Owen Ozem Thomas

July 9, 1942

THREE LEAVE FOR CAMP LAST MONDAY

Three Flagler county men left last Monday, July 6, to be inducted into the armed forces of the nation, O. F. Alford, clerk of the local board announced today.

The men were John Alfred Clegg, OWEN OZEM THOMAS, JR., and Ernest Walton Johnston, Jr.

Mr. Alford also announced that Thaddeus Theodore Cyzycki, who has been registered with this board, has transferred to the Local Board No.4, Duval County, for delivery.

James Hulett Durrance, who was scheduled to go in this call, enlisted in the U. S. Navy, Mr. Alford said.

October 1, 1942

OWEN O. THOMAS, who has been stationed at Camp Robinson, Ark., says, in a letter to The Tribune, that he has been transferred to Camp Hulen, Texas, and that he has been placed in the anti-aircraft coast artillery - 'something I had the least idea of getting into."

March 18, 1943

OWEN THOMAS has been transferred from Camp Hulen, Texas, to Camp Cooke, Calif. Owen wrote us a nice long and interesting letter, for which we say, thanks.

April 15, 1943

OWEN THOMAS, located at Camp Cooke, Calif., sent us a beautiful Easter card this week. We appreciate it, Owen.

October 7, 1943

Well, a couple of fellows in the army have notified us this week that they want The Tribune sent in "care of postmaster." Pfc. OWEN O. THOMAS now will get his through the San Francisco postmaster and Jim Townsend through New York. Incidentally, Jim has been promoted from Pfc. to Cpl.

(Good luck, fellows. Let us hear from you when you can)

December 16, 1943

It sure is swell for so many of you fellows to remember us with Christmas greetings from "all over." We received just this week beautifully executed V- Mail Christmas greetings from S/Sgt. Alfred Tucker in England and from Raymond Smith with the Seabees in the Southwest Pacific.

In addition, Pfc. OWEN O. THOMAS sends us a nice one inscribed "Greetings to you up yonder from Down Under." Also Dan Dechman at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md., AMM2/C Joe Tanner at Kingsville, Texas; Russell Thompson, coast guardsman, at West Palm Beach; Sgt. and Mrs. Andrew Thompson in California; Seabee Herbert Anderson (also down in the Southwest Pacific); Victor Cyzycki who is an air student at Amherst, Mass. Also one from a guy we haven't heard from in a long time - Dell Bradberry, in the army and at Vallejo. Thanks a million, fellows!

February 3, 1944

Also a V-Mail from OWEN THOMAS in the Pacific area saying "I have received several papers and I certainly was glad to get them. We have traveled so much they couldn't catch up with me. If you know the addresses of the boys down here will you send them to me."

(We are sending them, Owen, You will note, however, the addresses are through the postmaster at San Francisco).

Owen added "this is a real tropical place with all the insects and mosquitoes. There are plenty of coconuts and natives - and they are a sight."

April 20, 1944

We received a V-Mail Easter greeting from OWEN O. THOMAS with the army in the Pacific.

May 25, 1944

Cpl. OWEN O. THOMAS down in the Pacific "somewhere" recently sent to his parents here some paper money that the Japs were to have used when they took Australia. Also one real Jap bill.

June 29, 1944

A V-Mail this week from OWEN THOMAS "somewhere in New Guinea" which said: "A few lines to let you know the paper is coming through after a short layoff. I surely enjoy it as well as the other boys here. I was in on the invasion here in New Guinea and things were pretty hot for a while. I saw a lot of Japs, both dead and alive, but they look about the same either way.

We are in the mountains and it gets you tired out climbing them. I suppose we will have to be mountain goats. Several of us boys have been deer hunting here and have had pretty good luck. We have killed two bucks and one big doe. They are a lot larger than those back there but they are just as good. It surely is good news about the invasion of Europe. I hope all of our boys get by OK over there but it will be tough."

(Glad to get your interesting letter, Owen, write again)

August 3, 1944

Pfc. OWEN O. THOMAS, in the Southwest Pacific, wrote his parents here this week that "I was in on an invasion recently. I saw the terrific naval bombardment and I can't see how anything could have lived through it. Also saw the bombing and strafing of the Japs. I certainly was glad to know they were our planes. Have seen plenty of dead Japs."

