21 April

Happy Easter!

It is a grand Easter Day here. We decided to wait until next Sunday to attend church, and just enjoy the peace of home this day.

No letters cam from either of our mothers this week. Thinking each day that a letter would come, I have waited this long to write. I hope, mother, that your trip was not to harrowing.

Yesterday we drove to Muir Woods, just a few miles from San Fran across the Golden Gate bridge. The Woods is an area of about a mile square, with tall redwood trees, a stream running through—a most serene, impressive little forest. Wouldn’t it be fine to have a few acres of Uncle Mac’s forest as your own a few miles from the city—so that you could relax for a few hours of the week.

After this would you address your letters to the ship. We may sail shortly after the 1^st of the month. The “place to live” situation in and around Astoria is as difficult as any other location, but we are doing all we can via mail to have a place waiting for us.

All is going wonderfully well. Our stay here has been superb, and I know it will be equally so in the great northwest!

Joan & Bob

Letter and cover were torn in half by JES when MSC found them in the attic with others. She didn’t think they were anyone’s business. She threw them away and MSC recovered them. MSC taped them together (before I knew better).

Cover: “AIR MAIL” between two bars in lower right corner

From: Lt(jg) CR Cummins

USS LST 661

FPO San Fran. Cal.

To: Mrs. and Mr. CM Cummins

6109 Greenwood Ave.

Chicago, 37, Illinois

Stamp: 6¢ Airmail

Postmark: [top torn away] NAVY, center 19 MAY 1945

Censor: PASSED BY NAVY CENSOR, initialed

19 May

0600

Hi! little ones,

Here am I back again with all the news from your belligerent.

I have learned that there will not be as long a pause as I had thought, due to stopovers. So I won’t be away from my mail as long as I had thought. This is the sum total of the news—lots, isn’t it?

Today I am going to make some last minute purchases—there is no way of telling what they are going to be. Tonight I will have dinner at the Robinsons, to complete my extended stay in these regions.

According to the clipping you sent me there were 19 errors made in the Wheaton-Herzl baseball game. My heavens! what were they playing—fumbleball? The final score make it sound like a high-scoring basketball game.

Yes, pop, I pay rather close attention to the news—much more than I ever did in my pre-Navy overseas time. Our radios are and will be giving us the up-to-the-minute news. While we are here we have the daily newspaper almost every day. Today I have a roommate moving in, an army medical corps captain—should provide excellent company. Now and then I feel the need to have new blood around here for company. This outfit will be on board approximately a month. they are going to the present location of our former travelling companions.

Who is this Mrs. John Netherton, mother, that you arrowed on the letterhead?

Why hasn’t that little brat brother of mine written? I am most anxious to hear of the Wheaton news—studies, baseball and, naturally the Wheaton belles.

Either plain or chocolate bits cookies, mom. Now, of course, they will have farther to travel, but the crumbs are just as good as the whole ones—for essentially the difference is only the construction. Usually I like to have a bit to nibble upon—though our food here has been so good that I did not find it necessary. I must begin reducing one of these months, too.

I hope your weather improves soon—you would love it out here in these parts (especially mother).

I wish I had know more about Bill Banks’ location. He might have been in here at some time. From now on I shall probably run into more of my friends as this is the one and only war now.

It wasn’t Robert who painted the inside of the cady. I think that was Mrs. CMC—remember, she missed so many spots. If you think that color of green is bad, you should see some of these ship camaflauge (sp.) greens—ugh!

From now on you will have more pictures, as I was able to obtain a few rolls of film.

Lots and oodles of love & kisses,

Bob

Cover: plain

From: Lt(jg) CR Cummins

USS LST 661

FPO San Francisco

To: Mr. and Mrs. CM Cummins

6109 Greenwood Ave.

Chicago, 37, Illinois

Stamp: 6¢ Airmail

Postmark: [top torn away]  NAVY, center 23 NOV 1945

Censor: double line, PASSED BY NAVAL CENSOR, with AIR MAIL below, initials THS(?)

16 Aug

Hello, yo ‘all,

Halleluliah! The war’s end is here—that is, the fighting is—but there will be many of us that remain out here for a considerable length of time the cessation of hostilities, paradoxically enough, means that this ship will reach the states long after it would have if the war had continued.

It is hard to believe that it has ended. It seems I must tax my memory to go back to those years when there was no war. To think that we will one day fairly soon return to home—to wives, families, civilian clothes, our private lives! What a glorious day that will be!—and not a little awesome.

We are hoping, since we must be kept out here, that we will get to go up to Japan, and to some cities of China.

For the time being we have duty transporting natives from their old homes to new ones. Until a person actually sees something such as these natives and the way they live he has no conception of the great things that U.S. culture consists of. The natives here have nothing at all that would be acceptable by the poorest American standards of comparison.

They seem to be a happy people. The women are pushed into the background, and are consequently shy. The doff their hats, bowing again. The children are just like children all over the world—the boys are probably are best friends—they readily pick up English expressions. The people have, typically Oriental, stoically accepted their fate as to having been a battleground. They have not caused any dangerous trouble whatsoever. They have been treated rather well by the good-natured Americans.

Our days have been full and interesting. The homeward stretch  is here—

Love and kisses,

Bob

Cover: red and blue stripes on edges

From: Lt(jg) CR Cummins

USS LST 661

FPO San Fran Cal.

