Found this in Rosalie's scrapbook.
Miss Rosalie Nash
RFD #3
Howell, Michigan USA
2 July 1951
Camp Strong, Chitose
Dearest Rosalie
Happy Birthday darling. It is now officially your birthday although over here
it is one day past. Anyhow I’m thinking of you as I always do. I’m getting so lonesome for you. I’m almost ready to pack up and come home, only it ain’t quite that easy, if it was I would have been home long ago. But
it won’t be too long before I get home and all our plans can come true. I love you so much it makes me homesick every time I think about you and I’m thinking about you constantly.
Had K.P. today. Whatta snap. There wasn’t any dishes to wash just pots and pans and they don’t take long. So actually we didn’t do too much work. It was a pain tho, just the idea of being on KP irks me something awful.
We’re supposed to get our first passes on this coming weekend, so we can go into Chitose. There’s a whole flock of stuff I want to buy. Before
we buy anything in town we’ve got to change all of our money to yen. The yen isn’t worth too much as 360 yen equal $1.00. Stuff is really cheap here, so I’m going to send a lot of souvenirs home.
Tomorrow we’re supposed to go on an 8 mile hike and a five mile hike. They’re trying to get us back into condition so we can walk 20 miles a day, and they want to do it in 4 days, so we’re going to have to work too hard, which I don’t
particularly care for.
Be as good as you can darling and remember I’m thinking of you always and getting more in love with you every day.
Bye for now
Love you always
Ken
(He drew a heart with R.N. + K.Z. in the center then wrote, cute huh?)
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Zill
1713 Maryfield
Ann Arbor, Michigan
3 July 51
Camp
Strong
Chitose Hokkaido
1630 Hours
Dear Mom and Dad,
Had a holiday today as today was Sunday. Actually
it was Tuesday but weekends don’t always fall on weekends. They usually come in the middle of the week. They don’t like everyone to have the same days off. They go by battalions. Our whole battalion was off today while Gus’s
was working. So we probably won’t get too many weekends off together.
We’re still restricted to camp but next weekend we can go into town.
There’s a little town just outside of camp here where everyone can go. The name is Chitose (She toe see). It isn’t much of a town but they have an awful lot of things to buy. If you argue enough with the dealers you can always
knock off a few hundred yen. 360 yen equal $1.00. Stuff is real cheap over here as everything is dirt cheap.
Tomorrow we are supposed to start working.
So far we haven’t done too much. When you work over here you really work but when you’re not working you do absolutely nothing at all.
By the
way if films aren’t scarce there could you mail me some? They are impossible to buy over here. I’ve got 5 rolls that I’m going to have developed then mail home so you’ll probably get them in about two weeks. There’s
no more news so I’ll close.
Love
Ken
On the back of the envelope Ken writes, “Make the film either 620 or 120.
Miss Rosalie Nash
RFD #3
Howell, Michigan USA
3 July 1951
Camp Strong Chitose
My Own Dearest Rosalie
Hi Honey, just got thru wasting another day doing nothing. So far over here all we’ve done is about 3 five mile hikes. Actually haven’t even worked up a sweat yet, but tomorrow we start as we’re supposed to go on a 92 hour field
problem.
I’ve got a date tonight to go over and see John. He didn’t get in “E” company, he’s over in Ordinance, that’s repairing
tanks and such. We’re going to the show tonight and see “Rawhide.” It’s supposed to be good, so we’re going.
Its real nice out today and was yesterday. Enough for the weather.
The division is scheduled to come home in May or April so we’ll probably come with
them. Maybe I told you already, but that’s about all anyone cares about over here, when we’re going home. You’d be surprised how much you miss it when you can’t go home. It will be the most wonderful day in the world
when we get on the boat for San Francisco, exclusion of one other day when we walk down the aisle together.
Goodbye for now sweetheart
Will write more later
Love you always
Ken
Hi Honey
John and Gus and I just got back from the show. We went to see, “Call me Mister.” We laughed like heck at it. I think that I had seen it before anyhow it took place in Japan, and some of the things really looked familiar. Anyhow it was funnier than heck.
Just got word we’re having a parade tomorrow. I don’t know who in heck we are going to parade for but these darn officers get the idea they want a parade, they get it.
Well sweetheart I gotta close now but not before I tell you that I’m thinking of you always and dreaming of the day when I can come home to you. Til the day I get home I’ll keep on loving you.
All my love
Ken
XXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX
Miss Rosalie Nash
RFD #3
Howell, Michigan USA
5 July 1951
Camp Strong Chitose
My Own Dearest Rosalie
How’s my wonderful girl who lives in Pinckney these days? Everything is fine I hope. Everything is simply great down here. Yesterday they pulled a surprise bivouac on us. We were all sitting around the company area about 10:30
and so they announced that at 1200 we would leave for an overnight bivouac and a problem dealing with attacking in the mountains. Walk up one hill and down another. You really get tired roaming around in those bloody hills. It is supposed
to be the same terrain as Korea.
The land is really beautiful tho, except for the houses. They are really in pitiful shape. Most of the country houses
have a grass roof on them and none of them have any paint on them at all. They are all poor as heck and most of them just wear rags. I never thought that people could be so poor, but there they are. They have rice paddies everywhere you look.
They just about live on rice, cuz that’s all you see.
