Dear friend with = :t~~•Jtk:~,~ ~: :))-,. . .;"~- . thbe w~r 1sblbeh1n¥ hutppedT·hto alrit11hos.t d \\} :t' ~ un e 1 1 eva e . e1g s.. . ree . ou~an ·?f:!/t_ :/}\J:;f.t ~ .\. :i_ -;:_:_ -vplanes at a time blast Axis 1nst·~ 11,;~,.·· · · , ~- -· ations,,, and the radio keeps:, up a jargo ·,o \('\). J.\. ~ on the invasion that lteeRS- Germany ever CJ-t\AY OJ :,,""t- ...... t J':'.J~ r:iore. j it t e~y · as to w~1en, where, and how .!> :- t w711 come. , One. thing they kn.ow. •·•-~ ome . . 1 1t w1ll,and 1.nat 1t will be "sup-~r" ~n every · ~- ~ sense of the word •. The whole world 1s tense:, . "- _./ :~,..,. ·-·· .·.:: · y and is aware that affairs. or· the great est magrti t ude ·,/// t ,:?• ·· · ·· •· · ;,; are pending~ that a . great and final climax is to be t· reached, . and at any moment. Fellows, a . great many of you. will be in this spec...tac.le,- many of you will have important parts to play • Yo.u. · may not read this until the affair is on or on its way~ Fellowa, do your darnd·e st to be b'rave stalwart soldiers, doing your duty in k.e en , exactness abd in poise •••• but don't lose the larg~r valu~a or perspec- . tive of things. •.•.•: don'tle-t soldiering make you forget that you are a gentleman and a Christian. · -In all probability your job will make it necessary , for you to kill ..... but it need never make you like killJng. You will see horror and aoarsenass, suffering and hardness, destruction and utter ruin of people, nations and things~ but you need ne~er allow yourself ·to beciome callous to these things, nor allow thi& lo get you down. War, artd certainly·this one, is-hell in all its fury to the very depth, but you need not emerge~ devil from it. Right now the picture looks dark,Jorbidding and gnuesor.rn, but it is not going to remain this wayforever .. One day (pray God it comes soonl)a, bric;hter- s.pectacle\will a\Vait us, and we will need men back here with great and.i. fine visions and ideals to carry on the building of a greater, a sounder,:and a more glor _ious America. What crime and thugs have torn down, you who return and we who anxiously await you, are going to unita in rebuilding into the greatest - nation -the world has ever . known. And now may God in His great infinite wisdom bless every last one of you as yo~ steel yourself for this enga g ement, be it -long_ or short •. Come bac,k to us ••• come back to us as unspoiled gentlemen~L !mf r-r 0 --:..: , 1-•P. ;:· . . .:;:- ,.-~'4/ft,JanFrancisco(&)Calif) "I am in the officE- of Director of Operations. of the 4th .ili.ir F·o rce, and we are eng rossed in very interesting work, the nature, of which demands that I make frequent fl ig:1ts to our instal.la.tions. I ri1et a clo.ssmate Lt.Helen Booth in Santa Maria a few days C4ll:,O and we had a nice evening ~eviewing memories of S.R.and I sent her . a recent copy of VB 11 -Than~cs for .the pictur·e Don. •From Pvt. VirginiaSrorin (RecDepot,29tl1BnCoFBksll8CampLe·jeuneNC)"I\ve only beE.n here for a 11J10nth and the last 2 VBs h:i.vc reached me.Out of 525 new recruits our platoon of 29 was awarded t h E. banner for excellence .in close order drill-that was a thrill~ ~From Pvt.JohnRobak(HqJetSecL4Sto.CompCampSibertAla) 11.I ha· · completed L7 we~ks Chem 'f /arfare Basic Tr, and am now working as radio technician with a controlled targ~t crew.t.ately I h e:.ve acquired SC)me expE:r i enc e in 35mm.pr o j ect i_on work n t one of the post thea ters.. 11 •Fr-om: Lt.Frank Nocera(Naval Tr School,PurdueU,Lafayette,Ind) "Guess who reported for duty here at Purdu_e? None other than John Ribka. Sp(A)2/c,as you re.call he was quite a gymn~st at S.R.and I was a senior when he enrolled. My duty 2 s ~thlE-tic Officer is to see that our 800 students are properly conditioned before g~ing to sea, and my o~her duties a~~ Officer in chargE- of Navy Post Office, . Drill Officer, . Ordnance, and Ships Co off icE-r; so you see.. I co.n keep quite busy"- Ani from many , quarters we have heard exc e llent reports of your work Frank. •Froq.1 SJA 2/cJohn Ribka (NTSPurdueU,Lafa.yetteind) 11 From Great Lak&s I was se~t t.o Bainbridge ,Md, then sent here. Lt Nocera told me about VB and gav(f; me sev~ral back copies he had on hand~I see the S.R. lads are far sc~ttered" -You~ on the list JohnnyB.ibka.