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Brookens,
Max
Somewhere in India April 1945
To his
parents
Will drop you a few lines to
let you know that I am all okay and feeling
fine. This is the first chance I have had to
write since I got off the boat. I wrote Evelyn
this noon and now this afternoon while it's hot,
I will write you.
We had a safe trip across the
ocean, making one stop en route, and upon
hitting the port here in India, we got our mail.
I got six letters from Evelyn, including a
birthday card and three letters from you folks.
You are all doing fine and keep the letters
coming. I also got a card Mom that you signed,
from the Methodist ladies and I want you to
thank them for me. I certainly appreciate it. We
came here to this camp for a rest and will then
go to our destination.
I am writing my letter from
my bunk in the tent. Five of us sleep in a tent
and we have a wood floor. Our beds are quite
crude; made out of rough lumber and rope-wove
for a spring I sleep on my two blankets and
mattress cover and a mosquito net over me, so I
do real well. I am getting a nice tan and also
turning yellow from taking atebine.
At night we can hear the
jackals and hyenas and all kinds of strange
noises. Upon arriving here we were issued a card
and can get eight bottles of beer every 10 days.
It is warm but it tasted good. There is no such
thing as ice. If you think it is hot in the
summertime there, you should be here; only 120,
but it cools off at night. Believe me, when I
get back to the states, I'll never complain
again, and I'll never leave. In a couple of
months the monsoons will be here and I suppose
it will be hell again.
I just came back from getting
my laundry done. I had an Indian do it for me
and he sure got it clean. They soak it then
scrub it with a bundle of rope for a brush, then
beat it on a stone slab. I had two suits of
fatigues, three pair of socks, a suit of
underwear and two handkerchiefs. All of this for
one rupee and eight annos. Oh yes, all of our
money was exchanged for Indian money and one
rupee like I am enclosing is worth 30c; an anno
is 2c. It isn't bad after you get into it.
At the port we got a day off
and went into town and I never saw such sights
in all of my life. These towns are all alike,
dirty, smelly and filthy. The streets are narrow
and everybody walks wherever they want to. The
cars drive on the left hand side of the street
and have to watch out for the Indians or
natives. The Indians run around draped in a
sheet, it looks like anyway. They are barefooted
and wear turbans. They are all beggars and when
we walk down the street we have about 10 hanging
around us hollering "buchee" which means give
anything. If you give, it is worse than ever so
you say "nay" and swing at them. You don't dare
hit one.
The only safe way is to get
in a cart drawn by a horse and for one rupee
they will take you two or three miles. We always
go around in bunches for protection.
Over here, when you buy
anything, you bargain for it. The Indian will
probably ask for several rupees for an item and
you are supposed to bargain or jew him down.
Just like I bought a wrist watch band, he wanted
six rupees for it and I bargained with him and
got it for two. They consider it a game.
Well, I just have to close
and go shave before the mosquitoes come out.
Give my regards to all and keep writing. I
really look forward to mail call.
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