Tonight we could have gotten passes but I didn’t have any yen, so I can’t go to town.
We get paid the first of the week so I can go to town. I’ve got a lot of stuff to buy so I want to get to town pretty soon.
Well Sweetheart I’ll
write you a good long letter tomorrow as we’ll probably get the day off since we worked so hard. I’ll write you then honey, so until then I’ll remain your ever loving guy, who is just counting the days until I get home and be with you
again. I really miss you something awful honey, but I’ll soon be home again with you.
Bye for now
I’m sending you all my love and kisses
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Zill
1713 Maryfield Dr.
Ann Arbor, Michigan
6 July 1951
Camp Strong
Dear Mom and Dad,
Just got back from town. It isn’t exactly like an American town, in fact it’s all together different from ours. All the stores have open fronts on them and they really have beautiful things. Me and Hook are going into town at
the end of next week and buy some stuff to mail home. We got boxes all ready to ship the stuff home. I’ll have it all marked so you can tell who belongs to what.
Also over here the cars all run on the wrong side of the street. It seems awful funny watching them drive that way. The roads over here are terrible. They never repair them at all and most of them are awful narrow.
Yesterday we were staging an act in the mountains. It was pretty tiresome walking up and down those hills. Tomorrow we’re going on a 92 hour bivouac. We’re going to spend 2 nights out there I guess then come back to Tent town.
That’s what we call our camp here. Everything is in tents, movies, chapels, offices, everything except the mess halls. Went thru the mountains and saw a flock of straw houses. I thought that they only had those in Africa. But
there is a lot of them over here. And the people never paint their houses. And they have no lawns or anything like it. They have stuff planted where ever stuff will grow. Even between rolls of potatoes they have beans or peas planted.
All the level ground is rice paddies. There must be an awful lot of work in those paddies as all the rows are real straight running both ways.
Gotta close
now, will write again about Monday as we will be out in the field and won’t have time to write til then.
Goodbye for now
Love
Miss Rosalie Nash
RFD #3
Howell, Michigan
6 July 1951
Camp Strong Chitose
1600 Hours
My dearest Darling Rosalie,
Guess what I got, 6 letters from RFD # 3 Howell today and needless to say they were more welcome than payday. And thanks a million for the picture. It makes me feel more at home with a good picture of you to look at. I can’t tell you
how glad I was to get it.
It’s been misting here all day, just enough so we couldn’t take our company picture as we were scheduled. So we slept
all morning and played softball all afternoon so we got a lot accomplished. We’re going on a 92 hour bivouac tomorrow so I may not get time to write for a couple of days. I’ll write if I get a chance.
We got a new game over here now that everyone is playing. It is something on the order of Russian roulette, only it’s played with a bayonet. It takes two guys to play and they stand about 6 feet apart and throw the bayonet at each other’s
feet it has to hit within 12 inches of the feet, if it does, the guy has to move his foot to cover the hole with his foot, then he throws at his opponent’s feet and the process is repeated. This keeps going on til one guy can’t spread his
legs any farther, and the other guy wins. If the bayonet doesn’t stick it doesn’t count. Also we play “6 or under” that’s where the bayonet has to hit within 6 inches of the other’s feet. It comes pretty
close at times. It’s kinda dangerous I guess, but it’s something to pass the time. The boys in Korea made it up to kill the time during a lull in the fighting. Even the officers play it although they frown on the enlisted men playing
it, they’re afraid someone may get hurt.
Haven’t seen Gus for a couple of days now as he went on bivouac while we were gone, and we’re
leaving again before he returns so I won’t see him til the middle of next week sometime. He’s over in “A” company and of course I’m in “E” company. “E” company is the battalions favored company as
the battalion C.O. used to be C.O. here and so did his assistant. So they think “E” company is better than any other company and he’s also got the silly notion that we’re tougher than any other company. So if the rest of
the battalion walks one mile, “E” goes 2 miles, if the rest of the battalion takes a short cut we go the long way around. As on bivouac we get all the hard work, such as being front line company. In the battalion, 2 companies are line
companies, one is held in reserve and one has the heavy weapons and “E” company is also on line. And in “E” company 2 platoons are on line one in reserve and one has light weapons. I’m in the first platoon, so if we
go into combat our platoon will be the first one on the line, so I’ve got no burning desire to go to Korea.
From what I hear things don’t look so
hot over in Iran. I guess that that could easily be another Korea, if they’re not careful. But we’ll just have to trust in God not to have it develop into World War III. If war broke out it would be a long time before we got home.
Excuse me mail call and I gotta go, here’s hoping I get a letter from you – no luck – no letters today, so I guess I’ll have to wait until
tomorrow. Chow!
Just got back from chow and going to town. Whatta town. It reminds me of Leesville, La. All it is, is something to take
the soldiers’ money away from them. Spent about 1500 yen or roughly $4.00. Got a hunting knife and 10 candles and a watch band. I started out with 2000 yen. We were at chow and some corporal asked me if I had any yen and of course
I said no so he gives me 1000 yen and told me to pay him back when I got around to it. Then as I was leaving camp the sergeant stopped me and asked me to get him some candles. So I told him it would cost about 1000 yen and he would get the change
on pay day. I was just joking with him and he gives me 1000 yen. So of course I took it. Everything is so cheap it is pitiful. Everything that you buy you argue about first and chisel all off of it you can before you buy it. If
its marked 2000 yen, you offer about 1000 for it and he’ll probably down a hundred or so, then you raise your price about 50 yen and end up paying about 1400 or 1500 yen. They still make money tho, so no one feels sorry for them. In fact
they jacked the prices way up when the 45th pulled in.
