CPL Martin E Conlon
US 51 213 731
Co. D 34th INF. REGT. APO. 24
c/o P.M. SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.
April 18, 1954
Yangu Valley
Korea
Dear Dot & Bill:
I received your letter and picture the other day and was very happy to hear from you again. That picture really come came out good. I haven’t tried any color film as yet because I don’t think there is much over here this time of year to use color on. Maybe I will later on when the summer gets here. I will be glad to see the summer come and go because I plan on departing from this lovely country on or about the 1st of October. The other day, to be exact, the 16th of April made it one year away from home and also on the 16th I was promoted to corporal which is a good break. I won’t have to be private of the guard anymore and I will also receive about $130 per month for pay which is a good jump. I have a $40 allotment taken out now and with the increase I will probably be able to send about $100 per month home. The increase doesn’t go into effect until I get paid in May. I am also trying to get a ten day leave the 1st of June to go back to Japan for a while. I hope it goes through. We had a three hours devotion Friday from noon until 3:00 over at the division field and all three regiments had men there. They must have been better than 1000 men in attendance and it was a very impressive ceremony. They had the Stations of the Cross, Mass of the Presanctified, the Rosary, Several sermons, and Adoration of the Cross. Today we had services in the Chapel and this Chapel is one of the most beautiful ones I have seen in Korea. It is built from stones and it is covered on the inside with plywood. The altar is on a stone base and behind it are three picture windows hand painted. It is really nice and the church was filled to capacity.
I am glad to hear that the baby is getting along fine and also everyone else. Speaking of the baby getting shots reminded me that we are due for them Tuesday evening. I shouldn’t get too many I hope because when I went on R&R. They hit me five times, all in one arm. I was sure sore in that arm for a few days. We started last week to take pills for malaria called chloroquin. The only thing it does is keep the symptoms of malaria from showing up. In other words, if you have malaria, the symptoms won’t show up while you take the pills but if you stop taking them then all the symptoms will come out. I don’t know the reason for wanting to keep the symptoms in but there must be one someplace.
We are living in squad tents again as this position is about 3 miles north of the 38th parallel. There is no electricity here so we have candles, but they say we may move out of here in a couple of weeks time. It will make our 17th move since I hit the company last May. That’s really travelling isn’t it. I don’t believe there is a place in Korea where UN servicemen are stationed that we haven’t been to.
As you said, all the talk is about Indo China, and I hope that I am back home before they decide to send troops there if the need arises God forbid that. There is talk that the Congress is going to decide within 60 days wether to [send] many GI’s there. You must be kept really busy with all the projects you have underway. The house ought to look real nice when you get finished.
I am sending two color negatives that I wish you would have printed up for me as they don’t have the facilities for doing color work over here and you have to send them to Japan or Hawaii to get them done. Would you please send me one copy of each and also send the slides back as they don’t belong to me. Also send one copy of each back home. The one picture outside was taken at Pusan getting ready for a parade and the other one was taken while I was on R&R. They are the only color pictures I have had taken since I came in the Army.
Well, it’s getting late and I have some work to do so I guess that I will close for now, I hope you all had a Happy and Holy Easter Season and I offered up my communion for everyone of you back home. Will write again soon.
Love
Eddie
P.S. The time magazine is coming through regularly thanks again.
