IN

BEPLY BEFEB TOt

SUNDAY

U. S.

OOTOBER L745
OF

S.

PRAIRIE

RIGIIT IN THE HEART

TOKYO BAY: DEAREST FAM I LId,

WELL, T0DAY THE tultGF{Ty PRAtRIE DRCPPED ANCH0R AT YOK0SUKA, lN

BAY. AFTTR AVII]JING ONE IYPHOON AND ROOKING AND $V\IAYING ACROSS THE IA|L END CF AI{0THER , w[ FtNALLY REACHEI] 3UR G0AL. UP0N ARRIVTilKYC

tNc THL rpr,MysELF MtN)

AND THF*

pIS

SRE\II AND MY SHIPMATES HAII FINALLY

REACHED THE ULTIiuiATE G0AL HF EVERY

I

FlcllTlNG tuiAN (ANII NOI S0 FIGHT-

NG

AND SH I P I N THE NAVY .

3C

tT ts,

THAT AFTER JNE YEAR

tN f'HAT

I CCNSIDER THE HOTTEET

IN
TOKYOT

PLACE If,I

IHi

CIORLD

TI,iAT JLD SLOGI\N TSF.[ YCU

I$

A REALITY.

LASI NiONDAY, ULITHI ATCLL

CCTOBER

l-ST,

Tt-rE CCi\,'iBlNED

LL,fi#f

H0RSTS CF THE PRAltilE

OF

ENGIiiES PROVED THEY STILL HAD SCME GUMPH LEFT AND WE SLID OI}T
AND FOR MY FIFTH TIME fvAS CN THE P.ICIFIC EXPANSE-

C0ING NORTH- DIRECTLY CN THE L4^TH,VifRINIAN. AT FIRST

IT 8AS

NtcE, \lERy N|CE.

CALM AND VIARM, B|JT BEING UNDERWAY tulADt AN UN-

EXPECTED BREEZE TI-iROI.J0TCIJT

]N NECK- |1ITH I NE t_ TGHTS BLAZ I NG (prRer-t t ruir NAVY) ANll MUS lC BY Tl"lE BAND. I IMAG
IHE

SHIP.

lllE HAD MCVIES

oUR IIESTRoYER EiC0RT WAS KIND 0F ENVIOUS

0F

CUR'SEEMINGLY PLEASUEE
THE

CRUISE. BUT THE FIRST

NEXT IIAYS OF THE TR lP

NIGHT

VIIAS

THE LAST CALM NIGHT.. FCR

'rliE SPENT ivr0ST

0F

OUR T IME TRY I NG

T0 GET 3UT

F THI,*AY

OF A TYHHOON- OIiE.i NC,ABCUT

THREE. IT
PASSED THE

GOT ROUGH, HEAVY

$EAS AND $lCK MtN

(r MUST BE A SALT- I
COfu1PLETE

TEST).

3N

THE

THIRI] NIGHT

I-IJE

DID A

AB3UT FACE TRYING TO OUT-RUN

A
v\lE

SIORM

BTARING I]OWN CN

US- PRACTICALLY BACK TC ULITHI. THAT IS !!HY

IN

REPIJY

REFEB TOs

PAGE

TVVO

U. S.
BUT BEING

S.

PRAIRIE
IS A BIG SHIP,
WE KNEIl

ARRIVED ON SUNDAY INSTEAD CF SATURDAY. THE PIIAIRIE

A TINDER

AND HAVING EXPERIENCI

IN RTPAIRING

V'JEI.L H0lftl DANGEROUS

TYPHOO.N

CAN BE-EVEN

T3 THT I]IG SHIPS- SO tlE

DtD OuR BEST TC SK|P Tt-tFM.

t\i|GHT THE
I

FIE DtDNtT.QUITE iviAKE ITICAUSE FRlllAY

rPr

BOUNCED AND PITCHED

LIKE A
TH

CAN0E

T lS Il[C IDEDLY CCJLER HERE.

A hALtJ 0F N0 SHIRTS

lS

,vi0R,; I

NG, FOR

THE

FIRST Tlil4i

I SAFJ iyiEN USING BLAN(ETS lN THE CiidP.ARTM[NTS AND AFTER

Al'iD GINIRALLY LIGHT CLOTHtNG,

YEAR AND

SWEATERS TO II,ARM OUR WAIER TH I N BLOOD.

I fiAS SURPRI'SEII T0 I'IOT|CE HOli NEAR THE C0AST 0F JAPAN RESEIdBLES

THAI OF XXfl'ilNXX CALIFCRNIA- HILLY AND MOUNTAINOU$. AS YCE ]]REIS
NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE

BAY,

HAD THAT HALF

SICK,

NERVSUS FEILING

THAI

I USED TO HAVI JUST BEFOR PLAYING AT A C'}NTEST. I

ALONI. lT
sEEtu4ED

KNOW

WASNTI

so slMPLE,

ilr

JUST SAILED D0!tN

t*F*fiTfr8o
SOME

PASSING A FISHING BOAT (THE JAPS IjELD UP

A FISH

AND IVAVEDI

0F tjs

,;AVED tsACK, 0THERS TURI{ED

AWAY) AND tNTO OUR BERTH. A$

AS

BSUAU$ BEF0RE'f{E HAD ST0PPED, rHE CRANES HAll PUT THE M0T0R LAUNCHES AND WHALE tsOATS I NTO THE f,iATER AND IIJE STARTED BUS I NESS
MEN

USUAL.

