WW2 Chapter 66 - His Father's Birthday (and Possible Redeployment)

Letter of March 3

3/3/45

Dear Dad,

    This money situation can certainly present one helluva problem. Dutch money is the accepted currency, here -- but I had only Philippine. The difficulty was to figure out the relationship centavos, pesos, and gilders have to American money; and also what part of a gilder is equivalent to how much in pesos and centavos. There's one advantage to this system -- most of the time a person doesn't know when he's being swindled.

    As for money -- the government owes me five month's pay. Without deducting my life insurance, at $75 per month ---

    Until today, I've been on a diet called ulcer colitis [for dysentery] -- which means no bread or jam -- but toast and butter; no pastry; no eggs; no powdered milk with cereal; no fruit -- but plenty of fruit juices; no vegetables -- that's all I can think of at the moment.

    Had a couple of x-rays this morning -- sort of a final check-up. Expect to leave in a day or so -- then back to the front lines. Five and one-half weeks in the hospital -- and it's been a wonderful "vacation", -- with no Japs to worry about.

    Ran into one of the men from my company. He's got one of those tropical diseases that can't be cured [possibly schistosomiasis], and is now waiting on transportation to the states.

    Also "met" a soldier whom I became acquainted with one night in St. Louis. It doesn't much matter where you go, there always seems to be someone that you've known before.

    Hope that you have a most Happy Birthday, Dad ---

With love,

Franklin

P.S.  Who makes the odograph-?-- It's an instrument installed in jeeps, and records the distance and direction the vehicle has traveled.