IN RUPLY

REtr'ER TO:

,
DEAREST FAMtLY,

I
wEtL,
PAST Tff0 0R THREE itEEKS

[J. S.

S.

PRAIRIE

8EPTEMBER 1945

I CERTATNLY HAVE FATLED M|$ERASLY tN 'eRtTtNg THE

rl,trt{ oNLY
ONE LETTER

T0 TEMAS, AND
I

I HAVE MY DOUBTS AS TO WHETHER THAT,ffiRIVED IN TIME SINCE

KEEP YOU PRETTY ItrELL INF0RMED AND QUITE oFTEN
NOI|J

THAT CEtlSOn-

SHIP HAS BEEN LIFTED.

FOR THE PAST YEAR AND

A HALF YOUIVE BIEN b1ONDERINg IN

!?HAT

IIVE
NOW

EEEN DOING AND ASKING ALL KINDS OF QUESTIONS

YOUR LETTERS.

IILL

TRY AND GIVE YOU THE

DOPE. IT ISNIT

VERY TXCITING-

FOR I'VE SAIN A HUNDREE TIMES EEFORE THAT MY JOB ilIAS PRETTY
MONOTONOUS. FIRST OF ALL TO STRAIGHTEN OUT MOTHERS

FEARS
HERE

0R-rouBT$ As T0 wHERE

tfvg

BEEN- RIGHT HERE AT

uuTHr (wrsrrnr'r
A
WEEK BEFoRE
AND

cARoNLtNEs) FoR THE eAST ELEVEN MoNTHS. wHEN sE cAME

O0T0BER

L2 L744,

ATOLL

THE XSKX!{$ HAD JUST BEEN TAKIN

__*___:!1-!THA!J.._L-gAs"-qALJ.t_:.

THrs PLACE BECAME THE F0RWARD AREA

tON THE

ADVANCED FLEET BASB FROM ${HICH THE NAVY OPERATED FOR EVERY
ACT I 0N

THE

pH

tLL tP tNES

I NVA$

0N

HAD AB0ARD CoMS8RVR0['I

r$- WH tCH UNT I L VERY RECENTLY lf{AS KNOIUN

"

PRA

lRlE,

AT THE T [tdE,

AS THE NAVYS SECiiET WEAP0N. ATTATCHED T0 CSR10 irERE 0THER TENDERS

AND. AUXILIARY

SHIP$ FROM THT SMALLEST LANDING CRAFT FOR INTER*

DOCKS CAPABLT OF SERVICING BATTLE-

HARBOR

TASI SERVICE TO DRY

sHrPs

AND CARR|ERS" AT T|MES ULTTH| HAD UPWARDS 0F

L,fi66 $HlP$

ANCfi0RED ALL BEtNc SERVTCED,REPATRED AhiD FUELED

ETC. 8Y C$R 1fl.

IN REPLY
REFER TOr

PACE
SI

Ttro u. s. s. PRAIRIE
ili,ILES FROM YAP
WHC

NCE y,lE WERE ONLY

I#fi

IH

ls(unrll

IYAS AND ST ILL

ryERE

THE $uRRENDER

ts

EFFEcTTED) tN JAeANE5E HAND$, wE

ALWAYS ON THE ALERT FOR EXPECTED

AIR AIIACKS AND POSSIBLI

SUB

SCARES. BUI IN ALL THIS TIMEXXE THE ENEMY EIIHER OUT OF PLUM IGNORANEE OR BECAUSE THEY ltIERE AFRAID, MADE ONLY A COUPLE gF **'ATrAcKs; -*FrRs-r'--SCI-Mf ff-nFETTCBS Gor THHoUcH THE NETS AND
SANB

TANKER JUST BARELY MISSING fiHE U

SS

ESSEX

(I

LERT THE

STATES 0N HHR

lN APRIL 0F t44o)
T0 GET

AND THE sEcoND TIME soME

KAMAKAZE PLANES TRIED

tN- I

rHtNK ONt DtD, H|TT|NC

THE

CARRIER RANDOLPH. TO GET BACK TO THE SUBS-

SAW THE ENTIRE

AFFAIR FROM THE

BRINGE.

