From Ronald H. Eaton

Written from somewhere

in the Pacific Theatre, July 15, 1944

I was over on the island (Manus Island, near New Guinea) in the mud and rain, hunting, and not four-legged animals either. I had some luck to (get) revenge, you know, for the little hole they put in my shoulder. I borrowed a few things from a Jap officer the other day, in fact, this pen I am writing with, a pistol and a Jap flag of the Rising Sun. But the sun went down. For him, the last time.

(A second letter from Eaton, from a hospital, Jan. 30, 1945)

I was not hit bad this time. The scars on my face will never be seen very easy and of course the one that hit me in the back this time is still there. I used to think one could not stop one (a bullet), but I did, and it does not bother me at all. I have lost quite a bit of weight but feel real good.

(Eaton was awarded an Oak Leaf Cluster, a Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars, among other medals. He died in 1996 in Miles City, Mont.).