We're breaking open a "new" old edition of the Altoona Tribune! This is the 19 March 1942 issue and there's lots of goodies in it! We will be using this edition for quite a while. I hope there will be something in this one for everyone! Local Lady's Husband in China Mrs. J. T. Sommers, known here as Verelia Anding, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. Anding, Bartlett Ave., has been living here with her parents since her husband has been in Asia fighting the Jap air men. She has copied excerpts from letters she has received from her husband, which we are printing below: The American Volunteer group sailed from San Francisco on July 7 aboard the MS Jagersfontain, a Dutch ship built in 1934. Her sister ship was sunk by the Nazis in the Atlantic ocean. The MS Jagersfontain eluded two submarienes and a surface raider on the voyage to the USA to transport the American Volunteers to China. August 17, the men were in Toungoo, Burma. Tommy wrote, quote: "Our eyes were really opened when we awoke this morning. This is very primitive country and many things are very odd and different to us. Instead of cows milk for coffee and oatmeal we use goats milk as the cow is sacred to the people here. We have stew practically every day, and just what kind of meat is used, I don't know. It could be water buffalo or horse meat. Anyway it's very good, especially when you get as hungry as we do. "The weather is awfully hot. This is the midst of the rainy season and there is water all over. The field is under three feet of water and mud. The land around here is mostly jungle and because of rain and sun the flowers run riot. They are the most beautiful things you have ever seen. I couldn't start to tell you about it. "We finally got off the boat yesterday and was everyon glad! Thirty-five days aboard that ship was near too much. We were supposed to get off at Singapore, but the Dutch Admiral ordered the ship on to Rangoon. Otherwise we would have been stuck in that place for three months. Singapore is undoubtedly the dirtiest city I have ever see. The stench is horrible. Rangoon isn't much better. We didn't stay long in Rangoon. We were put on the train the same day and arrived here last night. (Lots of discriptive paragraphs about China) "Time hangs rather heavy here most of the time. Of course we are always sweating out air raids and there is lots of work to be done, but there is very little here in the way of entertainment. There are shows in town but the picutres are very old. We have a movie here every Sunday, but what a movie! Last Sunday we had Bing Crosby in "Turn Off The Moon" which was released in 1934. There is no reading material. We usually go to bed right after dinner (at 7 o'clock) because we go on alert at 5 a.m. each morning. Tell the friends in Altoona I send my regards. Be sure and write 'cause perhaps the mail will get through. It may be some time before you hear from me again, but I will continue to write in the hope that you will get at least one or two letters. Just believe half of what you see in the papers, and DON'T WORRY!" +++++++ See you tomorrow with more good old news! -- Nance