To: Mr. and Mrs. CM Cummins

6109 Greenwood Ave.

Chicago, 37, Illinois

Stamp: 6¢ Airmail

Postmark: [top torn away]  NAVY, center 12 OCT 1945

Censor: none

11 Oct

1000

Hello, folks,

This has been a hectic few days—probably the roughest weather we have ever seen or will ever see (I pray!).

At my last writing I believe we were in Buckner Bay. From there we were sent to Il [?] Shima, an island off the west coast of Okinawa (where Ernie Pyle was killed). There we were to beach to load 5^th Air Force equipment for Chimu Wau, a bay just north of the larger Buckner Bay (on the east coast of Okin.) Our beaching order were cancelled because of an approaching typhoon, and the next day we left Il Shima to join a 50 ship LST convoy to ride out the strorm.

We formed into 5 columns, ten ships per column. Our position was 2^nd ship in the middle column, directly astern of the convoy commander. Each column had a guide ship an LST group commander (a navy three-striper).

The first day the water was calm, but the following day the sea began to get rough and the wind stiffer. In the late afternoon the ship began to have to fight for its existence. The waves were tremendous, the velocity around 120 knots, the rain a waterfall driving horizontally—each drop would seem to put a dent in one’s exposed face.

The ship would reach the peak of one wave, then begin falling with the bow pointed almost pointing straight down—to bury itself in the next mountainous wave as if she weren’t coming up again. Each time the bow hit the bottom of a trough the ship would act like a bow (as in bow and arrow) twanging in the middle (like a short length of huge guitar string. The forward half of the ship would be covered with a flood of water. The fresh water from the sky was almost as dense as the sea water below. It was impossible to see more than a few feet. Radar was of some assistance. The days were nearly as dark as the nights.

If a wave would hit us broadside we didn’t know whether or not we’d come up again. We wondered if the mast would blow away. Most of all we wondered if the steel of the ship would hold together. The first few typhoons we didn’t mind so much, but now we dread any storm warning. Before this one we were concerned, and all of us felt uneasy throughout this one—keeping our lifejackets near—as if they would be of any help. The sea is still heavy.

The next morning 15 of the 50 LST’s were visible. Most of the others caught up to us during the day. The radio picked up several SOS’s from ships in this vicinity. We were lucky to escape with very slight damage.

It was impossible to do much but stand watches eat and lie down in one’s bunk—

Bob

Cover: red and blue ribbons at edge

From: Lt(jg) CR Cummins

USS LST 661

FPO San Fran Cal

To: The Cummins

6109 Greenwood Ave.

Chicago, 49, Illinois

Stamp: 6¢ Airmail

Postmark: U.S. NAVY, center 23 NOV 1945

Censor: no censor mark

21 Nov

2230

Hello, chillun,

Happy Thanksgiving!

Though we cannot all be home there is much to be thankful for—we are all well and safe, the war has ended, it will not be long before everyone is home. On board we will make the most of what we have—I have scheduled a late reveille, we have a huge Thanksgiving Day turkey dinner, a basketball game (Gunnery vs. All-Stars) and a double-feature movie for the evening.

I am now executive office and navigator—plus gunnery officer and any number of other things. I attend to all the routine, paper work, reports, personnel, what have you—the captain just signs the papers. Consequently I have been well occupied in learning the job. One good feature is that I no longer stand watches—and oh! what a relief that is. too, I’m happy to be doing something different.

The ship will be our here “indefinitely.” Our repairs were completed two days ago, now we are lying at anchor awaiting developments (as so many ships are doing these days). The foremost story is that a number of LST’s will be used to repatriate Japs. Why the Japs couldn’t simply take over the LST’s I don’t know.

They seem to be sending back the new LST’s for overhaul. When they return to the Pacific the old ones will go to the states for decommissioning. You can imagine how it feels to see ships that have been our here all of six or even months headed home.

Early in November I sent in a request for rehabilitation leave. Today the first endorsement came, recommending approval. It next goes to Com Serv Force, finally Bureau of Personnel. The first endorsement (by the amphibians boss) is the most important. The rest is probably just a matter of time [carat] (much time). This leave at best wouldn’t get home much before I am eligible for discharge (Feb 1^st).

With or without rehabilitation leave I have a better than even chance of being with Joan on our second anniversary. [Feb. 5]

Yes, pop, I don’t see either how we can avoid another war. The whole world seems completely torn up now. I think we should keep our armed forces strong as the best way of assuring peace—even more important than this, supply funds to continue the research that has been going on. Perhaps the terror of what the next war will be will be effective in attaining peace.

Speaking our your war, dad—recently we have seen two pictures concerning it—the Fighting 69^th” and the story of Rickenbacker.

According to reports you’re having cold weather. I’ll have to be careful in Feb, or I’ll freeze, catch pneumonia, etc. I have almost forgotten what a cold winter is, having slept for so many months with no protection but my skin.

The typhoon season has ended—we probably won’t return to a typhoon are.

You are wise to wait to sell the six-apartment building, for real estate should rise for some time. 6109—well, that’s a tough decision to make. I hate to see it ever leave our hands. We have lived so much and so well there in our wonderful home. But I know that day must come—and it’s much better to lose a little money on the original investment that to have you continue to handle it as you have been. You have always done too much there—and your brats haven’t helped too much—but brats learn slowly.

Joan has an apartment for us and I am highly enthusiastic about the investment. I have applied for the Sept. call and N.U.

See you soon,

Love, Bob