I HAD JU$T FINISHED SWABBIHG THE I

HEARD THE SUB ilR

RADIO SHACK ON THE

4IO 8 MORNING }TATCH AND lltJAS WALKING ABOUND

(TNM
BETtrEEN

THE BRIDSE TRYING T0 llRY THE 8${AB, WHEN

FIARN'NE OVER THE TBS

SHIPS)- THEN

HAPPENED TO

L00K UP AND AT THAT MOMENT RtcHT BEFORE My EyE$

ildILES AtrAY THOUCH)

(n ccupu

I SAW THE TANKER CO UP IN FLAMES AND

I CJULDNIT POSSIBLY FICUftE HOW ANY
fu{AN

4TH OF JULY SHOIT- AND

GOT OF THE SHIP

ALIVE. YEN Tl{O THIRDS DAY. I

CIF THE gRE${ I1TRE SAVED.

THAT NdORNINC AND

SPENT EIGHT HOURS AT tsATTLE STATIONS"

THAT, MY FRIENDS,
As

lS THE EXTEHT 0F MY ACTIoN lN THE PAC|F|C.

IDE FROM TH0$E TwO I NsTAflcEs, uL trH

I ulAS PERFECT

Ly

PEACEFUL; THAT ts
PLACED BUZZED
ll{ I

; FR0M F tGHr I NG. BuT FOR s I x MOf,lTHs, TH ts

IfiIH

THOUT LET.UP

IL[

REQP IR I NG

THE FLEET. //LAST

JANUARY, THE REST OF CSR

1$

I'JOVED

UP TO LEYTE AND EE lq'ERE ALL

IN

R,EPLY

REFER TO:

U. S.
PS,GE THFIEE

S. PRAIRIE
DEotmD
THAT

s$T T0 G0 T00, Bur THE B08S (

THE MlGltTY
WERE WE

COMMoD0RE CARTER)

IPt

W0ULD STAY BEH|[{D AS CSR

1#

REPRESENT|VE" Boy,
GET

DI{iSAPOINTED. HERE ilE'VE BEEN FOREVER HOPING TO

ORDERS TO MOVE BUT NONE

CO}dE. THE WARIS OVER NOTI, AND ULITHI

l$ et08j$ellgw

lJAy_t N_LD_0NE _t.tEg,J_Ots t N_.Ittq *q_0NFL!

gT.

llE ?RE

FINALLY GOING TO MOVE BUT NOBODY KNO${S HIHERE ALTHOUGH AKL

HOPES ARE FOR DEAR OLD IJNCLE

SUGAR.

WE MIGHT EVEN GO TO CHINA WOULD

OR JAPAN.
S

ANYt'LACE BUT TO STAY AT ULITHI

BE THE FINAL

TRAW.

ULITHI IS HOT- AS HMAGAZINEIT

lS

- -I

ACCORDING

IO A REOENT LIFE

ALS0 SUPPoSED T0 BE, A$ DESCR|SED By

R. L.

STEVE*

HSoN, THE PACIFIC PARADTSE- COMPLETE WtTH BEAUffitFUL WOtulEN,

IflE ARE ALL CONVINCED NOIllI THAT ROBERT LOUI.S SIEVENSON WAS
VERY
A

SICK MAN. THE

tulEN ARE BRAWNY, BUT THE fi0MEN rJUST OCCUPY

SC ['UCH SPACE- AND

sMELL.

THE HEAT THAT

MENTIONED 18

PFSEECT RRfEnlNi: PLACF_FOR

AIIILEIES FO0T*AND 0IHER SKIN_ AT ONETIME OR ANOTHER.