THE S|GNAI CALLED UP 0THER $HtP$ ASKTNG ABOUT LTBERTY AND 0THER
CRAZY

THINGS. llE

DISCOVERD THAT SAILORS ARE NOT PERi\4ITTED TO 3Y

F00D 0R DRINK FR0tyi THE JAPANESE, 80R TAKE AMERICAN MONEY ASHCRE,
ISUT LIBERTY

lS FAIRLY G00D
A
GOOD

DEPENDING 3N

IHE

COi\4MANDING

CFFICER

AND yl'E HAVE

CNE, i\ND THERFORE ARE EXPECTING TO SEE PLENTY

EACH
rvlAN

0F T0Ky0 tF p0sstBLE AND LOAD DC|YN #tIH SOUVtNli RS.(SP) .

ts

EffcHtrNGEIl

15f, YIN FOR 7

DOLLARS FCR LIBERTY PflRP0$tS.

IN

REFI.Y

BEIIEB TOr

PAGE THREE

U. S.
AT PRBSENI
AND
'rvE ARE BERTHEA ABOUT

S. PRAIRIE
MTLES FRoM voKoHAMA,

ilcHT

21 Tc 25

MI

LES FRoM T0Ky0 I N THE GREAT NAVAL BAsE AT yoKosuKA

LATELY VtStTED By

us

NAVAL AIRCRAFT ANII B-2?S.

FOR 0NcE, viHEN

L00K OuT 0vER THi fdATER tSEE H|LLS, NOT THE

TIFTEEN FOCT *iOUNIAIN$ LIKE THOSE AT ENIlrlETOK, MAJURO AND ULITHI"

IHE AIR FEELS LIKE tAKEllOOD lN tuilD-FALL (nrcHf Ncw ItM FREEZ;NG, BUT HOPING T0 GET CLIMATIZED QUtcKLy) AND A i{nNDy DAy AT A F00TBALL

GAME.
I

lT lS EXC lT I llc, NElfl, AND I

IS IS JAPAI'JNOT FIi IS0O,I.

tiEEp IRy I NG T0 cSNv I NcE My-

SELF THAI

TH

THATTS THE WAY TlllNG$ LINE UP AI'PRESENT. H0t1l L0NG I?ILL fftE BE HERE? rtor n yEAR HopE, BuT LoNg ENouGH T0 gEE itHAT

$,4AKES THE
A

JRNS THT YELLOW

IEVILS THEY

ARE AN]] GET INFORMATION ENOUGH FOR

F[ll1 ]TILD TALES

I0 sPlN lN LATTR Y[AR$- (t'tt sptN rEm ANywAy, BUT

L I TTLE AUIHENT tC I

Ty

'il1

LL

HELP )

A L ITTLE
SEPT

iViA

IL

,f{AS

WA

IT I NG FCR US AND

RTCE I VED DAIJS LETTER

ir

23 f,lITH EI,ICLO$TD

QUARTIRLY

OCT-DEC. YOU MENTIONED SEEING

THRILT

tr. A RJMANCE"

KNON THE PIANO ELAYER

IN ICMMY IORSF-YS
wAS
N

EAND- FRANK i(L lil4EK I NTR0DUCED US ITHEN HE {,D300 MARtu{AR0SO)

w

IIH

GINE iiRUPA l:q PITISBUROH.

I SA'd,l H tivi ;NCE S I NcE IHEN- I

LIKE A LIFE

CHICAGO fiHEN IIIE REIVIEfuIBERE]] ivIE AN]] SPOKE TO ME

FR

LONg

IEND.

THRTLL

0F A L |FEI trviE FOR iviE.

BITS ON THI IIGERS FOR THE WORL]] IJERIES AND
SO FAR

HAVE A CJUPLE

AM REALLY SIIIITAIIN{}

IT ilUT.

ITIS 2

GAMES

APIECE-

I GET UP

AT F0UR

lN

THE tuiORNlNG TC HEI\R THE S|,0RT WAVE GArvlE FR)ivi FRtSC0.

UP.

I MISS JACts GRANIY- HE CTULD REALLY PEP II

IN REPI,Y
REtrEB

TOt

AGE FCUR

U. S.

S.

PRAIRIE
SHOUDN'I COMPLAIN.

BOB GOODMSN WAS CERTAINLY FORTLNATE

IN CETTING EXIRA LEAVE.

I'M ONE OF THE UNFORTUNATES

EVEN THOUGH HAVE SOMI

ALTHOUGH

I GUESS I
IN

I'VE

HAD ONLY

DAYS LEAVE

OVER Tt?O VEARS,

I DID

TIMT IN THE STATE AT frADIO

TRIP
HOME.

$CHOOL FOR LIBERTY AND AN

OCCASIONALLX

I'M
FOR THE

SURE

lT CA.NI _BE TOC LONG NOriJ BEF0RE_THE pRAtRtE vljtLt S-IART

THE EXEC HAS GIVEN tJS

SIATES.

A LITTLE HCPE,

THOUGH HE
WARA

HII\dSTLF CAN NOT iJE

SURE. THE IPI

HAS DONE

A LOT OF DUTY THIS

AND RATES GOING BACK RIGHT LONG

AI

THE IOP OF THE

LIST- IT

HAS FOR

TIME.

8EFORE GOING

T0 $LEEP AT NtcHTn ALL THE eREbI AT THE

CLOSE OF THEIR PRAYTRS ASK THAT 'PIEASE, COD, SEND US OUB-9RDgRSTOMORROWI$3ME DAY hEILL HERB, I'M SUFE 9F THAT, FOR WE'RE

CALLING LCUD

ENCUGH.

LOIS OF

n \5*,\
I,OVE.