can use the allotment money which you put in the bank. In the first place, I made that allotment out with the purpose in mind that you use it yourself. All of the extra money orders that I have sent from time to time, you can put in the bank for me. I haven't been sending any such money orders to you for the last several months because I have been paying for my movie camera, and now a watch that I just bought. Next month will see me out of debt. So, use the money to pay for the doctor bills as I said. Well, so much for that.

      Well, Billy Scheele is in New Guinea. Incidentally, the P-61 is a night-fighter (pursuit plane) which has been nicknamed "The Black Widow." Wonder just what kind of work he does? Maybe I'll meet up with him some day. Maybe I'll meet Fred Roussey, too. Maybe they'll serve some time in the Philippines.

      Well, things here have become very quiet lately. The Philippine campaign has progressed so rapidly that we here have been left in the background as far as combat is concerned. That, however, in all probability will just be a temporary condition. New fields of combat are being continually opened, as you can readily see by your newspapers. That will mean men - experienced personnel - us. Oh well, it seems that as the bombs and bullets fly - so does the element of time. So, you see, combat has some advantages - what little it does. And - so much for war stories.

      I now have my teeth again fixed up. Three new fillings and one filling replaced. There were three dentists - a lieutenant colonel, a captain, and a 1st lieutenant. Well, the captain and the 1st lieutenant were from Baltimore. The lieutenant said that he wished he could eat some of Duffy's steamed crabs again. It seems that he had spent some good times at Duffy's. [He is referring to Duffy’s Restaurant and Bar on Frederick Avenue in Baltimore. There was also a popular radio show called Duffy’s Tavern, which he listened to. - Ed.] I didn't get to know his name. The captain used to work for Walter Hentsler selling automobile accessories. We lived next door to Hentslers (if that's the way to spell it) on Euclid Avenue. [Probably meaning George Walter Henzler (1889-1947), who resided at 4225 Euclid Avenue. He was listed in his obituary as G. Walter Henzler, so he went by his middle name. According to his 1942 draft card, he worked at J.R. Hunt Company, which was at Calvert and Saratoga Streets in Baltimore. A 1949 help wanted ad placed by this company in The Morning Herald from Hagerstown solicited "SALESMAN to sell automotive supplies and equipment, stoves, and radios ... on a commission basis." He also had a son named George Walter Henzler, Jr., born in 1924, but it is unlikely that Earl would have referred to someone near his own age as "Mr. Henzler." - Ed.] If you should happen to run into Mrs. Hensler again, this is the dentist's name and address:

            Capt. Joseph (Jim) Tighe,
                  Medical Corps,
            118th General Hospital,
            A.P.O. 72 c/o Postmaster,
            San Francisco, Calif.

It seems that the captain had spent most of his overseas time in Sydney, Australia. Well, in summing up, he did a pretty good job on my teeth. The captain and lieutenant both studied at Johns Hopkins.

      Today, I received the first of my Newsweek mags. Two of them. Dated Nov. 20th and 27th. They are interesting reading. Some of the other boys have a similar subscription.

      How are things on the home front? I guess ice skating and roller skating sports are going strong about now. Oh well, there'll be plenty of time for such things when I get home again. And - with that, my letter draws to an end. So, until later -

Earl


 
NOW AVAILABLE AS A KINDLE BOOK!

The Kindle book includes the letters; all 23 issues of the unit’s wartime newsletter “The Squadron Pulse,” which was originally edited by Leonard Stringfield; all 12 issues of the “Pennant Parade” newsletter that Stringfield published while sailing home after the war; complete text of the U.S. government booklet “Pocket Guide to Australia,” which soldiers heading Down Under were given to read; more than 200 photos; pre-war and postwar family history; and over 700 explanatory endnotes.





















<- PREVIOUS LETTER   HOMEPAGE   NEXT LETTER ->








ElectricEarl.com

This page established: November 11, 2018             Last updated: February 23, 2023

© 2018-2023 Earl P. Reinhalter. All Rights Reserved.