It has been raining for three days without other than the occasional let-up. This is the first time I have written since coming to Luzon, partly I suppose because we have been pretty well irked by this place. Fort McKinley is a pretty nice place for an officer to live, but the enlisted men are quartered down in a field, a mile from the office buildings. We live in squad tents, 12 men to a tent. Most of the time it rains, rains, and rains some more and the weather stays usually hot. Everybody has developed a bad case of the heat rash and different kinds of jungle rot.
The Japs put up a terrific struggle in the Intramurous part of of the city, known as the walled city. As a result the place has been smashed to nothing by artillery shells. Also most of the rest of the big buildings are in ruins from the bombings and shellings which the city was subjected to. The black market is booming, everything that is scarce is expensive, but can be had. Everything is sky high but can be bought for a price. FEAF has a boat which runs to Corrigidor and back each day. Corrigidor is just a rock quarry piled with ruins. Everywhere are dead Japs remains and knocked out trucks, guns, pill boxes, and the remains of barracks.
On May 8 the war in Europe ended. It was a wonderful day for everybody but didn't make any actual change in things around here. As of Victory in Europe day, our points were calculated for demobilization, as follows. One point for each month overseas, one point for each month in the army, five points for each battle star, and 12 points for each child, under 18 years of age, up to three children. I had 25 months in the army, 19 months overseas, four battle stars. That gave me a total of 64 points. 85 points was set by the War Dept as a temporary score for which to demobilize men. Sometime this month the critical score should be announced, and all men who aren't essential to the war effort, with a score over the critical score are eligible to be discharged from the army. On June 15th the orders came promoting me to Sergeant. The rules now read that I will stay in grade for at least five months before becoming eligible for S/Sgt.
Everything is moving to Okinawa but us. The Fifth Air Force has left Clark Field already for there. Everything points to a pretty large invasion of some Japanese island about October or November. It all depends upon whether they can deploy enough troops from Europe soon enough to attack that soon. It doesn't look as though we will move from here, although an advance detachment will definitely leave and will be on Okinawa somewhere.
I've been to church several times since coming here. They have been having meetings in the Church of Christ in town, between 1 and 2 hundred in attendance every time. President Grant died May 13th and George Albert Smith has replaced him. This is all for today, 4th of July, raining cats and dogs.
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