Military History in Paulding County 

By: Mark Holtsberry

A letter sent home
March 6, 1945

My uncle Ray E. Keck, my mom’s brother, served in the Philippines during World War Two. This letter was sent to my grandfather, Orvel L. Keck.

“Hello Dad, How’s everything going back home? All right I hope. I’m feeling fine and am getting along very well at present.

“Well I suppose the fox hunting will be over by the time you receive this letter. You fellows must have had quite a time catching them! I hope that all that you don’t kill will leave for if they stay around there in a few years there won’t be any ringnecks or cottontails at all.

“So Brownie went to his happy hunting grounds, right. [that was my mom’s dog] I sure hated to hear that. If I stay over here a couple more years I’ll be a complete stranger when I return. I had a couple of pictures taken the other day so when I get the prints made I’ll send one.

“It’s the same fellow all right only a little older. According to the last picture that Joy sent me she has really changed a lot. [Joy is my mom’s sister] I’m sorry to say that all my pictures were destroyed. My barracks bag got wet and it sure raised hell with my personal things.

“Well dad I sure have come a long ways during the past year or so.

Guadalcanal, Bougainville, New Britain, Admiralty’s and New Guinea.In a lot of ways those places are the same.

I miss seeing the old volcano every day like when I was on Bougainville. The Philippines wouldn’t be such a place to live in peacetime especially if a fellow had plenty of money so he wouldn’t have to work. In time to come it will be as a modern as the U.S. I think.

One thing I notice a lot is the women carrying big loads on their heads.

Instead of carrying it in their hands. They balance it on the top of their heads and believe me they carry a lot.

The young girls are nice looking however due to the hard work they grow old too fast. As a rule I think they have much better posture than the average American girl. Well dad, I guess your Christmas package must have been lost for as yet I have nothing of it. It’s just one of those things I guess!

Roy [my mom’s other brother] must have moved somewhere else or maybe he is pretty busy in either case he hasn’t written to me for a long time. I wrote and told him I was on the Philippines so maybe if he is here somewhere he will try to look me up. It would be very easy for him to find me, for all of the M.P. units are known all over the Island’s.

I’m enclosing some Jap money that they used in their invasion of the Philippines it’s worthless for it has no backing in gold or silver. They just needed a lot of paper and ink to make millions of dollars’ worth of it.

Well I see it’s time for me to get ready to go on duty so l’ll have to sign off for this time. Saying so long dad, keep those letters coming.”

As ever your son, Ray”