We get paid when we return from bivouac so we can go into town and really blow the wad on junk.
Well sweetheart it’s time to go to bed and get a little shut-eye and we’re going on a little hike around 15 miles or so. It maybe a little tiring
so I’d better hit the hay. So I’ll say goodnite for now, remember I’m praying for and also falling more in love with you each day. You said that I never proposed to you, I’d like to do it in person but I can’t so I
have to ask it by mail, Rosalie my dear will you consent to become Mrs. Zill? If you answer yes, I’ll be the happiest guy on earth.
All my love
Ken
Miss Rosalie Nash
RFD #3
Howell, Michigan
9 July 1951
Camp Strong, Chitose
2130 Hours
My dearest Rosalie,
Just got back from our little bivouac. It was great fun. In fact I’ve never had so much fun. I’ll tell you all of the gory details.
We left camp here about 0800 Sat morning, and it was raining cats and dogs. I was kinda hoping they would call it off, but no dice. I guess we walked about 5 miles and arrived there about 200 pm. We had air attacks all the way and about every
5 minutes we had to clear the road and go into the bushes. Then also we had to attack a couple of hills and wade thru grass over our heads. I’ve never been so darn wet in all my life. We were ready to attack the first hill and someone
goofed off and we had to sit down in the grass for about one and half hours. It finally turned out some other company had taken the hill from the other side. We wasted the morning then, but we were so darn wet and cold no one gave a darn how wet
we got. The next hill was on the other side of a creek, it was a big sized creek, about 3 feet deep and 25 feet wide, so we just waded across. Also waded across on the way back too.
Got to the bivouac area and much to our surprise our bed rolls hadn’t arrived as yet. So they came at 700 pm just when it was getting dark so we pitched our tents in the dark. Got up at seven the next morning and sat around all day doing
absolutely nothing. Then at six o’clock we went on a 10 mile hike in 2 hours. We were really a beat bunch of GIs when we arrived at where we was going. It was a mountain covered with timber and thick undergrowth. And was it ever
dark, I never knew that it could get so dark. So we had to dig a fox hole in the dark and then were supposed to pitch tents, but everyone said, phooey on it and just slept on blankets.
Then we get up at 430 and started a fifteen mile retreat back to camp. And it was hotter than a firecracker. We double timed up and down mountains and everywhere except on the roads. And to make things real nice no one had any water.
One day you drown and the next you die of thirst.
Oh, it’s a great life if you don’t weaken. But we get tomorrow and the next day off. Also get paid tomorrow, then I’m going to Chitose and shoot a few dollars. The
stuff should be in A2 in about a month.
I’m getting awful sleepy so I’m going to bed. I’ll end this by telling you that I still am very
much in love with you. I wish that I could be home with you but it has to be otherwise for a while. Til we can be together again I’m thinking of you constantly and will go on loving you forever
Bye for now
All my love
Ken
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Zill
1713 Maryfield
Ann Arbor, Michigan
10 July 1951
Camp Strong Chitose
Dear Mom and Dad,
Got back from our little bivouac last night and I was too tired to write so I waited til this morning. It rained pretty hard when we left, in fact we were out in the rain for a little over 12 hours. The brush here is real thick all over, almost
like the jungle so we were soaking wet after being out about 10 minutes. Then too we had to cross the stream out here twice so we just waded across. The water was about 3 feet deep and 25 feet wide. We couldn’t have gotten any wetter
if we would have gone swimming with our clothes on.
When we got to camp we built bonfires to dry out by and everyone got dry ok. It was real nice out Sunday
so we didn’t do anything, just sat around. They had an outdoor chapel there we went to. Then about 6 pm they decided we should go make camp for the night about 10 miles down the road, so we walked down there in 2 hours. It was on a
mountain and there was a heavy forest and a terrifically heavy under growth and by the time we got there it was really dark. About that time we were told we had to dig fox holes, so we dug them and slept out in the open. They woke us up at about
430 the next morning so we could retreat back to camp thru the mountains. That day was just the opposite of the first, it was hot and dry and to top it off no one had any water. We must have walked 25 miles thru those mountains, because we started
at 700 and got thru about 430. I think we walked farther that day then we ever did before. We were really beat when we got back to camp.
We’ve
got today and half of tomorrow off so we’re just mostly cleaning equipment and writing letters, as everyone has sore feet and doesn’t want to go to town as we have to walk. It’s about 2 miles from here. Also we’re supposed
to get paid today, and Me and Hook are going into town tomorrow and buy some things to send home. You’ll get them in the middle of August as it takes a month for them to get home. Getting close to chow so I’ll have to close.
If you get time could you send me some socks? About 12 pairs of those cotton khaki with cushion sole. Without the cushion sole they’re no good for boots. It’s impossible to buy them or film. Also you can throw some film
in either 620 oo 120. I guess that’s all I need.
