WW2 Era Letter typed by Marine in San Diego during training.

[Heartfeltzero]

I have total of 9 separate letters. All written by a Marine during WW2 named Delbert "Sonny" Thomas. The letters start early in 1943 while he was still in the states. Each letter progresses until he travels overseas and participates in some of the bloodiest battles of the war.

He served in the campaign on Guam in July and August 1944 in the 3rd Marine Division, III Amphibious Corps, and later participated in the campaign on Iwo Jima in February and March of 1945 with the V Amphibious Corps Signal Battalion. The 1st Separate Radio Intelligence Platoon received the Navy Unit Commendation for outstanding heroism during the support of military operations during the seizure of enemy Japanese-held Iwo Jima. I will post his other letters overtime.

This letter reads:

“Monday May 16th 1943

Dear Mom and Dad;

I am sitting in class with nothing much to do so I thought I wouldn’t type a few lines. Mother do you remember Gorden Sanford the fellow who had that party where they served tacos. Well yesterday I was crossing the street in front of the plaza in San Diego and I bumped right smack into him. He is in the Navy and he has been down here for five months. He is going to quartermaster school over at the navel training station right across the bay. We went to get something to eat and then to a show. He has a weekend liberty next week so he is going to meet me a noon at the malt shop by the garvey theater. On Sunday. He rides up and back in a car with some other sailors and he thinks they will have room to bring me back. So I may be able to stay up there a little longer.

I will be in some time Saturday evening. Be sure and send me Oates telephone number so I can call you when I get in if it won’t bother them.

I went to mission beach yesterday and went swimming. It was pretty good. I went with a fellow who had never been swimming in the ocean before so he had a big time. He didn’t care much for the way the salt water tasted all the time. He ask if there was any place to swim in the ocean where there wasn’t any salt in the water.

I went up on the amusement center out there for awhile and won three dollars lighting a match with a 22 rifle. It only cost me fifty cents before I lit one. So I had a two fifty profit. So we went out and got rid of the two fifty by eating all the hot dogs we could hold. The water was fine yesterday and it was nice and warm out. I got a little sunburn on my legs but my back and chest got somewhat browner. My face is already good and tan, so are my arms.

Don’t tell anyone I will be in next week, because I don’t want to have to go traipsing all over the country.

By the way tell Ester I saw Gorden Sanford. I think she will remember him. Tell her we will probably be over next Sunday if she is home.

Well I better quit now as it is one o’clock. And I have permission to go over to the first Sargents office and see if I can get a new pair of shoes. These are almost worn out but they can be half soled. I am going to see if I can get a new pair because these are so darn small for me. Maybe he will let me have a pair. I worn these for five months now, and they are in pretty bad shape. The civilians think it’s hard for them to get clothes, ours have to be failing off of us before they will issue us anything new. I finally got a new pair of pants though. I told them that they were lost at the cleaners so they gave me another pair. We are only supposed to have two pair but now I have three.

Well so long for now, I’ll see you Saturday.

Love,
Sonny”

[Danger]

Hi,

I really enjoy these letters.
I have some German ones and an American post card from 1943 too.

A little difficult to read the hand writing.

Private Samuel ?Lipetz?
14th or 17th T.SS Barracks 626
Chanuto/Chanuts Field, ???

Hello folks

How is everyone?
This traveling sure does give you a chance to see the country.
? hear from you.
I got your other letters.

Sam.

Cheers,

Danger
To - Mr & Mrs Samuel Fisher
Atlantic St
Bridgeton
N.J

[BlackCat1982]

Another great piece of history Jeremiah. To know that Sonny was one who trod the black sands of Iwo Jima makes it extra special. Awesome!

[Heartfeltzero]

That’s cool!

[Heartfeltzero]

Agreed!

[Heartfeltzero]

“Sunday
May 30th 1943

Dear Mom and Dad,

Well here I am still at this joint in San Diego. We didn’t leave yesterday. But we will leave some time next week, most likely. If we have any lay over at all, I will call Mrs. Turner and you can come down to the station and see me for a couple of minutes anyway.

By the way, if I leave before next Thursday bring down about 5 dollars, we don’t get paid till Thursday and I’m darn near broke. If we don’t get paid this time we…

*back of page*

won’t be paid for a couple of more weeks. I only had 3 dollars this morning. So I decided to get into a poker game and either win more or lose the whole works so I won four dollars and lent a dollar of it to another guy so I have six dollars now. I am about 10 dollars ahead of this poker game down here now. I don’t play very much so I never lose more than a couple of dollars then I quit. After a couple of days I try again and win the two back plus a couple of more.

By the way if you come down to the station to see me will you bring along that iron and be sure to bring a cord too. If you have an extra…

*next page*

one. I will probably need it up north. They say it is nice up there and lots of liberty so I guess I will like it.

Well i guess I’ll quit now. I’ll let you know where I am when I’m there. - Don’t write till I write and give you my address because your letters wouldn’t get to me for a long time.

Love,
Sonny.”