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

<- - - NOW AVAILABLE AS A KINDLE BOOK! From basic training to Japan and home again, these letters describe my father's entire World War II adventure. It is recommended that you read the letters in order, like a novel, beginning with 11/6/1942, and follow the "NEXT LETTER" links to continue. However, if you just want to dive in and get a sample, I suggest the 9/28/1945 letter, which includes his description of Hiroshima after the atomic bomb blast, a flight around the top of Mount Fuji, and how it felt to be one of the first two GI's to enter the Japanese city of Kyoto. His mother (my grandmother) saved every letter. Her notations on the back of each envelope provide a capsule summary of what's in each letter. She also listed enclosures that were removed, such as photos or squadron newsletters, which helps explain why some envelopes are empty. BONUS MATERIAL: * The Cast - All about the family members and friends who are mentioned in the letters. * Photos - Hundreds of photos that he mailed home. * About This Site - How the dates and locations were determined, editing, etc. * The Squadron Pulse - All 23 issues of the 3rd Airborne Squadron's wartime newsletter. * Pennant Parade - Newsletter the Squadron Pulse editor published aboard ship home after the war (12 issues). * Pocket Guide to Australia - Complete text of the booklet, mentioned in the 6/7/1943 letter. * 12/6/1942 audio recording - The only known recording of Earl's voice. * Postwar Life: 1945-1953 - Returning home and starting a family. * Aftermath: The Family Carries On - Recap of the family since 1953. * Childhood and Early Family - A collection of pre-war photos. * 1985 phone call with Earl's mother - Excerpts about Earl and family history. * WWII Pacific Map - Showing places where the overseas letters were sent from. * A Roster of the 3rd Airborne Squadron - Names mentioned in the Squadron Pulse newsletters. * Further Reading - A survey of books about World War II history, and titles mentioned in the letters. * How the Book Cover Was Created - A breakdown of all the individual elements. * Acknowledgments - Thanks to.... --- Earl Reinhalter (1950- )

Letter Index

1942 Maryland: November 6, 1942 November 9, 1942 Pennsylvania: November 10, 1942 November 11, 1942 November 14, 1942 November 19, 1942 (postcard) November 19, 1942 (letter) Ohio: November 21, 1942 November 29, 1942 December 6, 1942 (letter) December 6, 1942 (audio recording) December 11, 1942 December 16, 1942 December 18, 1942 December 19, 1942 (letter) December 19, 1942 (Xmas card to mother) December 19, 1942 (Xmas card to father) December 26, 1942

1943 January 3, 1943 January 10, 1943 (AM postcard) January 10, 1943 (PM postcard) South Carolina: January 11, 1943 January 22, 1943 January 30, 1943 (letter) January 30, 1943 (note) Jan/Feb 1943 (press packet?) February 7, 1943 February 11, 1943 February 14, 1943 February 18, 1943 February 23, 1943 March 1, 1943 Georgia: March 2, 1943 March 3, 1943 March 7, 1943 March 17, 1943 March 18, 1943 March 28, 1943 April 1943 (stripe) April 6, 1943 April 8, 1943 April 16, 1943 April 21, 1943 April 25, 1943 April 27, 1943 May 1943 May 3, 1943 (postcard) California: May 3, 1943 (note) May 6, 1943 Brisbane: June 1943 June 5, 1943 June 6, 1943 June 7, 1943 June 9, 1943 June 12, 1943 June 14, 1943 June 15, 1943 June 28, 1943 June 29, 1943 July 1, 1943 July 15, 1943 July 27, 1943 August 1943 August 14, 1943 August 16, 1943 August 20, 1943 August 24, 1943 August 25, 1943 September 5, 1943 September 7, 1943 September 18, 1943 (empty envelope) September 18, 1943 (letter) September 20, 1943 September 22, 1943 September 28, 1943 September 29, 1943 October 1, 1943 October 9, 1943 October 16, 1943 October 24, 1943 November 6, 1943 November 15, 1943 Sydney: November 27, 1943 Brisbane: November 30, 1943 December 1943 December 7, 1943 December 13, 1943 Oro Bay: December 17, 1943 Lae: December 23, 1943 December 25, 1943

