MilColl_WWII_36_Graham_John_B_Papers_B1F17_Corr_December_1945

Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan 6 Dec 1945

Dearest darling,

Many things have happened in the last few [crossed out word (month)] days, so many that I have had little time to write. As you see from the address, my promotion has come thru at last. I am also sending several money orders home in consecutive letters! However, I've just learned that I have to have a certificate from my C.O. saying that the money was not made in the Black Market before I get a money order. I was interested in your stories about the black lace nightgowns, honey. As you know, the feminine form lighgtly draped in black lace is the feature of "pinups" everywhere. This interest in black lace is a sure sign of long continued contemplation of pin-up pictures. Not having had ready access to pinups in almost a year now, my ideas are somewhat different. I think pink nightgowns are beautiful. They are so pretty that it seems a shame to wear them. They really should be left in a drawer somewhere where they can be admired in all their beauty at leisure. It is much more economical that way, too. Why I bet you could save $1000 a year wear & tear on nightgowns alone if you followed my scheme. I have been sleeping sans pajamas so long that I doubt that I can ever reconvert to previous standards.

Honey, please be very careful not to show up all the young mothers around Goldsboro. Compared to your abounding love and wisdom they must seem awfully gauche with their babies. You have always been a perfect wife and to show off your perfection as a mother would be cruel. Don't worry about Barrett. Above all don't let him know that everything isn't secure. Children, even babies sense immediately any insecurity in the atmosphere and it leaves indelible scars on

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their personalities. Don't force him to take naps if he doesn't want to. Unless you force him awake, he will get all the sleep he needs. Don't worry about his apparent inability at times to remember not to be afraid of people. Give him as much love as you can and don't frighten him about anything. If he does train down to hair-trigger fineness, don't let it bother you.

Honey, you are really not keeping up with your husband spiritually. He is now a member of the regimental choir (melody - 2nd tenor- soprano) putting on his first performance tonight. I have been to 5 church services this week besides 2 choir practices this week. The chaplain (Baptist) is a good friend of mine. He & I are trying to close up the red-light district. I egg him on and he weathers the blast. So far we have frightened everybody in command to death. I began a rumor that the chaplain was going to submit a report and everybody from the Gen on down is quivering. In one of the interminable arguments on the subject of closing them up, the Bn. Exec. Officer made a typical retort. "What are the men going to do at night if you close them up?"

Honey, you'd better stop expecting me in the spring. The divisions going home now are composed only of men eligible to be discharged. (55 points) 54 point men are left behind. We got some yesterday from the 27th Div. with 50 points & 18 months overseas. At present 70 points or 48 months service is necessary for doctors. I have 38 points & 17 months. Hence, I expect to be screened out of the Div. when it leaves in April. Some date after that if my increasing months & their lowered months will coincide. Then truly will I get home

[Drawn chart titled "Months Necessary for discharge" inserted here. Y axis reads "months" with assending values 0 12 24 36 48. X axis is labeled "Time" with Dec J F M A M J JULY AUG SEPT. Solid line with a positive slope begins at 17 months through AUG. Dotted line with a negative slope begins at 48 months. Lines intersect at vaule 24 months, April with arrow pointing to "Here I connect."]

Only if they decellerate the necessary service much more rapidly can I expect to get home next summer. I have 24 months next July. At the present rate it figures to Aug. That I think is optimistic on my part. It will be later or sooner depending on whether they increase or decrease their present rate.

I love you with all my heart, darling. Kiss our son for me & write often.

Your adoring husband, John

Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan 13 Dec 1945

My dearest darling,

Today I received 2 letters from you dated 1 & 2 Dec. I was so happy to hear from you again. It had been several days since I last heard from you. I have no room to complain, as you do, because it has been much longer since I have written to you. I hope you will excuse me if I bring up the subject I love, darling, but I love you very much. (The last statement won the critics award for being the "understatement of the year"). I worship the ground you tread and am only being fair to you when I say that you are the sweetest, most precious, most adorable wife, woman and mother in the whole world. Now that Christmas is here (it will be when you get this) my thoughts involuntarily turn to you and Barrett. I love you both so much that I am sad about it. It isn't right for such love to be separated, honey.

I can't find anything worth sending to you for a X-mas present, so I'm sending you a money order for $100.00. Please buy yourself something nice with it. I don't want it spent on anything for Barrett or anything for all of us. This is yours to buy something for yourself with. Buy a coat or a fur or something that you have wanted but haven't gotten. Please let me know what you have gotten.

I have gotten 3 or 4 boxes from you including the one with the bedroom slippers and muffler and gloves. I wish you would try to get me some fur-lined bedroom slippers as it is amost too cold to wear any other kind. Night before last the water on my stove (humidifier) froze during the night. We have 4-6 inches of snow now which shows no sign of melting & which we expect to keep in greater or lesser amount until April or so. Our keeping-warm facilities are fairly good. I have 7 blankets & a sleeping bag & can add sleeping clothes at will. They have even begun to issue overcoats! I am becoming used to our mackinaw-type

[begin cross out] sleeping bag now [end cross out] field jacket though and don't miss the overcoat. The Corps (IX) Inspection comes off on 22 DEC and we are trying to get out final Xmas touches in before then. The Japanese celebrate Xmas for some reason and have quite a bit of decorating material. This must be a hangover from the days when they exported to the States because they consider Sunday at work day. Business on Sunday is as brisk as on any other day if not brisker because of larger numbers of soldiers. After choir practice (we sing Joy to the World on Sunday) I came over to write this letter but my chief technician had a loaf of bread so we split a bottle of Smithfield spread & talked for quite a while. For a long time I haven't told you how much you mean to me, honey. I have told you so many times that I seem repititious to myself but get such a thrill when you admit that you still remember me that I think it worth while. Nothing in the world could make me happier than to be with you again. Being away from you certainly teaches me what I am missing. I shall do everything in my power to make up to you for my deficiencies when we are together again. I may not bring as much hair back with me as you remembered but my love is undimmed. I love you with all my heart.

Your adoring husband, John

Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan 15 Dec 1945

My darling son, About 1 year ago I began a process which was known at that time as "sweating-out." I was "sweatingout your birth. Your mother and I were separated for the first time since we had been married and your father was very unhappy. The mental turmoil which I was going thru can be known only by a man whose wife is a precious and wonderful as your mother. You see, son, once in a while a mother and/or her child die during childbirth. Your father was unable to face the prospect of anything happening either to you or to your mother. Being a weak character, he found the prospect almost unbearable. He didn't communicate this fear to your mother and she never knew about it, but his associates at the time can attest to his anguish. When he learned that you had been born and that both your mother & yourself were well, his joy was unconfined. Your Mother has always been a joy to him and your growth & development have been a an additional blession. He has only thanks to offer to God that you both are his. As you grow older and can appreciate your greatest blessing (Mother) you will begin to see that besidses her enormous love for you, she possesses many qualities that make her a rare and unusual person. I hope that for your sake you never become as attached to her as is your Father. If so, you will be unable ever to enjoy another female companionship, and shall always be disastified with the humble accomplishments of other women.

I am enclosing a money order, son, in celebration of your first birthday, the first anniversary of one of the greatest events of my life. Your mother will use it wisely, either saving it for the future, or buying something for you which she thinks you need.

My love is, as always, a blanket of infinite depth enveloping your mother and yourself. God bless you both.

Your adoring Father

Encl. Money Order #20819 APO #77