A

DESEASES* AND EVERVBODY GETS THEM

SCRATCH TAKE$

LONG

TIME TC HEAL-

$cRE INSTEAD. tsELtEVE

IF IT DOESNIT BECCME A ME, GtVE ME LAKE${00D CHt0, AND ttLL

THIS HOLE ACAIN.

NEVER TRY AND REMEMBER

I FtcURE I I{AVE TfrO YEARS LEFT IN THE I']AVY" REQUIRED ARE 44 PCINTS- I HAVE
A$ FAR AS
DTSCHARGE PCITNTS ARE C0NCERNED,

TIflENTY

TWO. BUT EVENTUALLY SOMETFIING ll1ILL

DUIY

BE. WORKED OUT, AND

IIh4 HOPING FOR A DISCHARGE BY TI"IIS TIME NEXT YEAR. MY EIGHTEEH

M0NTHS SEA
OUGHT

T0

MEAf{ $0$rtETHlNg

lN

THE FINAL CALCULATINc"

IN

REPLY

II,EFER TO:

U. S.
PAGE FOUR ALTHOUCH THERE
futY NAVY CARIER

S.

PRAIRIE
YET.
FROM NOIf ON,

IS

NO PROVI.SION T'OR SUCH AS

18 JUST ONE BIG HOPE AND A

PRAYER"

TRUF,SOMEDAY

HAY LOOK BAEK UPON MY NAVY

ryFYEq F-ORGEI

LIFE A$

PRETTY

FA!LAFEry8!L. gUJ- I 'I.L

WE SPENT YE'iRS FIGHTING

FOR.

-!FT

LAEK OF THE IH IHG"'

UNJUST,

'

THE NAVY

IS TERRItsLY

RANK HAPPY, AND

A TOY FOR THE ADMIRALS TO PLAY }TITH. IT DEFFOR A DEMOCRATI0 PER$ON- cf,IE wTIO DOE$IrI'T

INATELY

IS NO PLACE

lixr

BEthrG pusHED

ARout{D.

I HAVE Nc syMpATHy FoR A MAt{ wHo

A

blculD $PEND TWENTY ytARS AS AN ENLTSTED MAN, F:0REVER TAKTNG

ABUSE ANl] CONSENT TO

A SOCIAL STANDING LE$$ THAH THAT OF

CLASSED ABOVE.

CIVILIAN,
IlE

,I$HERE

HIS OFFICERS ARE

I COULDN'T DO IT"
A
W

HAD SOME NICE ENTERTAiNMENT ABOARD

A yt'HILE BACK"

I{EGRC BAND SAME OVER

futUCH

T0 pLAy FOR us,

AND vlAS RECE I VED

tTH S0

ENTHUSIASM THAT WE INVITED IHEM BACK AGAIN

A FEllfl DAYS.LATER.
AFTER HIS

PLAREE PUT QN

SHO$I

T00, IAST irvFil(" ,N0T Tilil H0T.

MAN OFF$TACE"

SHOW -AL HE CSME UP TO THE RADIO SHACK AND SPENT QUITE SO$dE TIME

TALKING WITH

US.

HE'S A VERY SERISUS

-HE

I{AS

MOSTLY AIIGRY I#ITH TROUBLE

IHE OFFICERS- FilR HE WAS GETTING THE SAME

THAI SENT EDDIE BRACKEN BACK HOME. (VIZ: OFFICERSNOI

PERMITTING EiJLISTED MEN T0 SEE A Sl'i011 lllt:tcH trdAs 16#F FoR THEM)
ITHAT MADE US

LIKE HIM SO

MUCH

itAS THAT HE TALKED WITH U8

ON

NJRfuIAL

LEVEL-

INCLUBI NG

US IN THE

RANKS OF PTOPLE lll,ITH BRAINS.

WELL,
TR6GK 0F

ItD

BETTER S|GN OFF FOR THE PRESENT-

trM

L0$|NG

MYSELF-

L0TS 0F 00vE

, ,,; tq ' ,/:!*t+ii-