Goodbye
for now
Love
Ken
Miss Rosalie Nash
RFD #3
Howell, Michigan
11 July 1951
Camp Strong
My Dearest Rosalie
Got another letter from you today and real glad to hear from you. We got this afternoon and all day tomorrow off. We had inspection this morning and less than ½ of the company passed. Yours truly was one of the majority. We had
another inspection this afternoon for those who didn’t pass this morning and about ½ of them didn’t pass again so there’s another inspection at 6:30 this evening. I passed the second inspection so I am thru for now. The
inspection was really rough. If you had a couple of specks of dust on it, you didn’t pass.
Saw Gus last night for the first time in four weeks.
Me and Gus are going to walk over to John’s tonight and go to the show. John’s in Ordinance now, he’s not in “E” company anymore. He lives about 14 blocks from here.
Got a box from home today. Got all kinds of stuff from canned asparagus to socks. Asparagus is about my favorite vegetable. I guess especially if it’s canned.
Well, honey it’s about chow time and I’ve got exactly one sheet of paper left so I’m going to have to bring this to a screeching halt.
(He writes some Japanese characters here)
See if you can read this writing, it may not make sense to you. In English it means, “Take good care of yourself,” and “Don’t take any wooden nickels.”
Bye for now sweetheart, remember that I love you now and always will, so til we meet again I’ll send you
All my love
Ken
Miss Rosalie Nash
RFD #3
Howell, Michigan
12 Jul 1951
Camp Strong, Chitose
My Own Dearest Rosalie
Hi Honey. How’s everything up at Pinckney? There’s still one soldier boy over here who is in love with you that is, namely me.
I mailed
you a birthday present to you. I love you more now that I did before so I had to send you another one. I mailed it to Mother, so she’ll probably give it to you sometime. You can expect it about the middle of next month.
Well honey, I’ve got the poison oak or ivy again, I don’t know which. Now about 75% of the infantry men here have it. We bivouacked the other night in a woods filled with it. The CO said that he’s getting worried about it,
because so many guys are getting it.
Gus came over and we shot the breeze for a while. He had just come in from the field, and he was pretty well tired.
He’s in a different battalion from me and we go to the field by battalions. He’s in the first battalion and I’m in the second battalion. We’re both in front line companies in our battalions. Able Company isn’t
quite as good a company as Easy Company, but that’s to be expected, since I’m in E. Gus is off now til Monday and we go to the field til Monday, so I won’t see him for about a week now.
We’re not doing much now, just mainly catching up on lost sleep. By the way, how do you like the idea of getting up at 0500 every morning? It’s a pain in the arm isn’t it? It really does seem good to sleep in til seven or so every
once in a while. We’re lucky tho, we don’t get up til 530 and then we have to be outside in formation about 545 or 550.
Played softball yesterday
and we beat “F” company 5-1. It was a wonderful feeling to be playing again. It almost made you feel like you were home again playing. I only got one hit and struck out once. I was lucky enough to get a triple with the bases
loaded so I didn’t feel so bad about striking out. My legs got awful tired tho, because they’re not in shape for all the squatting that a catcher does. I still won’t trade it for any other position tho.
Haven’t got any mail in a couple days now. We have been only getting about once a week. In about a week or so we should be getting it about every day.
Well sweetheart I’m going to have to close as we’re supposed to rise early tomorrow, and tomorrow night we are supposed to sleep in fox holes so we won’t get too much sleep.
Got to close now
Goodnight Honey
I’m thinking about you
always
All my love
Ken
P.S. I’m enclosing 10 yen so you can go out and have a good time for a change.
12 July 51
Camp Strong Chitose
Dear Mom and Dad
Just got thru packing a box to send home. I haven’t
got anything in it marked so I’ll tell you who belongs to what.
1 Black bed jacket Dorothy
1 Green bed jacket Rosalie
1 Black
Smoking jacket Kenneth
1 Table cloth Helen
1 Table Cloth
Marilyn
1 Suit Pamela
1 Suit
Marcia
The rest of it’s for mother, also there is some film included in it to be developed. It is pictures taken on the boat, and the first boats
we saw and the first land.
I didn’t have enough yen to send home anything for Dad, Rich, Ed, or Marc. I’ll have to send them something the first
of the month. If you want something from over here let me know. They’ve got all kinds of things over here. Then I got a baseball book in there for Jack, altho I doubt if he can read it as it is in Japanese.
Starting this weekend we’re going on a 29 day bivouac. The regiment is running off some field problems and our company is going to be opposing force for the regiments. Our company is one of the best in the division so we were given the job.
We work 3 days then get three days off so it won’t be bad. We’re going to be about 5 miles east of Sapporo, so we’ll get a chance to go into town some and see a big Japanese city. This town of Chitose is about the size of Dexter
or just a trifle smaller.
All of the stores have open fronts on them, and some of the merchants just lay their goods on the street. The town smells like
dead fish as the people just leave the fish laying outside til they sell them or until they rot. They don’t have any sidewalks at all and the roads are awful rough as none of them are paved.
The people all seem really friendly. I’m enclosing a 10 yen note for you to see. That’s the money we gotta have when we go to town. It isn’t worth too much as yen is worth at .003 so 10 yen = $.03. We’re not
doing too much now, as we’re resting up more or less.
There’s not too much new now as we’re not doing too much of anything, just mainly killing
time, so I’ll close now.