Owen is an AA gunner with the army and has been down in the Pacific for about a year. He added that his APO number had been changed and "Don't worry, I am all right."

August 10, 1944

Pfc. OWEN O. THOMAS, AA gunner down in the Southwest Pacific has sent to his parents here a lot of Jap stuff that has created quite a lot of comment from those who have seen it. Included in the stuff was a pair of rubber shoes (with the big toe divided from the rest of the shoe), a pair of pants, a shirt, a lot of Jap money and some "invasion" notes, a couple of rubber "first aid kits," two or three packages of Jap cigarettes, a couple of gadgets that appear to be rubber stamps for marking clothing and a few other items.

The father left some of the items in The Tribune office for inspection by anyone interested. Needless to say, most of the comments made by men of Bunnell are unprintable.

May 17, 1945

Pfc. OWEN O. THOMAS writes his parents that he "got a pile of letters the other day, but don't be surprised if you don't here from me for a little while, probably will be on another invasion."

Owen is an anti-aircraft gunner in the Pacific - probably the Philippines.

May 24, 1945

We know, now, that we are getting up in the world. Our friends begin sending orchids to us. This week we received a letter from OWEN THOMAS with an AA outfit in the Philippines, and in which he enclosed a pressed orchid which he had picked when in the Netherlands East Indies. And to us, that is a rare flower indeed. Thanks a million Owen. Before we forget it, here's his letter:

Philippine Islands, May 13:

"I have finally got around to write you a few lines. I have had time to write but I just couldn't get down to writing more than a couple of letters.

It surely is good news about the fall of Germany, isn't it? I surely hope our hometown boys came through OK. Maybe this one will end sooner than we expect - at least I hope so.

My mother tells me there are some of the boys from home here in the Philippines, but so far I haven't run into any of them. I haven't seen any of the boys since I was in Camp Hulen, Texas in February 1943, and those were Walton Johnston and Grady Davis.

I was in Australia on furlough last October and November and it certainly is nice down there. I was in Sydney for five weeks and it was like civilian life again. I could tell you a lot of things about the place but I suppose the other boys have told you before.

I was in on an invasion here in the Philippines but there wasn't much action. The Filipino Guerrillas had things well in hand on the beach but we hit Japs farther inland.

There are a couple of places here that are called towns but, as such, they are miserable failures.

Most of the natives around here are Moros and they can't be trusted. They can have as many wives as they want and they surely stay at home because I have never seen any of them.

There are a few Christian Filipinos around here and we have them doing our washing. They do it really cheap but they will charge you a lot if you give them a chance.

I have been receiving The Tribune as regularly as could be expected until we started moving around so fast the last three months. I expect I will receive six or eight of them at one time. It doesn't matter how they come because I read everything in them.

I will close forth is time but I will do better from now on. Give my regards to all."

(We know the other fellows will be glad to read your letter, Owen, so write again. Yes, some of the other fellows have told us some things about Australia, but it's a big country and each of you surely didn't see the exact same things. So tell us what you see in those far-away places. The guys on the other side of the world would like to know about them too.)

June 28, 1945

In a letter to his parents here, Pfc. OWEN THOMAS writes of a pineapple plantation in the Philippine Islands. His letter, in part, follows:

"We are about a mile from a big pineapple plantation, and we certainly help ourselves to them. It hasn't been kept up for the last " years so it is pretty rough. The pineapples are the biggest I have ever seen and they are just as delicious.

I received a couple of Tribunes yesterday, one was the Nov. 30th issue and the other was Dec.28th.

(Some of the other fellows out that way are having trouble getting them too. We send them-that's the best we can do).

December 6, 1945

Now on the way to the States, most of them for discharge are members of the 383rd anti aircraft artillery battalion, and in that outfit is T/5 OWEN O. THOMAS. Veterans of the battalion - overseas 25 months and in the New Guinea, Netherlands East Indies and Philippine Campaigns - the 383rd is the first unit of the 14th anti aircraft to be returned from the Western Pacific. They will come in with the 31st Infantry Division.

December 27, 1945

T /5 OWEN THOMAS, who has been in the Pacific theater for about three years is reported as having landed a few days ago in the States and expects to be home soon.

January 3, 1946

Discharged from the armed services this week ......

OWEN O. THOMAS