FRI. 24/AUG/45

Dear Mom & Pop,
   I wrote a letter to Nellie and you Mom last Friday but we couldn't send them as we moved from our first camp, near Calcutta to a camp here at Ledo India. Ledo is in the N-E part of India. We came up here in Company trucks. We drove the trucks on to flat cars on a train part of the way and we had to stay with the trucks even when we were on the train. The trip was very tiresome but interesting. This Ledo road that we drove over is a part of the Burma road and it is fairly good now, altho a while back it was terrible. We drove over a mountain that was a little dangerous but not bad if you're careful. The road was very dusty and had a lot of narrow bridges.
   I saw Indian with elephants and the roads are jammed with people, cows, goats, ducks, chickens, ect. There are about 200 million cows in India, about one for every two people. They don't eat the cows or even milk them. They seem to get plenty to eat as the country up here is rich with grass, rice, bananas, coconuts, ect. The cows are usually thin altho they have plenty to eat also. This camp is swell. We have showers, ice water, cots with clean white sheets, fans, electric lights, free laundry service. We have a PX where we can buy candy, beer (1 case Mo.), soap, cigarettes. They serve very good food and cold drinks. We have a movie 3 times a week. Our barracks are about 100 ft by 40 ft and we only have about 20 men in each one. They are made out of bamboo and a sort of a basket woven wood. They have corrugated tin roofs with about 3 inches of straw on top for insulation.
   We have concrete floors and cloth screened in windows and doors. We have a beautiful view of the mountains that are only a few miles away. They claim there are tigers near here but so far the only wild animals I saw was a lizard about one foot long and a couple monkeys back in Calcutta. The people sell them on the streets for 2 or 3 dollars. They are sure cute. They climb up anything they see and do all kinds of stunts. A soldier had one at a rest camp we stopped at on our way up here that chewed gum and smoked and would get on your shoulder and pick thru your hair looking for cooties or something. We gave him a lemon drop that he couldn't get in his mouth so he threw it away madly. This place is like a soldiers dream (so far anyway) but we may not stay here long they say.
   This is supposed to be only a few miles from the most rainy spot in the world (about 400 inches a year) I'm told. So far it hasn't rained much altho its raining now. We have gravel walks and roads so it isn't so muddy at that.
   I can say now that it took 35 days on the boat from Los Angeles to Australia and then up to Calcutta. Our first camp was about 40 miles north of Calcutta and we had 2½ ton GMC trucks to take us in to town almost every day. The red cross buildings were bice and a couple of the rstaurants were swell too. They don't have any beer in Calcutta but they serve gin and whisky for 60¢ (2 rupees) a drink. I had a couple gin drinks a couple of times. The city is completely filthy in most areas. Most of it is off limits for soldiers. They sell all kinds of junky souvenirs but I never bought any. They sell love birds and parrots on the street. The birds just cling on to the Indians fingers as they walk along. The kids holler huba huba and call us Joe. There are hundreds of shoe shine boys who sneak up and say shoe shine Joe and streak a dab of polish on before you know it. Then they follow you for blocks insisting on the job.
   I could write for hours telling about all the sights but my fingers are tiring.
   Now that the war is over I guess we'll have things easier but thats almost impossible as we have had it easy for quite a while. I'm still well and I hope you and our family are also. I received your last letter (Aug. 8th) V-M yesterday. The reason it took so long was because of our trip. We just had mail call and I got 3 letters from Nellie (Aug. 1st 8th 10th). She is enjoying her visit a lot and I think it will build her up a little.
   Julia has a lot of white rabbits (one of them weighs 20 lbs.) They sell them.
   Tell Pop and Al & family hello but this letter is for all of you anyway. I'll send a letter that Nellie got from Margaret Shuvie. I hope Al gets his house all finished soon. Now that the war is over maybe a lot of us will get to come home in 6 months or so. Boy I sure hope they can spare us.
   I hope to see all of you soon and for all of us to stay well and happy. I missed church last Sun. while on our trip but I'll go here next Sun. I never heard anyone say that we have a church here, as yet.
   Well, so long Mom and Pop & Al and may God bless you.
(My new A.P.O.# is 689)
(We had a V-J beer party last nite. I drank a few bottles. Swell place, huh?

Andrew