Love
Miss Rosalie Nash
RFD #3
Howell, Michigan
14 July 1951
Camp Strong, Chitose
1730 Hours
My Dearest Rosalie
I got my birthday present today, and it’s really nifty. Thanks a million for it. Every time I use it I’ll think of you. It was really sweet of you to send it and I love you for it. I love you for a lotta other reasons too,
but mainly just because you’re you.
By the way did you notice that in the wedding picture that Bud was out of uniform? It is against military rules
to wear a bow tie with a uniform. For some reason it is frowned upon by the big brass.
Had a lot of fun last nite sleeping in the fox hole, only we weren’t
supposed to sleep, as we were supposed to be on the alert for the enemy, which we never saw. We were at 12 o’clock and the enemy hit at 2 and 4 o’clock. I hope that you can tell direction that way. 12 o’clock is straight
ahead and 6 is directly behind you. 3 is off to the right flank and 9 to the left. Thusly: (He draws her picture)
The enemy had a powerful loud
speaker set up and were trying to get us to lay down our arms. They said we would get a good deal if we did, that we’d get sent back home immediately. It also said that our officers were no good and the NCOs were lousy. Then every once
in a while they played some music. That went on from dark til three in the morning. It was so dark that you couldn’t even see ten feet ahead of you, and to top it off, it was misting, just enough to get everything wet and make it miserable
to sit out in the open.
Tomorrow morning we leave for Sapporo, or rather about 5 miles east of there. We’re going on a 29 day bivouac, will
return to Camp Strong about the 12 of August, or somewhere in that neighborhood. It’s going to be pretty nice tho, work three days, get three off. I’m kinda anxious to see Sapporo. I’ve heard a lot about it from the other guys.
You look real cute in your bridesmaid dress, but I think that it would look a lot nicer if you had a veil on it. Someday in the not too far future it’s
going to be us in the center of the picture instead of your sister.
Well sweetheart, this lad is beat, I haven’t had any sleep in 2 days now so I’m
going to hit the hay as we have to rise early tomorrow.
Take care of yourself and remember that there’s a soldier in Japan who is in love with you.
Bye for now
All my Love
Ken
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Zill
1713 Maryfield Dr.
Ann Arbor, Michigan
14 July 1951
Camp Strong, Chitose
Dear Mom and Dad
Just getting ready to retire as I haven’t been to bed since yesterday. We spent last night staying in foxholes watching out for enemy. Sat there all night and didn’t see any, so it was a night wasted. We were only about 5 miles
from camp, so we didn’t have to walk too far.
Tomorrow we go to Sapporo for a 29 day bivouac. We’re going to be about 5 miles east of there
so we’ll be able to go there pretty often as we work three days then get three days off. So it won’t be bad at all. At least we’ll ride in tucks where ever we go instead of walkng all the time.
I got 1 letter and a card from you. The letter was the first one to my permanent address.
You asked where this place was, well its 35 miles southeast of
Sapporo, it’s a real small town, so I don’t suppose you’d be able to find it on a map.
Well it’s getting late so I’m going to close
now and go to bed as I haven’t had any sleep for 2 days.
Love
Ken
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Zill
1713 Maryfield Dr.
Ann Arbor, Michigan
16 July 1951
Camp James, Japan
1800 Hours
Dear Mom and Dad
Just got in from the field and I’m really tired tonight. Friday night we got to stay up all night in a foxhole, Saturday we got 5 hours and last night we didn’t get to bed at all. During the day we spent most of the day walking around
in the mountains. We go back out tomorrow again so I’m going to be tired tonight.
I’ve finally got asthma again, I guess that is another reason
I’m so tired. It isn’t too bad, just enough to make me real short winded and that makes it hard to make those marches. But I hope that is ok pretty soon.
We moved out to our new camp yesterday. We are on a hill overlooking Sapporo and Camp Crawford. We pitched out tents out on sheep far, which is a Jap Agriculture College of some kind.
It rained all last night and all day today until we got back to the tent, then it quit. That’s the way it usually works. Around here they tell weather by whether we go to field or not. If “E” company goes out, it rains every
time. Once when “E” Com was on a 9 day bivouac it rained the first 8 straight days. Anyhow we were really wet last night. Then all day today we walked thru grass about belt high which of course was wet, so we stayed wet all day.
The days here are real hot (when it doesn’t rain) and the nights are real cold. We slept with about 2 blankets or more.
That’s about all I can think of so I’ll close
Love
Miss Rosalie Nash
RFD #3
Howell, Michigan
16 July 1951
Chitose, Hokkaido
My dearest Rosalie
Just got back from the field and I’m going to write the girl I love and go to bed as I’m rather tired. We’ve gotten 5 hours sleep in the last three days and we walked and ran our heads off. Friday and Sunday nights we didn’t
get to go to bed and Sat night we got to sleep for 5 hours, and I like just a little more than that. I’m so darn sleepy I can hardly stay awake, and maybe I’ll say something that won’t make sense, so if I do, I hope that you’ll
forgive me.
Today is sorta an anniversary for me, as it was just six months ago that I started working for Uncle Sam. I just wish that it was 24, then I’d
be home and a civilian again. We’re not sure if we’re in for 21 or 24, but if the guard gets defederalized in June as it is supposed to, we’ll get discharged with them and be placed in Oklahoma National Guard. That would really
be a shot in the neck to be in the Okla. N.G. reserve, it’s bad enough to be here with them now. About 25% of the guard is Okies and the rest “foreigners.” Most of the “foreigners” have very little regard for the Okies as
they act like they own the place.