1944 January 2, 1944 January 5, 1944 January 6, 1944 January 7, 1944 Saidor: January 11, 1944 January 17, 1944 January 29, 1944 February 7, 1944 February 21, 1944 February 23, 1944 March 5, 1944 March 14, 1944 March 20, 1944 March 21, 1944 April 6, 1944 April 8, 1944 April 12, 1944 April 23, 1944 April 29, 1944 May 10, 1944 May 18, 1944 May 26, 1944 June 4, 1944 June 9, 1944 June 17, 1944 June 21, 1944 June 24, 1944 June 29, 1944 July 8, 1944 July 17, 1944 July 24, 1944 July 31, 1944 August 12, 1944 August 18, 1944 (light fiction) August 18, 1944 (letter) August 21, 1944 (light fiction) August 24, 1944 August 25, 1944 (letter) August 25, 1944 (light fiction) August 26, 1944 (light fiction) August 28, 1944 August 30, 1944 September 3, 1944 September 5, 1944 September 8, 1944 September 9, 1944 September 13, 1944 September 19, 1944 September 24, 1944 September 28, 1944 October 11, 1944 October 12, 1944 October 13, 1944 October 23, 1944 San Pablo, Leyte: November 17, 1944 November 19, 1944 November 22, 1944 November 26, 1944 December 1, 1944 Jap Paratrooper Attack December 9, 1944 Tanauan, Leyte: December 16, 1944 December 23, 1944 December 25, 1944 December 29, 1944

1945 January 1, 1945 January 4, 1945 January 10, 1945 January 19, 1945 January 27, 1945 February 1, 1945 February 10, 1945 February 12, 1945 February 15, 1945 February 17, 1945 February 20, 1945 February 22, 1945 February 25, 1945 March 1945 March 9, 1945 March 10, 1945 March 11, 1945 March 12, 1945 (short note #1) March 12, 1945 (short note #2) March 18, 1945 March 20, 1945 March 21, 1945 March 22, 1945 March 23, 1945 March 26, 1945 - medals Floridablanca, Luzon: April 2, 1945 April 10, 1945 April 17, 1945 April 22, 1945 April 29, 1945 May 3, 1945 May 11, 1945 May 18, 1945 May 27, 1945 June 4, 1945 June 6, 1945 June 17, 1945 June 25, 1945 June 26, 1945 June 28, 1945 July 1, 1945 (empty envelope #1) July 1, 1945 (empty envelope #2) July 1, 1945 (empty envelope #3) July 3, 1945 (empty envelope #1) July 3, 1945 (empty envelope #2) July 3, 1945 (empty envelope #3) July 4, 1945 July 13, 1945 Ie Shima: July 23, 1945 July 26, 1945 August 9, 1945 August 20, 1945 August 25, 1945 Atsugi Airfield: September 9, 1945 September 10, 1945 September 11, 1945 September 13, 1945 September 28, 1945 - Hiroshima October 1, 1945 (letter) October 1, 1945 (note about photos) October 1, 1945 (short note) October 2, 1945 (note about photos #1) October 2, 1945 (note about photos #2) October 3, 1945 October 4, 1945 Irumagawa: October 7, 1945 October 10, 1945 October 16, 1945 October 20, 1945 October 22, 1945 October 24, 1945 Maryland: November 21, 1945

Photo Highlights

In all, my father sent home about 600 photos from the war. Here, grouped by location, are
some of the best ones. To review the entire photo album, scroll down to the next section.

STATESIDE (late 1942 - May 1943)
AUSTRALIA (June 4, 1943 until December 1943)
NEW GUINEA (December 1943 to Oct/Nov 1944)
NEW GUINEA - notable planes
LEYTE, PHILIPPINES (1944-45)
LUZON, PHILIPPINES (1945)
THE WAR ENDS

Complete Photo Album Index

All the photos that my father sent home were placed in this photo album by his mother. As with the letters, you can start at page one and keep clicking the "NEXT PAGE" links to navigate through the album. Within each Web page, scroll down to view enlargements of the photos, along with expanded captions which often include additional information that was found written on the rear of the print, mentioned in the letters, or determined through further research. Pages 98-101, which include sixteen Japanese postcards, are awaiting translation of the printed captions. The photo album is not in strict chronological order, since many photos were held back by military censors and could not be sent home until long after they were taken. Also, it looks like some pages were added at the beginning - the earliest photos are on page 17 and the pages immediately following.

page 1 page 2 page 3 page 4 page 5 page 6 page 7 page 8 page 9 page 10 page 11 page 12 page 13 page 14 page 15

page 16 page 17 page 18 page 19 page 20 page 21 page 22 page 23 page 24 page 25 page 26 page 27 page 28 page 29 page 30

page 31 page 32 page 33 page 34 page 35 page 36 page 37 page 38 page 39 page 40 page 41 page 42 page 43 page 44 page 45

page 46 page 47 page 48 page 49 page 50 page 51 page 52 page 53 page 54 page 55 page 56 page 57 page 58 page 59 page 60

page 61 page 62 page 63 page 64 page 65 page 66 page 67 page 68 page 69 page 70 page 71 page 72 page 73 page 74 page 75

page 76 page 77 page 78 page 79 page 80 page 81 page 82 page 83 page 84 page 85 page 86 page 87 page 88 page 89 page 90

page 91 page 92 page 93 page 94 page 95 page 96 page 97 page 98 page 99 page 100 page 101 page 102 page 103 page 104 page 105 * page 106 *

* loose photo