Hospital in Nashville
Pfc. Roy N. Van Arsdall
Ward 317, Thayer General Hospital
Nashville 5, Tenn.
July - September 1945

Mother, Uncle Sam brought your boy back
July 2, 1945
Dear Mother:
Been taking tests and should only have some lab tests left, but I doubt they let me go in the rush of the 4th. Maybe, or maybe a day or so after.
Furloughs start at midnight from here, so it should be during the day when I get in.
I talked to Margie about 5 minutes after you. She was a little excited and said about nothing. And she sure talked so low. But if I remember correctly she always did. Anyway, I gather she has a 6 hour layover in Louisville and wants me to meet here there.
Does Punks radio work? You know I’d rather have his car some of the time. I’ll pay him a good price for its use.
Hmmmm……………..I’m going to have a bunch of pictures to kinda hide……………..no??
Love,
Roy
July 4, 1945
Dear Mother:
I know you’ve been expecting me every day, but I just haven’t gotten anywhere yet. Can’t get a thing out of anyone yet, but it should be any day. I’ll get in sometime in the afternoon. Leave here at 2 AM.
Don’t know anything else to day now. I hope to get that thing this week.
You know I’ll go to Louisville after I come home and meet Margie.
Love,
Roy
Note: Furlough was from July 5 through August 4.

Marge and Roy astride their steeds - furlough time
August 6, 1945
Dear Mother:
Back again! Bus got in at 11:00 and the train was on time. Had to stand up the whole way. There was a terrible crowd on. Got in at 4:40 and came on out.
Here at the ward with the fans going it was 98 degrees. The station was almost suffocating.
Nothing I know is any different from what you know. I got the nut out of here and will do as you said.
All the old guys are gone from this ward. Even the kid that had the bad arm and jaundice - the one who got the Jap. He’s home on furlough. One with the swelled stomach is much better. Saw Stocker in the mess hall this morning.
Back in pajamas and just park in bed now. Probably have me out reconditioning before long. Till later.
Love,
Roy
August 7, 1945
Dear Mother:
Nothing at all has happened. Just still here. We’ve had hard storm the last two days or so hasn’t been too hot. All I’ve done is sleep, read and see one show - ‘Pride of the Marines’. Every whit of it is true. It is promotional in spots, tho.
This afternoon I laid a cigarette on an old soap case. When I turned around smoke was thick. I picked it up and it burst into flames. I threw it on the floor and put my bathrobe on it. But what smoke and stink. No harm, tho.
Got three letters from Margie today. Still the same girl. Bye for now.
Love,
Roy
August 9, 1945
Dear Mother:
Well, we’ve done it. Its all over. That’s about all I can say. It came quicker than any dreamed and of course we feel pretty good.
It does not, however, mean that I’ll be discharged anytime soon, but there’s not much left to worry about any more. Just have to wait till they give me a discharge and then come tearing home with it.
I’ve still got some time left to spend here in the ward. If go to convalescence here that will be some more days. Cap’t says after effects of hepatitis may last from 6 or 8 months to a year. Don’t think, however, that I’ll do that much time.
I wrote you on that overseas airmail and of course forgot the extra 2 cents so I’ll just write again.
The other writing is from the Wac who works in this ward. Always into something, but a good kid. Married to a marine.
Nothing left but sweating it out so bye for now.
Love,
Roy
August 18, 1945
Dear Mother:
Still in the same ward under the same conditions and possessing the same amount of knowledge about the situation.
Have had quite a few letters from you and a pile from Margie. Two from you today. Did the clipping come out of our paper? Peggy got a kick out of hearing from you.
Looks like rationing will kinda ease up on you folks at home now. Should be well on the way with the burley by now. I wouldn’t be much good ‘cause I can’t do much at all. How’s Dad and his different businesses coming out? Warehouse?
Yes, Margie loves her ear rings. She’s a good kid - just about tops with me. None from Wilma or Betty and not interested.
Will let you know if anything comes up.
Love,
Roy
August 20, 1945
Dear Mother:
Looks like I’m going to be leaving here soon. Not even going to convalescent here, so I’ll probably go on to Indiana. And probably be reassigned there, too. Don’t have too much chance getting out, but there’s no more fighting, so what the heck.
