The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1945-03-22

average American not in the
service but to an exhausted Ma
rine from Two Jima it's def
nitely HEAVEN, the young
mans letter to his parents re-
veals.
LEARN TO LAUGH AGAIN
The wounded soldiers alb
sence from the thunder of battle
is also having an almost hilar-
ious effect on him and his bud
died. They have learned to
laugh again-"I laughed so hard
my jaws and stomach ache,
the Two veteran wrote. 1t was
tie reaction from weeks of
fighting in hand-to-hand COM
bat with Japs, which Allen also
touches on in his letters, dated
March 7 and March 10. They
are as follows:
Dear Folks: Still lying here
in bed and it is getting very tire
some. I would sure like to get
up and get some exercise. My
leg is getting much better. I
can't stand, or move my foot
much yet, and it doesn't ache
much any more. I'll be as good
as new soon. We have a radio
in the ward and we have just
finished listening to the news.
Sounds good all over. When we
aren't listening to the news we
have music on.
"The ward Is a quonset hut
with 81 beds. You can imagine
all the talking and gossiping we
do. We have two boys in our
end of the ward from Tennessee
and both are born comedians.
After taps last night we got to
laughing and I laughed so hard
my jaws and stomach hurt. One
of the boys is just coming out
Of ether and is making quite a
noise. They took the shrapnel
out of his legs today. Most of the
wounded are shrapnel cases, for
the Japs played heck with us
with artillery, mortars and thou
sand pound rockets. They had
an excellent defensive set up.
There was hardly a foot Of
ground that didn't have some
kind of blockhouse, pillbox or
something. I hope the next place
! land isn't like that one.
eve had good relief maps
and aerial photographs and we
knew it was going to be no pic
mic but didn't think it would be
like it was I haven't received
any mail yet and I would surely
like some. We should have some
soon. 1t has been we'll over a
month since we have had any
and it Is driving me nuts"
Dear Folks: Have moved
again and I'm now in the Ha-
waiian Islands in one of the best
hospitals l have ever seen. They
(censored) us here from the
(censored). 1t is about a (cen-
sored) mile trip which is quite
a (censored) ride. This is such
beautiful hospital that after
being on Two Jima you can
hardly believe it is true that
there is such a place and you
are lucky enough to be in it.
"A Seabee and have nice
large room. We have a closet
our own private bathroom; we
each have a set of ear-phones
that gives us radio programs all
day long. The beds are large
with big soft mattresses and
clean sheets every day. The
place Is so modern you can
hardly believe 1t. 1t has beau
tiful marble floors, the bath
room Is all tile.
There are three large win
dows In our room that look out
on one Of the prettiest sights
a person could ever want to
look at. Looks like a picture of
the Hawaiian Islands. The
building has its own auditorium
that has shown at /, 8, 6 and 8
p. m. I can hobble around on
crutches now and I 60 on the
elevator that takes me right to
the theater.
"They have a good library
that they push around on
large rack from bed to bed. The
chow is wonderful. We have pie.
ice cream and between meals
they bring around fruit juices
and chocolate milk. It is a Navy
hospital and the doctors, nurses,
and corpsmen are all swell.
1.-THE nurses have the incest
snow white uniforms that are
stiff with starch, and everything
is 80 clean, orderly and peaceful
that what happened on Two
Jima seems like fantastic, hor-
rible nightmare. In short I'm in
love with this place"
MANY NEVER