Dearest Betty

Letter # 26
November 9, 1950
Hamhung

Hi Darling,

Rec two letters today 31 & 1st. Sugar, our object in the Wonsen landing is to protect the big Chosin Dam just above our position here several miles above Hamhung. It supplies power to all of this part of Korea & most of Manchuria. When the Manchurian Reds came across the border we were here waiting for them. Today I hear they have withdrawn. All we have to contend with now is Gorillas and there are plenty of them. I take a patrol each morning at 0530 up 10 ½ miles to see if they have a road block or sabotaged the rail road. We maintain two road blocks too but so far have had very few targets for the big guns. Today I drove my jeep to Hamhung and bummed four cans of baking powder so we could have bread. Haven’t had any since we left Inch’ on. Also procured some Boyardee Spaghetti with sauce and cooked it up for supper. Mr. Tate ate with me and did he ever eat it! Also had fresh onions.

You have asked me several times about my knee. Believe it or not, the darned think hasn’t jumped out once but now that cold weather has set in, it may. I just hope not. By the way, I talked to Big Joe Carson today asked him how it felt to be “dead”. He also had heard I was dead. We had quite a little skylarking over it. Well, I’ll close for now dear. I love you, thank Shirl for her letter.