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SUNDAY EVENING MAY 5TH 8:00 PM PACIFIC OCEAN AREA POSITION AS OF 2000 4 MAY 1946 20-47 NORTH 171-40 WEST MILES STEAMED :: 2800 MILES TO GO :: 1450 DESTINATION :: KWAJALEIN DEAREST MOM & DAD:: WELL FOLKS IT DOES SEEM FUNNY, THERES SO MUCH WATER SEPERATING US, BUT I GUESS AFTER ALL IT'S JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS. HOW IS EVERYONE AND WHAT IS HAPPENING BACK HOME? I SURE HOPE I GET A LEAVE THIS TIME SO I CAN COME SEE FOR MYSELF. HA! TONIGHT EVERYTHING IS STILL GOING SMOOTHLY ALTHOUGH THIS MORNING WE DID HAVE A MINOR ENGINE BREAKDOWN AND STOPPED DEAD STILL IN MID-OCEAN FOR ALMOST THREE HOURS WHILE THE ENGINE GANG WORKED FEVERISHLY TO REPAIR THE TROUBLE BEFORE ONE OF THOSE STORMS THAT ARE ALWAYS HANGING AROUNUD CAME UP AND GAVE US A BAD TIME. IN ANY EVEN THROUGH WE WERE UNDERWAY AND ALL OUR TROUBLE WAS FORGOTTEN IN SHORT ORDER. HA! WE ARE DUE IN KAAJALEIN DAY AFTER TOMORROW, THE 7TH OF MAY AND AS THEY HAVE AND EPIDEMIC OF TYPHUS THERE OR SO WEVE HEARD, WE'LL PROBABLY BE WORKED SOMETHING TERRIABLE FOR A WHILE UNTIL IT IS STOPPED. YOU KNOW THER REASON WE ARE ONTHE WAY THERE NOW IS THAT THEY ARE RUNNING SHORT OF ANY PLACE TO PUT THE PATIENTS. THEYVE GOT TWO SHORE HOSPITALS, ONE HOSPITAL SHIP, AND WHEN WE GET THERE, TWO HOSPITAL SHOPS, IT'S QUITE SOME LITTLE OLD EPIDEMIC. HA! WE HAVE ALL BEEN SAFEGARDED AGAINST IT AS FAR AS POSSIBLE SO WE'LL BE SAFE I RECKON, ANYWAY IT IS'NT NEAR AS DANGEROUS TO DODGE AS JAPS. HA! YOU CAN FIGHT THAT IN THE OPEN ANYWAY. WELL I'VE GOTTENNEARLY ALL MY EQUIPMENT RUNNING OKAY NOW. YOU KNOW THE FIRST THING I DID WAS TO CHECK EVERYTHING TO MAKE SURE IT WAS IN OPERATING CONDITION AND FOUND THAT IT HAD BEEN LET RUN DOWN UNTIL I HAD TO WORK ON 2/3 OF IT ALL FROM A MERE SPEAKER TO THE TBK-17 TRANSMITTER HA! HOWEVER I'VE ONLY FOR ONE THING GOT LEFT ONE OR TWO MOREAND THENI'LL BE THROUGH UNTILL SOMETHING HAPPENS TO SOME OF IT WHEICH PROBABLY WO'NT BE LONG. I SURE DO'NT ENY A TECHNICIAN HIS JOB ON ONE OF THESE DARN THINGS, THEY CALL A SHIP. HA! I JUST GOT THROUGH REPAIRING A RECEIVER WE HAVE FOR CODE=VOICE RECEPTION. A POWERFUL JOB THAT IS DESIGNED FOR OPERATION FROM ANYWHERE IN THE PACIFIC, AND IT TOOK ME THREE DAYS TO GET SOME RESULTS BUT I FINALLY MADE IT THIS MORNING, AND IT IS ON THE JOB AGAIN NOW AND WE ARE LISTENING TO SOME MUSIC FROM THE OAK GROVE NIGHT SPOT IN HOLLYWOOD CALIFORNIA A DISTANCE OF 2800 MILES FROM HERE. HA! SOME RECEIVER HUH. I SUPPOSE YOU HEAR ABOUT THAT "ALCATRAZ PRISON ATTEMPTED BREAK" THAT HAD EVERONE ON HIS TOES FOR AWHILE? HA! TOO BAD WE COULDNT HAVE BEEN IN THE HARBOR AND WHERE WE COULD HAVE HAD A RESERVED