February 5, 1952, Tuesday

Pfc. Robt. Gimbel
U.S. ########
Co. 85th Boat
% P.M. - A.P.O. 928
San Francisco, California

Dear Mom and Dad,

     I got your letter wrote the 26th of December.  I sure was glad to hear from you.  The mail is kind of slow but it gets here, sooner or later.
     I guess you sure have had a lot of snow, this year.  It's hard for me to believe, as it's so nice and warm here.
     I am glad that the shop is shaping up.  I can't hardily wait until I get home again to work.
     Even if a good day's work will kill me. Ha!Ha!
     Today, I've been in the army 13 months, that's 11 to go and 10 over here.  That will be  a happy day.  The weeks are going pretty fast for me, I am glad of that.
     The end of this month, the Army has made an agreement with the Navy to take some of the guys that want to go to Hong Kong China.  It's 2 days on the water and a 3 day pass in Hong Kong.  It's free, so I can't see any reason for not going as long as it's free.
     It's educational, to see how other people live.  I am sure we will have a nice time
     I am buddying with a guy from Ft. Wayne, Indiana.  His name is John Cline.  He's from Warden, also.
     Sunday we went on a tour with the service club, to Manila.  There is still a lot of wreckage.  There used to be 17 churches, now there's only 1 standing.  It was the oldest one in Manila, so the Allies left it standing.
     It looked like it was quite a battle, getting the Japs out of there.  As in the corridors and balcony, there are a lot of chipped places from shells and bullets.
     Some people, the guys, think the people over here are dirty, not everyone does, but the majority do.  Over here there are 2 classes, the rich and the poor.  They don't realize they have been through a war.  They are just like us but less fortunate.  Where our camp is there used to be a beautiful city, but it was all leveled including 7 churches and so being poor, the temporary houses they have built, aren't very nice.  But I have talked to and danced at the service club, with a lot of nice girls, pretty, too.  Of course they are brown, I have a picture of 2 of them and I'll send it later.
      They are really nice people and a happy bunch.  some of the girls can tell you some pretty pitiful stories about when the Japs had the islands.
      Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not figuring on bringing anyone of them home, as yet. Ha!Ha!
     Well, write soon and it won't be too long, tell Claudia Happy Birthday and I'll send her a present later, so by and loads of love.
      Your Son,
      Bob
P.S.
I am sending a big picture of a section of the camp.  The captain gave it to me today.
That old church was St. Augustine Church.  The corner stone was laid in 1466 and finished in 1606.