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SUNDAY
U.S.S. PRAIRIE
7 OCTOBER 1945
RIGHT IN THE HEART OF
TOKYO BAY!
DEAREST FAMILIM,
WELL, TODAY THE MIGHTY PRAIRIE DROPPED ANCHOR AT YOKOSUKA, IN TOKYO BAY. AFTER AVOIDING ONE TYPHOON AND ROCKING AND SWAYING ACROSS THE TAIL END OF ANOTHER, WE FINALLY REACHED OUR GOAL. UPON ARRIVING THE 'P',MYSELF AND THE P'S CREW AND MY SHIPMATES HAD FINALLY REACHED THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF EVERY FIGHTING MAN (AND NOT SO FIGHTING MEN) AND SHIP IN THE NAVY.
SO IT IS, THAT AFTER ONE YEAR IN WHAT I CONSIDER THE HOTTEST PLACE IN THE WORLD THAT OLD SLOGAN 'SEE YOU IN TOKYO!' IS A REALITY. LAST MONDAY, OCTOBER 1ST, THE COMBINED 11,~~000~~ HORSES OF THE PRAIRIE ENGINES PROVED THEY STILL HAD SOME GUMPH LEFT AND WE SLID OUT OF ULITHI ATOLL AND FOR MY FIFTH TIME WAS ON THE PACIFIC EXPANSE- GOING NORTH- DIRECTLY ON THE 144TH MERIDIAN. AT FIRST IT WAS NICE, VERY NICE. CALM AND WARM, BUT BEING UNDERWAY MADE AN UNEXPECTED BREEZE THROUGHOUT THE SHIP. WE HAD MOVIES ON DECK- WITH LIGHTS BLAZING (PEACE-TIME NAVY) AND MUSIC BY THE BAND. I IMAGINE OUR DESTROYER ESCORT WAS KIND OF ENVIOUS OF OUR SEEMINGLY PLEASURE CRUISE. BUT THE FIRST NIGHT WAS THE LAST CALM NIGHT.. FOR THE NEXT DAYS OF THE TRIP, WE SPENT MOST OF OUR TIME TRYING TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF A TYPHOON- ONE? NO,ABOUT THREE. IT GOT ROUGH, HEAVY SEAS AND SICK MEN (I MUST BE A SALT- I PASSED THE TEST). ON THE THIRD NIGHT WE DID A COMPLETE ABOUT FACE TRYING TO OUT-RUN A STORM BEARING DOWN ON US- PRACTICALLY BACK TO ULITHI. THAT IS WHY WE
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PAGE TWO
U.S.S. PRAIRIE
ARRIVED ON SUNDAY INSTEAD OF SATURDAY. THE PRAIRIE IS A BIG SHIP, BUT BEING A TENDER AND HAVING EXPERIENCE IN REPAIRING WE KNEW WELL HOW DANGEROUS A TYPHOON CAN BE-EVEN TO THE BIG SHIPS- SO WE DID OUR BEST TO SKIP THEM. WE DIDN'T QUITE MAKE IT'CAUSE FRIDAY NIGHT THE 'P' BOUNCED AND PITCHED LIKE A CANOE.
IT IS DECIDEDLY COOLER HERE. THIS MORNING, FOR THE FIRST TIME I SAW MEN USING BLANKETS IN THE COMPARTMENTS AND AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF OF NO SHIRTS AND GENERALLY LIGHT CLOTHING, SWEATERS TO WARM OUR WATER THIN BLOOD.
I WAS SURPRISED TO NOTICE HOW NEAR THE COAST OF JAPAN RESEMBLES THAT OF ~~XXXXXXX~~ CALIFORNIA- HILLY AND MOUNTAINOUS. AS WE DREW NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE BAY, I HAD THAT HALF SICK, NERVOUS FEELING THAT I USED TO HAVE JUST BEFOR PLAYING AT A CONTEST. I KNOW I WASN'T ALONE. IT SEEMED SO SIMPLE, WE JUST SAILED DOWN ~~THE HARBOR~~ SMILING PASSING A FISHING BOAT (THE JAPS HELD UP A FISH AND WAVED! SOME OF US WAVED BACK, OTHERS TURNED AWAY) AND INTO OUR BERTH. AS USUAL ~~B~~S BEFORE'WE HAD STOPPED, THE CRANES HAD PUT THE MOTOR LAUNCHES AND WHALE BOATS INTO THE WATER AND WE STARTED BUSINESS AS USUAL. MEN THE SIGNAL CALLED UP OTHER SHIPS ASKING ABOUT LIBERTY AND OTHER CRAZY THINGS. WE DISCOVERD THAT SAILORS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO BY FOOD OR DRINK FROM THE JAPANESE, NOR TAKE AMERICAN MONEY ASHORE, BUT LIBERTY IS FAIRLY GOOD DEPENDING ON THE COMMANDING OFFICER - AND WE HAVE A GOOD ONE, AND THEREFORE ARE EXPECTING TO SEE PLENTY OF TOKYO IF POSSIBLE AND LOAD DOWN WITH SOUVINIRS.(SP). EACH MAN IS EXCHANGED 150 YEN FOR 7 DOLLARS FOR LIBERTY PURPOSES.
