Laurel outlook., 1945-02-14
Letters From
Our Boys
and Girls

George c. Kenney, lieutenant gen.
eral, commander, Allied air forces
Southwest Pacific, Jan. 81, to Glenr
Sheets:
Recently your son, Sgt. Jay w
Sheets, was decorated with the All
medal. 1t was an award made in
recognition of courageous service to
his combat organization, his fellow
American airmen, his country, his
home and to you.
He was cited for meritorius
achievement while participating in
aerial flights in the Southwest Pa
cific area from June 8, 1914, to
Aug. %, 1914.
Your son took part in sustained
operational flight missions during
which hostile contact was probable
and expected. These flights includ-
ed dropping supplies and transport
ing troops over territory that was
continually patrolled by enemy
fighter aircraft. Often landings
were made on fields which were only
a few miles from enemy bases.
These operations aided considerably
in the recent successes in this thea
ter.
Almost every hour of every day
your son and the sons of other
American fathers are doing Just
such things as that here in the
Southwest Pacific.
Theirs is a very real and very
tangible contribution to victory and
to peace.
l would like to tell you how gen
timely proud l am to have men
such as your sol in my command,
and how gratified 1 am to know that
young Americans with such courage
and resourcefulness are fighting our
country's battle against the aggres-
Sor nations.
You, MI. Sheets, have every rea-
son to share that pride and graft
fication.
S. Sgt. Howard G. Cram, Phillip
pine Islands, Jan. IS, to Mrs. R. L.
Cram, Park City:
Now that l have a minute l will
drop a line and let you know l am
still going strong. We are in the
thick of things and have seer plen-
ty of excitement. For the first
three days the Japs with air raids
kept us in our fox holes, but |
guess we have them under control
now as they haven't bothered us for
quite awhile.
| suppose you have seen pictures
of how Our navy shells the beach
before we land. Boy! What l mean
that is something to see, especially !
with an air raid going on at the {
same time. l.
II poolae n oo,coo +I;-1x &c Ill IL
things he ever did during his {
whole life. v
1 got to watch it all from our '
about three hours after the assault S
1 never saw so many ships '
in one bunch in my life and | am I
sure the Japs hadn't either. The t
operation went off just like clock c
work. Most of the Japs pulled back c
into the hills, so we were able to I
establish a swell beachhead. Our
casualties have been very small so =
far. A. T. company hasn't lost a
man, but as yet there haven't been
any great concentrations of Japs. J
Boy, are these Filipinos glad to
see US! They said that if we had f
not come this year they would have C
They have no clothes to |
vear-just run around in rags. I i
you could have seen them come S
)ut of the mountains when we got n
Smelling the beach. They a
Inew we were coming. They think e
he American people are the finest il
N earth. {
Whenever we eat they flock in by 6
he hundreds. Of course we can't d
'eed them all because we have only a
We a carry, but 1 just can't a
at in front of those poor little kids,
10 in the end they get most of what s
have. II
They say we are kind to give them j
the Japs gave them nothing n
md took most of what they had. II
We trade them some of our food b
or eggs, but eggs are scarce-the B
APPS took most of the chickens. All p
n all the Filipinos are in very bad Il
hape here, but / am sure they will Il
ave help soon. Most of the Jap a
we capture are turned over a
o the civilians, but what they need b
lost now is rice and clothes. CT
They don't want us to take Jap p
risoners, and when we do get one a!
re have a hard time keeping them
killing him. (Censored). Boy, h
pity the Japs they meet up with. tN
hey are going to be a lot of help to
D US here. b
The civilians have wads of Jap b1
1vasion money, and it is hard to CO
lake them understand it has no
alue. I am sending you some n
it. /
We sleep in fox holes most of the Il
Try This New Amazing Il