Well sweetheart I’m going to have to close now. It Isn’t that I don’t love you, I love you more than
anything else but I’m just so darned tired.
Sweet dreams Honey
Love you always
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Zill
1713 Maryfield
Ann Arbor, Michigan
18 July 1951
Dear Mom and Dad
It’s now about 8 o’clock, and I’ve just gotten up. We got today and the next two days off. We done more work in the last 2 ½ weeks than we done the rest of the time in the army. I even forgot about your anniversary,
I’m sorry I did as I didn’t intend to, so Happy Anniversary even if it is late. They don’t have cards or anything to send so I can’t send anything.
We’ve been getting up at 3 or not even going to bed at all for the last couple of weeks, so we are getting three days off. I’m going into Sapporo Sunday and go to the Lutheran Center over there. We’re about 35 miles from where
Gus is, but he’s going to try to come there so we can spend the day together.
There are places over here to develop pictures but they’re run by Japs
and they do lousy jobs developing pictures.
Also am enclosing a copy of the ships paper. I thought I had lost it, but I found it last night.
We get to go to church as at least once a week over here. The mountains aren’t as big as they are out in Wyoming. They aren’t rocky like ours, they are all covered with bamboo, and a real thick undergrowth and all kinds of trees.
Will write more tomorrow
Love
Ken
Miss Rosalie Nash
RFD # 3
Howell, Michigan
19 July 1951
Sapporo, Japan
My dearest Rosalie
Ohio honey – sorry I haven’t written in a coupla days, but we was kinda busy lately and also sorta tired. We’ve been arising at around three am and returning to camp around 8:00 pm. We spend most of the time running around the mountains.
We don’t have any lights so we can’t write after dark.
I’m going to Sapporo this afternoon so I’m going to write you a long letter tonight.
It’s almost noon and I’ve just gotten up and I’m still sleepy. We have got the next three days off with nothing to do but sit around.
We got a little creek here where all the boys are swimming. I think that I’ll wander down there tomorrow morning and take a dip. The only trouble is it’s so cold, it comes down out of the mountains, it’s just melted snow.
We drink it all of the time and its real sweet water.
Its chow time honey so I’m going to have to close. Goodbye for now honey, remember I love you
now, and always will
All my love
Ken
Miss Rosalie Nash
RFD #3
Howell, Michigan
20 July 51
Camp James
2000 Hours
My Dearest Rosalie
Just got back from Sapporo. I didn’t think that it was such a wonderful town, as it is the same as Chitose only about 50 times as large. You can tell you’re near the town a couple miles off by the smell. Every other store sells
rotten fish and they stink to high heaven.
I’m going into Camp Crawford Sat afternoon and get myself drunk on milkshakes I haven’t had one since I
left the states and its time I got some.
It’s hotter than a firecracker here today, must be over 90 degrees. We get tomorrow off and then we go back
to work against the 180th RCT. That’s our regiment, so I’ll be fighting against Gus’s company. I’d like to capture him and have him walk 5 miles or so. Last Thursday we captured a General and 3 majors.
If we can capture a General we ought to be able to capture Gus.
Me and Gus are going to try to meet tomorrow in Sapporo and go to church together there, and
spend the day in town goofing around. There isn’t too much to write about as you probably won’t understand if I tried to explain our field problems such as flanking, infiltrating, ect. The rest of the time we sit around loafing.
Either we’re working ourselves to death or not doing a darn thing.
There was some stupid cuss who was under the opinion that MSC was a cow college.
It all happened when we were on the trucks waiting to return to camp tonight. He called State a cow college and about two seconds later he was flying over the side of the truck. I had to throw him out twice before he admitted his mistake.
So there is one more soldier who has seen the light.
Gus and I have wagered a small sum on the outcome of the MSC and U of M game. Naturally, I bet on MSC
so it just like money in the bank. Well honey that’s about all I can think of so I’ll close.
I’m thinking about you all of the time and
love you more each day. I guess that I’m just a love sick soldier, but I don’t care if I am, I still love you.
Goodbye Sweet heart
I’m sending you all my love
Miss Rosalie Nash
RFD #3
Howell, Michigan
22 July 1951
To the Most Wonderful Girl in the World
Hi Rosalie
I got another letter from you today. Every time I get another letter from you I love you a little more. I’m getting so I’m love sick, but I didn’t mind as I love being in love with you. I wish I could drive up to your house right
now and gallop up your back steps and grab ahold of you and kiss you to death. But that is going to have to wait a little while.
The middle of next
month we’re supposed to practice landing from landing ships (L.S.I.) it’s either going to be on Honshu or Korea. I’d just as soon go to Korea as we’d stay as occupational troops. Since that’s what a combat zone we’d
be getting $50 a month more and free mail and the GI bill. Then too they have the rotation system, 6 months in Korea 6 months in the states. Only if we went to Korea we could go to the front at any time.
Some guys who just came back from Korea
told us the Chinese are afraid of only one weapon we had. They will walk into the face of machine guns, and B.A.R.s, but they would run if you used a bayonet. It seems funny with all our modern weapons, a knife is the only thing that will put fear
into them.
Tomorrow we go back to work. I’ve really caught up on my sleep during these last few days. Its really been real nice sleeping
whenever we want to.