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PAGE THREE
U.S.S. PRAIRIE
AT PRESENT WE ARE BERTHED ABOUT EIGHT MILES FROM YOKOHAMA, AND 21 TO 25 MILES FROM TOKYO IN THE GREAT NAVAL BASE AT YOKOSUKA, LATELY VISITED BY US NAVAL AIRCRAFT AND B-29S.
FOR ONCE, WHEN I LOOK OUT OVER THE WATER I SEE HILLS, NOT THE FIFTEEN FOOT MOUNTAINS LIKE THOSE AT ENIWETOK, MAJURO AND ULITHI. THE AIR FEELS LIKE LAKEWOOD IN MID-FALL (RIGHT NOW I'M FREEZING, BUT HOPING TO GET CLIMATIZED QUICKLY) AND A WINDY DAY AT A FOOTBALL GAME. IT IS EXCITING, NEW, AND I KEEP TRYING TO CONVINCE MYSELF THAT THIS IS JAPAN- NOT FRISCO.
THAT'S THE WAY THINGS LINE UP AT PRESENT. HOW LONG WILL WE BE HERE? - NOT A YEAR I HOPE, BUT LONG ENOUGH TO SEE WHAT MAKES THE JAPS THE YELLOW DEVILS THEY ARE AND GET INFORMATION ENOUGH FOR A FEW WILD TALES TO SPIN IN LATER YEARS- (I'LL SPIN 'EM ANYWAY, BUT A LITTLE AUTHENTICITY WILL HELP).
A LITTLE MAIL WAS WAITING FOR US AND I RECEIVED DADS LETTER OF SEPT 23 WITH ENCLOSED QUARTERLY - OCT-DEC. YOU MENTIONED SEEING THRILL OF A ROMANCE. I KNOW THE PIANO PLAYER IN TOMMY DORSEYS BAND- FRANK KLIMEK INTRODUCED US WHEN HE (~~D000~~ MARMAROSO) WAS WITH GENE KRUPA IN PITTSBURGH. I SAW HIM ONCE SINCE THEN- IN CHICAGO WHEN HE REMEMBERED ME AND SPOKE TO ME LIKE A LIFE LONG FRIEND. THRILL OF A LIFETIME FOR ME.
I HAVE A COUPLE BETS ON THE TIGERS FOR THE WORLD SERIES AND AM REALLY SWEATING IT OUT. SO FAR IT'S 2 GAMES APIECE- I GET UP AT FOUR IN THE MORNING TO HEAR THE SHORT WAVE GAME FROM FRISCO. I MISS JACK GRANEY- HE COULD REALLY PEP IT UP.
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U.S.S. PRAIRIE
BOB GOODMAN WAS CERTAINLY FORTUNATE IN GETTING EXTRA LEAVE. I'M ONE OF THE UNFORTUNATES ALTHOUGH I GUESS I SHOUDN'T COMPLAIN. EVEN THOUGH I'VE HAD ONLY 9 DAYS LEAVE IN OVER TWO YEARS, I DID HAVE SOME TIME IN THE STATE AT RADIO SCHOOL FOR LIBERTY AND AN OCCASIONALLX TRIP HOME.
I'M SURE IT CANT BE TOO LONG NOW BEFORE THE PRAIRIE WILL START FOR THE STATES. THE EXEC HAS GIVEN US A LITTLE HOPE, THOUGH HE HIMSELF CAN NOT BE SURE. THE 'P' HAS DONE A LOT OF DUTY THIS WAR- AND RATES GOING BACK RIGHT AT THE TOP OF THE LIST- IT HAS FOR A LONG TIME. BEFORE GOING TO SLEEP AT NIGHT, ALL THE CREW AT THE CLOSE OF THEIR PRAYERS ASK THAT 'PLEASE, GOD, SEND US ~~OUR~~ O~~RD~~E~~R~~S TOMORROW!'- - SOME DAY HE'LL HEAR, I'M SURE OF THAT, FOR WE'RE CALLING LOUD ENOUGH.
LOTS OF LOVE,
[Signature: "Bud" in handwriting]