SEAT FOR EVERYTHING. THOSE PEOPLE MUST HAVE BEEN ASLEEP TO LET THEM GET THAT GEAR INTO THE PRISON. STILL WE LIVE AND LEARN. YOU KNOW WHEN YOU GO OUT UNDER THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE YOU HAVE TO PASS RIGHT BY IT LESS THAN A MILE AND YOU CAN NEARLY SEE ALL OF IT AND CAN SEE THE PRISONERS AT THEIR COMPULSORY WORK ON THE GROUNDS, AND IT ALWAYS LOOKED PEACEFUL AND QUITE TO ME THE 100 OR MORE TIMES I'VE SEEN IT IN THE LAST TWO YEARS AND YOU WOULD NEVER THINK BY LOOKING THAT IT IS THE WORLDS WORST PRISON. BRRRR LET ME OUT OF HERE HA! I HEARD FROM MY "EMPIRE" BUDDY FRANK AVERY RM2/C AND HE WAS IN OFGEN UTAH ON HIS WAY HOME ON A 25 DAY LEAVE FROM WHICH HE WAS TO REPORT TO HIS SEPERATION CENTER IN GREAT LAKES MICH. AND HE SAID HE DID'NT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH HIMSELF OUT OF THE SERVICE. HE SAID EVERY NIGHT OUT IN TOWN HE WAS ALWAYS LOOKING AT HIS WATCH UNCONCIOUSLY TO SEE HOW LATE IT WAS AND IF HE HAD TIME TO GET BACK TO THE SHIP OR NOT. HA! SOME LIFE, THIS PEACETIME STRUGGLE. I HAVE'NT HEARD FROM DIXIE FOR ALMOST THREE WEEKS SO GUESS IT'S ALL OVER BETWEEN US, AND SOMEHOW I'M RELEIVED TO GET RID OF HER THAT EASY ALTHOUGH I DO'NT KNOW, I HAD A SOFT SPOT IN MY HEART FOR THAT LITTLE GAL. ANYWAY WE'LL SEE WHEN I GET BACK. SHE'S A MIGHTY DETERMINED GIRL WHEN SHE GETS AN IDEAINTO HER HEAD BELIEVE ME. HA! I GUESS READ ADAMS HAS GONE BY NOW AND IN A WAY I DO'NT BLAME HIM IN THE LEAST. AFTER ALL THE KID HAS'NY ANY PARENTS AND HE HAS'NT EVEN GOT ANY OF THE OLD GANG AROUND POCAHONTASA TO TALK TO. AS I SAID BEFORE IT'S SURE A TOUGH LIFE. I'M STILL THINKING PRETTY SERIOUSLY ABOUT MY CARREER AS A COMMERCIAL RADIOMAN SO DO'NT BE SURPRISED. I JUST RECEIVED ANOTHER LETTER FROM GEORGIA GRIMES IN CHOCHILLA DNA AS USUAL THEY ARE HAVING ONE TERRIBLE TIME GOING ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS TRAVELLING OVER THE COUNTRY. SHE IS REALLY THE ONLY REAL FRIEND I HAVE HERE ON THE COAST EXCEPT SIS AND EARL AND I SURE ENJOY HEARING FROM HER. SHE SAYS SHE WANTS TO COME UP AND SEE ME AND THE WHOLE FAMILY DOES TOO. BUT RIGHT NOW FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS THEY'LL HAVE TO CALM DOWN AND WAIT UNTIL THE SHIP GETS BACK. SHE SAYS EVERYONE KEEPS ASKING HER HOW OLD I AM. HA! BUSYBODY COUSIN OF MINE WANTS TO KNOW ALL ABOUT ME. HA! I THINK THERE IS A PRETTY GOOD CHANCE OF GETTING A LEAVE AFTER THIS THING IS OVER, BUT AS YET EVERYTHING POINTS TOWARDS IT FAVORABLY SO DO'NT BE SURPRISED IF I COME WALKING IN SOME MORNING LIKE I DID BEFORE. HA! WELL GUESS I'VE ABOUT RAN OUT OF NEWS SO I'LL SIGN OFF FOR THIS TIME AND WRITE SOON ADDRESS THE SAME. YOUR DEVOTED SON CHARLES H.