Well honey I can’t think of anything else to say so I’ll close by telling you I’m still in love with you. God will
work this all out OK soon, then we can resume normal life for the rest of our lives.
Good bye darling
Love you always
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Zill
1713 Maryfield
Ann Arbor, Michigan
22 July ‘51
Sapporo, Hokkaido
Dear Mom and Dad
Just got thru with church we had it out here this afternoon. The Chaplin used the front of a jeep for an altar. He had a red altar cloth that he spread out on the hood and then he had candles and a gold cross. He’s also had some regular
army and navy hymn books. It wasn’t quite like St. Paul’s but it was the best there was.
Tomorrow we go back to work again. We’ve
had the last couple of days off, and we really caught up on lost sleep. When we’re working we don’t get too much sleep.
I’m enclosing
a sample of Japanese wrapping paper. Also I mailed home a map of Hokkaido. It shows Chitose and all of the small towns around there. There isn’t too much going on right now we’re mostly just killing time. Just got thru with chow,
had cold cuts, potato salad, ice cream and coffee.
That’s about all I can think of, so I’ll close now.
Love
Ken
P.S. Thanks for the film and gum and messenger. They sure come in handy. Thank you.
Miss Rosalie Nash
RFD #3
Howell, Michigan
24 July 1951
Somewhere in the Hills
My Dearest Rosalie
Just got thru with chow, anyhow that’s what the army calls it. I’ve got other names for it, but I can’t list them here. We got a few minutes before we go back to work so I’m going to write you and tell you that I still love
you not as much as I used to, but more than ever. Mostly because you’re so sweet and so wonderful, and mainly cuz you’re my girl.
Tried to sleep
today, but it was too hot. Just laid down most of the day and tried to get sleep but it wasn’t much use.
Got three letters today from that wonderful
girl who lives in Pinckney. You asked what I wanted for Christmas, anything that isn’t very big as we don’t have too much room to keep things.
Just got the word to “saddle up” so I got get ready and leave, will finish this tomorrow honey.
Tomorrow
Hi Honey
Just
woke up a while ago, it’s about one PM right now. We got in about 7 am this morning and we walked 20 miles last night if we walked an inch. We had the best night last night we’ve ever had. We captured over 50 trucks and jeeps,
2 mess halls and the regimental command post. That’s where all the big brass hangs out. It’s never been captured before it is was quite a feat.
Then when it was time to come back we captured two jeeps and made the passengers get out and had the jeep drivers bring us back to camp in style.
I’m getting
a nice beard now as I haven’t shaved in 4 days. It’s nice not to have to shave every day, when I get home I’m going to join the “House of David”
so I never have to shave. I think I’d look good with really long beard.
Right now we’re camped in a pine forest and it’s fairly cool under
the trees, altho out in the sun it’s hotter than a firecracker. It’s a real nice day and three nice days in a row are awful unusual over here. It’s getting about time for me to take a nap so I’ll have to close now. Be good,
take of yourself and remember I love you now and always will.
All my love
Miss Rosalie Nash
RFD #3
Howell, Michigan
27 July 1951
Sapporo
2200 Hours
My Dearest Rosalie
I got two letters today from that wonderful girl that I’m in love with. I was feeling kinda low as we worked most of yesterday and most of last night so I felt a lot better after getting two letters. We had about five hours sleep last night
and then to top it off they had a rifle inspection this morning. We fired blanks all day yesterday and they make a rifle hard to clean and we came in late last night, so of course we didn’t bother to clean them. We were woken up at 630 this
morning and the first thing we were told was there would be an inspection at ten. There was a lot of bitching and moaning about it, but that didn’t make any difference.
It’s getting too dark to write so I’ll close til morning.
All my love,
Ken
Hi Sweetheart
Someone just brought in a candle so I’ll finish this off by candle light. I’ll write a long one tomorrow when
I can see better, Until then I’m thinking of you all the time and just waiting for the day I can return to you
Bye for now
Love you always
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Zill
1713 Maryfield
Ann Arbor, Michigan
27 July 1951
Sapporo, Japan
Dear Mom and Dad
Got the socks today, thanks a lot for sending them. Next time you mail me something could you send some shoestrings? They are also impossible to buy here. 54“should be just about right and I don’t want leather ones as they break
to easy. It takes mail about 7 days to get here and every once in a while they thru 6 days.
We get mail about every other day. So we get about 5 or 6 letters
every time we get mail. When we’re working we don’t have time to read it so it isn’t a bad deal. We’ve got three days off again, I’m going to try to go to Sapporo Sunday and go to church. I couldn’t make
it Sunday as there weren’t any trucks here. There’s usually trucks running back and forth as roads around here go around in circles. We’re actually about three miles from Sapporo, but it takes 45 minutes and a little over three
hours by foot. If we could cut cross lots we’d walk, but there’s rice paddies everywhere and we can’t cut across lots.
It’s hot
here now, over 90 degrees most of the time. Haven’t seen Gus now for 2 weeks but I’m going to try to get to see him tomorrow. That’s all for now.
Love
Miss Rosalie Nash
RFD #3
Howell, Michigan
28 July 1951
Camp Crawford
1900 Hours
My Own Dearest Rosalie
I’m in Camp Crawford tonight looking up some of my buddies who were unlucky and got put in Q.M. I goofed off all morning and didn’t do anything at all, just laid in bed. Didn’t have enough ambition to get up.