My bonds will have to continue through August. Then I’m leaving a $10.00 bond in effect just to help their record of bond buyers. That will make $2400 we can quit at. All the other money I can save I want in cash ‘cause I’ll need it.
Get those pictures developed as soon as you can. I want to see them.
Nothing going on here except I knocked over a 3 gallon fire extinguisher yesterday. Made quite a mess, but I could only laugh. Ward boy had to clean it up.
Love,
Roy
August 23, 1945
Dear Mother:
Was moved over to reconditioning two days ago. It’s just two blocks over from where I was. We swim, see shows, volley ball, basket ball, baseball, tennis, golf, bikes, etc. No work at all. I’m OK, but very sore from the exercise.
We will leave here a day or so after the first. Have to wait to get paid so wont mess up finance records. Go to convalescent hospital. Most likely Attabury. Don’t hold any hopes of me getting out. I’m a low point young soldier with no dependents. Ideal for occupation. Will just wait and see.
Marjorie called nite before last and I wasn’t in. Called her back last nite on her time, and talked 30 minutes. Didn’t realize that, but guess her folks will be caught with that bill. She laughed and said her mother said we could buy a refrigerator with the phone bills. Bye.
Love,
Roy
August 28, 1945
Dear Mother:
One day of work in. Little shovel work and painting. Have quite a bit of picket fence to paint. Just depends on how much I get in before my # comes up. Sent home the bag today.
Not 15 minutes after Dad and Park left a staff sgt picked the two of us up. He was going all the way to Mississippi and went right through Nashville. Arrived at 1:20 beating the train by 40 minutes.
All is OK. So bye for now. Hope you soon feel better.
Love,
Roy
Recollections……
August in Nashville like any where else in the south was hot. Our ward, just another barracks-type building holding about forty people, was no different. We dressed in pajama bottoms and nothing else. All of the occupants had hepatitis, but few, including myself, felt really sick. The new-comers to hepatitis received glucose IV’s. They commonly toured the ward pushing their IV stand. The overall mood was upbeat.
Hepatitis - Acute Infectious Hepatitis. That was the name they finally put in place of ‘yellow jaundice’. How does one get hepatitis? From poor sanitation, they said. Looking back it’s a wonder it didn’t happen sooner. We ate everything we could find whether from off the shelf or on the floor. Most was inert, but some of it probably had moving components. We also drank anything that would go down. For weeks on end I simply licked my spoon, the only eating utensil I had, and stuck it back in the top of my boot for safe keeping. Washing anything was difficult in sub-zero weather. Hence I and many others got the yellow bug.
One guy in the ward had been severely wounded in addition to having hepatitis. A bullet had torn through his right shoulder and downward making a mess of his gut. He and all around him were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. He and his adversary, a rather small Japanese soldier, had both lost their weapons. The Jap pulled out a grenade and tried to set it off (their grenades contained a firing pin that had to be struck on something hard). Our guy grabbed the Jap around the neck with his good arm and held him off the ground till a buddy came by and stuck a bayonet into him. He said all the while he was scared the Jap would realize he could set off the grenade by striking it on either of their helmets. Instead he continued to try to hit it against the ground until too late for him.
The day the A-bomb got planted on Hiroshima I was asleep flat on my belly on my bunk. Suddenly I was wide awake and naked. Two of the ward WAC orderlies had just heard the news and, in celebration, proceeded to create as much havoc as they could. Noting a small split in the seat of my PJ pants they had each hooked a finger in that crack and yanked. I no longer had any pants.
Everything went wild the day Japan surrendered. The patients had neither clothing other than pajamas nor any chance at passes into the city. No matter! I don’t remember what the others did, but somewhere my WAC friend found some clothes for me. We got out of that ward, crawled under the fence, and got into the center of downtown Nashville. Just how I don’t recall. The streets were wall-to-wall people. The first think I clearly recall is someone handing me a full fifth of booze. The last thing I remember is being on a dance floor and trying to help Peggy get her feet untangled from the MC’s mike cord. She was really yanking him around. Obviously we got back to the hospital, but that journey is a total mystery.