A Letter from the Front
OCT 29, 1950

DEAR BARBARA,

HERE(SIC)AM WRITING YOU A LETTER WHICH I HAVE TO ADMIT I HATE TO WRITE.
YOU SEE BARBARA IT IS PRETTY HARD TO WRITE AND TAKES MUCH COURAGE.  I
WAS GOING TO WRITE YOU SOME TIME AGO, BUT I COULDN'T FIND THE WORDS OR
THE COURAGE.

YOU SEE ED AND I WERE GOOD FIRENDS AND SOLDIERED AT THE SAME TIME FOR A
WHILE BEFORE DISASTER HAD TAKEN EFFECT.  AS IN ANY WAR IT DOES.  THERE
WERE 16 OF US AROUND THIS ONE POSITION WE WERE TO DEFEND AND WERE UNDER
CONSTANT FIRE ALL DAY.

THAT NIGHT WHEN WE GOT HIT OUT OF THE SIXTEEN ONLY TWO OF US WERE
UNHURT, I BEING ONE OF THEM ONE OF MY COMRADES BEING ANOTHER.  THE OTHER
WHICH NAME I WILL NOT MENTION FOR REASONS WAS IN THE SAME HOLE WITH ED. 
WHEN WE GOT BACK TO BATTALION I SPOKE WITH HIM AND HE MENTIONED ED.  HE
ALSO MENTIONED THAT ED NEVER KNEW WHAT HIT HIM, HE DIED FAST AND DIDN'T
SUFFER ANY.  WE DIDN'T GET TO SEE ED AFTER THAT YOU SEE FIVE DAYS AFTER
THAT WE WERE ABLE TO RETAKE THAT POSITION AND WE COULDN'T GET TOO CLOSE
TO THE BODIES BECAUSE OF THE ODOR.  BUT WE DID GET ED'S WATCH RING AND
PEN, WHICH OUR PLATOON LEADER PROBABLY SENT YOU OR WILL.

WE BURIED ED THERE AND I GUESS GRAVES REGISTRATION HASN'T CAUGHT UP TO
THEIR GRAVES YET. YOU SEE BARBARA THERE WERE FOUR OF US WHICH USED TO
PAL AROUND TOGETHER AND TODAY THERE IS ONLY ONE LEFT WHICH IS ME.  AND I
HAVE A JOB TO DO OVER HERE WHICH NEEDS TO BE DONE. I HAVE YET TO NOTIFY
THE OTHER TWO FAMILIES OF THEIR SONS THAT WERE KILLED FIGHTING THIS
CAUSE SO THAT OUR FAMILIES MAY BE SAFE AT HOME AND FREE.

WELL BARBARA I HOPE THIS LETTER FINDS YOU IN THE BEST OF HEALTH AND MAY
GOD BLESS YOU.  BEFORE I FINISH THIS LETTER WHICH I SO MUCH HATE TO
WRITE I WOULD LIKE YOU KNOW THAT ED THOUGHT OF YOU PEOPLE BEFORE HE DIED
HE TOOK YOU PICTURES AND PUT THEM CLOSE TO HIS HEART FOR HE REALLY
THOUGHT VERY MUCH OF HIS FAMILY.  IF THERE IS ANYTHING I CAN DO TO HELP
LET ME KNOW.  I MUST SIGN OFF FOR NOW MY DUTY CALLS ME.  SO TIL LATER.

ALWAYS A FRIEND

JOHNNY 



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