It’s hotter than heck today, I’ve never sweated so much in all my life and I haven’t done any work as yet. I’m not planning on doing any work until Monday either, if I can help it.
Tomorrow I’m going into Sapporo and go to church. Gus is going to try and meet me there if he can. The only trouble is he’s about 35 miles from Sapporo and I’m about 5, so I can get there a little easier.
Me and Geo are at the Tower Club tonight and there’s going to be a Judo Exhibition by some Japs. It ought to be real interesting. The Japs are just starting to arrive so the show will probably start pretty soon.
This Camp Crawford is really beautiful. There is brick barracks, floors in the barracks, even running water. The 279th regt. is stationed here and they really have it nice. They can buy ice cream and malts right here and still
they complain. We’ve gotta walk about 4 miles to get some ice cream. Oh well you can’t have everything in life.
We got paid today, $72
and $50 was taken out of my pay and sent home so I think I was overpaid. So far I’ve saved about $100 since I’ve come to Japan. I’ll probably have a little over a thousand dollars when I get out of this “wonderful”
army.
I’m going to close in a few minutes as the show is about ready to begin. Some of these Japs look pretty rough.
The exhibition is just over and it was real good. These Japs really know their Judo.
Well honey it’s time to close so I will. I’m still in love with you more than ever and I’m thinking about you constantly and yearning for the day I can return to you and make up some of that lost loving. Until then I remain your
ever loving guy
With all my love and kisses
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Zill
1713 Maryfield
Ann Arbor, Michigan
28 July 1951
Sapporo, Japan
Dear Mom and Dad
Just got up now and it’s about 900 o’clock. It’s too hot to sleep, so I got up. I got one roll of pictures back and I’m mailing them home. They were all taken around Sapporo.
There isn’t too much going on here today, as everyone is just laying around cleaning up their stuff.
I’m going back to Chitose today and see if I
can find Gus. He’s probably off this weekend. I hope he can get tomorrow off then we can go to Sapporo together.
In Sapporo they’ve got
two department stores that are just as good as anything Detroit has got. The rest of the town is old and shabby.
There are very few cars over here, and
what there is either runs on coal or kerosene. Over here everyone drives on the left side of the road. Also there is a lot of bicycles around. But out in the country everyone walks, or has horse drawn carriages. Everyone here moves
real slow as no one ever seems to be in a hurry to get anywhere.
Then too the women do the same jobs as the men do. It isn’t uncommon to see women digging
ditches and about any other job that just men do in the US. Also you see three year old kids carrying their two year old brothers and sisters on their backs. You never see a man carrying a baby over here, always women.
The people over here really work hard for what they have. They do everything by hand, such as weeding corn fields and wheat. They plant the wheat in rows far enough apart so that it can be weeded. They don’t have any machinery at all.
That’s all I can think of so I’ll close.
Love
Ken
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Zill
1713 Maryfield
Ann Arbor, Michigan
30 July 1951
Sapporo, Japan
Dear Mom and Dad
Just got back from the field. Went to church yesterday in Camp Crawford, at the division chapel. Didn’t get to go to Sapporo yesterday to the Lutheran Chapel there, but I am going next week as it may be the last chance I get.
We got paid Sat and we were told it would probably be the last time we got paid on Hokkaido. As the supply has orders to start packing Aug. 15th, so there’s something coming off. Everything has to be packed for a longer trip than
the one from New Orleans to Otaru, so we’re not going to Korea. It hasn’t been confirmed yet so I wouldn’t tell anyone, but it comes from pretty good sources.
We’re not working too hard right now, just enough to keep us busy. We only work from 8-5 now. About the 10th of August we really start working again for 4 days.
I got the film you sent I don’t remember if I thanked you for it or not, anyhow, thank you. Every time you mail something I’d appreciate it if you’d throw in a few rolls of film.
It hasn’t rained here in six days now and that is awful unusual for this country. It’s getting awful hot here now and everything is turning to dust.
That’s about all I can think of so I’ll close now. Am enclosing the leaflet from the chapel.
Love
Miss Rosalie Nash
RFD #3
Howell, Michigan
31 July 1951
Sapporo Japan
My Dearest Rosalie
Just got back from the field, we had a fairly easy day today. We loafed all morning, and ran up and down mountains most of the afternoon. Oh it was a lot of fun tho, I get a big bang out of going up and down mountains.
Didn’t get to see Gus yesterday as I had hoped, but we’re going back to Chitose in a week and a half so I’ll see him there at Camp Strong.
It
hasn’t rained in six days and that is awful unusual for this country. So it makes it hotter than heck here now.
Haven’t see John in about a
month now as he got put into 700 Ordinance, and that isn’t connected with the 180th RCT. About ½ of the guys who I went thru boot camp with have gotten separated from the rest of us.
I’m going to hit the sack early tonight as I’m a trifle ill, so I’m going to get a good night’s sleep for a change. It’s only 1930 but I’m going to be asleep by 2030 I hope!
Didn’t get any mail from you yesterday or the day before, the main reason being that we didn’t have mail call, but I still love you as I always will. In fact I love you more than anything else in the world, and I really mean it. No
fooling honey, I’m suffering from love sickness. See I’m so much in love I can’t even think straight. Well honey take care of yourself and remember I always love you.
Love and Kisses
Ken