Bored on the Boat (84)

     Gene was lucky.  He was an officer and had been allowed to go ashore.  The enlisted men had been denied that pleasure, but they had to watch the sailors line up to go ashore every day.

16 Oct. '45
Beloved,
     Today has been nothing and more of it.  Right now we are alongside a tanker taking on oil but that doesn't mean we are going anywhere!  The rumor now has it that we may be here on the boat for 2 or 3 weeks.  Gadfrey!  I don't know how I'll put up with that!  Why we'll be running out of good food and then we will have something to howl about!  We heard that the I Corps was willing for us to get off here and to go overland but the lame-brained Gen. Mullins (and I hope he reads this!) [I could fine no information on Gen. Mullins, other than he was a major general, commanded the 25th Infantry Division from 1944 until 1948, and his given name was Charles, so he probably wasn't very important, which may be why he acted as he did] of the 25th Div. says "no", while he, the regular army ---- is on shore and at Nagoya.  He's the dim-wit who said for us to polish the rough-finished field boots.  But enough of that.  I get so hot when I think how ships times are being wasted that I sizzle!
     They are starting tomorrow to allow several hundred GI's a day to go on shore - one batch each morning and afternoon, and some officers.  Mullins, the ----, had blocked that when we first got here, curse him!  Why, these poor men just have to have something to occupy them!!  That living in the holds is no joke.  They won't be allowed to take things to trade.
     This morning we really laughed.  They line up all the sailors who are going ashore and search them - i.e. make them pull up their pants legs to show nothing is stuck in their socks and pat their pockets.l  They had been inspected and were filing down the gang plank when one started to re-adjust his white cap and 3 packs of gum fell out on the deck.  Was he ever embarrassed and all the officers standing there burst out in a roar of laughter.  He picked up the gum!

From a newspaper, copywrited by King Features Syndicate in 1945

     Yesterday in the cemeteries I noticed the "spirit gates" or I took them to be that.  Inside the open gate was a short straight wall __---__, thus.  Their toriis are quite graceful as are the slight up-curving of the roof eaves.  The tile was certainly an unusual color - almost black.  The pine trees scattered around the buildings and among the rocks were quite handsome in their effect - only it was spoiled by electric wires.  I'd scarcely realized before how ugly electric lines and poles are and how they spoil the overall effect.  We saw some Aussie officers and sailors on shore - all dressed in shorts even though it was quite chilly.  Our sailors were everywhere - dressed in whites and quite conspicuous in them.  Today I noticed they are wearing blues.  There were M.P.'s and S. P.'s [probably shore patrol or special police] only about every mile on the streets.  Some soldiers told us that when they first landed the people were very distrustful and rather uncooperative but a pat of the hand on your .45 along with a request thawed them out.  They said that often the women would cross the street to avoid them.  As soon as they realized they wouldn't be mistreated, they changed their attitudes.
     All my love, Eugene

A crane is poised over an unfinished and abandoned factory;
in the middle is a long line of GI's going to and from the ships