Month: August 1942

28 August 1942

Dear Folks & all:

I hit the jack pot this week as I got all the newspapers & mail you had sent to San Diego and Unit #400.  So I have had quite a time reading all the news.  I also got letters from Robert, Mary and you that were postmarked June (the early part).  Oh! Yes Homer Van Tine also dropped me a letter.  He told me he had just finished painting your office.

Surely would like to see all of you.  I miss you a great deal and my thoughts are continually going home wondering how all of you are and what you are doing.

Oh! Yes tell Elizabeth I got her letter and enjoyed it very much.  I know with her other duties she doesn’t have much time.

How do you like the way my buddies are pushing those slant eyes around?  I’m telling you that the Marines are a well trained, hard fighting group of boys and men..

Life is about the same here: work, work, and more work.  Sleep when you have a chance and you are continually battling the heat and rain along with everything else.

Mother I’ll get the beads mailed some time this week.

Now we are out of tobacco of all kinds (that is chewing & cigars.)

Remember I love and miss all of you.  I hope this finds you feeling fine.

Love to all,

Leo

Lt. L.J. McLoskey

• 

24 August 1942

Dear Folks & all:

As I have a few spare moments I will drop you a line to let you know I am ok.

Received a letter from you today. It is the first mail I have had in two weeks.  As far as that goes it is the first mail any of the men have had in two weeks.  Surely was glad to hear from you.  You can’t realize how I look forward to hearing from you.  Mother You ask me if where I was at was beautiful.  Not it isn’t.  It is just like no mans land.  But we each have a job to do and do well to end this horror.

Guess you have noticed what the Marines have been doing.  You see they are the crack troops of the world.  Although I am in the combat zone you needn’t worry because I’ll come through ok.  I am sure that God is with me and my men.

We are out of stamps temporarily but I can borrow one from some of me men to mail this.

My suit is in the Quartermaster storeroom in Pearl Harbor.  I sent it and my mens winter clothing to be stored there.

Am glad you liked the kimono and Dad the ash tray.  In addition to that I sent you a pair of candle sticks and a bridge set.  I also sent the kids a bridge set and they were mailed the day I embarked from Pearl to where I now am so you probably won’t receive them for a few weeks yet.

Glad the children like to be with you. Maybe you think your son wouldn’t love to be.

Hope this finds all of you in the best of health.  

Tell Beaulah she needn’t have any fears as there are no women not even natives where I am located.

How long does it now take my mail to reach you?

Love to all,

Leo

Lt. L.J. McLoskey

p.s. On your last letter you put in care of Post Master Los Angeles it is c/o Post Master, San Fransisco.

• 

• 

19 August 1942

Dear Folks & All:

It is now 11:15 pm so I will drop you a note before I catch a few winks of sleep.

Thanks a lot for the stamps.  They are very hard to get a hold of down here and I know that air mail must reach you sooner than the regular mail.

Haven’t had a word from anybody for about eight days.  But I will receive a bundle of mail one of these days.  How long does it take my letters to reach you?  I suppose that they vary because I am in rather an isolated place.

It won’t be long now until Bobby will be starting to school.  Golly!  It doesn’t seem possible.  The first thing I know Mary Alice will be starting to school.

We haven’t had much excitement for about seven days.  But we can expect it almost any time.

Mother I am sending in a few days two strings of beads.  You keep whichever one you want and give Elizabeth the other.  I made them myself from shells I picked up where I am and I might add the shells are jewels.  They are very rare and I hope that you and Libby will like them.  They will no doubt be slow in reaching you as I will have to send them by parcel post.  I now have them packed in a clean sock soaked with my after shaving lotion to give them a good flavor.  If you like them I’ll try and make some more in the few odd spare moments that I have.

All I can tell you is that I am ok, working pretty hard, have a large responsibility on my shoulders but then I guess I am capable of handling it.  Did you receive your bridge set and candle sticks as yet?

Give my regards to all the neighbors, the rest of the family & friends.

Mother, I know you and Dad will think it is a funny request but I would appreciate it if you could send me a lb. of chewing tobacco.  We can’t smoke after dark and it does settle ones nerves to some extent.  I would also like to give some of my men a plug or two.  I have some fine boys under my command and I will do all that is humanly possible to do for them.

I will close for this time and ask God in my prayers as I do every evening for a safe return home for me and my men.

Love to all,

Leo

Lt. L.J. McLoskey

• 

• 

14 Aug 1942

Dear Folks:

The other day I received 13 letters at once.  Boy! Oh boy did that make me happy because where I am now mail is plenty scarce.

Was glad you got the package.  Well I mailed you another one just before I sailed the last time.  Also, I was glad the bank got the allotment.  One will be coming through each month.

Got some letters from Elizabeth, Robert & Mary in the group I received yours in.  Write and write often because sooner or later I’ll get them.

Yes, I think it would be just as well if you clipped out interesting items and sent to me because I haven’t received the newspapers yet so I would discontinue sending them.

Do you realize it was just a year ago today that I enlisted in the Marine Corps to serve our country.  Although it tore me away from home and my friends I still am happy to say I was prepared when the country needed me.

Thanks for the pictures of Mary Alice.  She surely has grown.  She looks more like Bobby than Anne to me.  Just think Bobby will be starting to school in September.   He will have to settle down a little then.  Golly! I am glad he is full of pep.  At least that shows he is all boy.  He will have to go some to be the student Anne is. 

Mother a little about my life which I’ll try and get through to you. I live in a dugout.  We have no vacation at all.  It is a 24 hour proposition 7 days a week and you catch sleep when you can.  It is hotter than blazes and rains practically all the time.  I also sleep under a mosquito net.  I live with the Colonel for reasons I’ll have to explain when we are all together again.  Food is not like one gets at home but not bad.  As to clothes you wear shorts, kakki, dungarees, skivvies anything that is dry when you put it on.  I both shave and drink the same water out of the same barrel that being rain water.  It isn’t bad at all.

Be sure to give all my regards to the family and friends.  Don’t worry I am getting along ok.

Love to all,

Leo

Lt. L.J. McLoskey

• 

• 

6 August 42

Dear Folks & All:

Arrived at my new destination ok as you probably have already denoted on the outside of the envelope.  My new address is:

U.S. MC Unit #535

c/o Postmaster

San Fransisco, Calif.

Surely would like to let each of you know where I am and etc.

I am going to send my green uniform home as I don’t believe I’ll be needing it for some time and as it was quite expensive I want to take good care of it.

All I can tell you is that my new station is something that one dreams about and reads about but just can’t realize exists until you see it with your own eyes.

One nice thing about it I am kept quite busy and the time passes quite rapidly.  Now you needn’t worry and I’ll write to you as often as I can.

Just before I sailed from my last destination I sent you folks and the kids a little gift.  I hoe you get them ok and that you will like them.

You know it seems just like yesterday when you used to say run over to Mr. Mortons and get a loaf of bread.  I miss you and miss all of you.  But we have a job to do and by Golly we are going to do it.

Mother, thanks for praying for me and my boys.  I also do the same and ask the Lord that someday we will all be united again.

Dad you and Mother and I will have plenty to talk about when we see each other again.  Hope this finds all of you well.  Give my love to all.

Love,

Leo

2d Lt. Leo J McLoskey

• 

•