•. •From::tst Lt RobtE.Parka (APO) "Last i!Ia. rch 23rd m.:trked my 18th month overseas, in the Pacific area. After spending H:t mo. L.1 'Hawaii, I was transferred to Fiji-then to my pr-esant position which is a - military secret. I hav e faced th~ Japs severa~ tim• ss, and they are waging a lo sing b~ttle, and this they know. Battling in the deepest jung1e,, in muc(,_ rain, sleeping in fox holes half fl.lled with water and battling r:ept'iles and mosquitoes nll_ h_ave left an !impression of depth upon me, then seeing yo~~ bE.st buddy falling on e~therr side of you never to rise again and wondering if you will be next-this too has given me ·.:1 picture. God has bee.n with me, and I look to Hltm each night for guidance and daily help. I am engaged to an Erie, Pa girl and we are planning to marry as soon as I return. I have seen maiy sights over ·11ere > from the Hula.1-fula Girls of Hav1aii to the bL::tckest of island natives ••• it will tie grand to return to civilization againm. •From :Sl/cAMM Gail Vlarnock(Waves Bks 82Alameda, ,Calif) " I received mr1 boot training in Hunter Col1E.._g,Gj t r1en I wa.s sent to Norman Okla,and I am now an Avi a tion Machinist Mate out here.Life in the barracks, stand~ ng in line. for c.how,, associating with a c.r.qss section of. personalities is a new experience. _••certainly a change from the class room.We have al. kinds of p la~1es to servi~e here, . _and we. do all kinds of work from . timd.ng magnitos to installing gas tanks"~ If you get a furlough com.e around, Gail~: there's a knocl< , in my Che_v's differential.1! ·•From Lt. Loyal Brig~ c~PO) 11 Even thoug h we h 2.v6 be,en thought to be at the end of the wo,rld Ilfe in China has been good to us. Our squadron team, ~fter winning 22 games of basket ball has been known as the "Champi ans of China"--our men play hard and they fight even harder-see you at that Big~ Homacomingl 1,.. 0 , , 1 p. 3 VB # 29 w'From H/S.gtDoug Lehm o.. n(Englancl) "Th6' little boolc that t11ey gc..vs ma when I was a freshman telling me"that friends ITTad& in college would be true friends•was true. I hear from LtBill ~anke, Jake Elliott, Lew Bagnato, and thE. D,G,Porters ,' and _Qt~1~rs. Once \.n' o.. while it g6ts a bit noisy from"Jerry~ but •,,e dodt mind it, even when on watch, as I am, now. u ~ From Lt Chuc..k HoughC~PO) "I o..m soms•:1hcres in Africa, G.nd it bear& no resemblance to lovely S.R. \"/hen coming over I r an. into Lt.Pete Sowa (FerryingCor:mand) and believe n1e we had a great time tc..lking of S.R. and later ~hooting. the bull with Willie Romsto the past week as he is stationed h~re where I am delayed. He has been~showing my whole crew a goocl time~and Willie is de~initely sold on S.R.-~e really □ isses h~r a gre ~t d eal. Vhile waiting Ive been swimming, deep sea fishing, und we hunt big ~ame in a j~ep, and . shoot from the hip-its great fun--must closG ns Im to ri1eet ';~illie at the PX-lrnep those VBs coming!"* Frcrm: Ens Fred Lytle(NavyYa.rdPortsmouthN .H) "Y/e only ha.VE- 5. nrnn in this Communication Office, and we are on duty 24 hrs. a day,7days g week.We do lots of construction here, launching a new Sub every --days and ~e expect to build ·-~-during 1944. Had my first ride on a Su1.b, last Thur. and never enjoysd anythin3 better ••• we made 7 divEs a nd believe ~ewe ca.me up after each one~!\ ~s m~y leavE hsre on a momcnfs notica. As to my fa i: 1ily:thE- l9Jla.old twins are co.11in.; along fine antl our little: 8½ mo. old girl ·is also a darling ••• wonder what S.R. will be, like vJhen they are, old E-(1ougb to ntten·d? '[le :are making plans f .or thsm already by Har Bonds. 11 - Shall \'!€ enroll them as Sec. or Health Enth or so-wounded in right foot and leg-Pnul will be mighty glad to hear from you-or any one.~! ➔~From Lt .Bob McGregor(APO) "I am now with another outfit, and it is a dandy-we nre just now in the midst of special training-soon to be put into a.ct.ion away out here in the ~.Pacific .No news give.s me grenter pl~o.sure . than news of SR•i:t-From, Lt .11.,mdy Petach(England)"Im, in the southern part of England-h.:went been near: a pla.nG in month,f-the· Adj just lookeq, _a.t my reca'rds, srw I w<;-s c:i, .B.S • . in H.Etl-so now Urs Fetach's little . boy -1s the Base PhyTr.Off1ce~(And how often this has happened "•ndy!?)I'vs done about evetything that I did'nt exp ect to do and it~ been a pretty go od education.Ha.4 . lett ~rs . from I,Ienochsr ,rough q.nd St.R 2, msey-and l o ok for Chuck and Johnny hE:.re any time •.hHD, dont m~san t .'.J miss that reunionY: ➔~·From Mid'n Bill Eeiae ( 820 Tower CourtChicagqll~ll) 11 1:Je o.re · about to ·tp.k~ :Jur 6 wlc fino.ls and our graduation is set for MaylOth-the work has been pressing, but I havs liked it a.t that" ~~ From Pvt. Erma L. Moore( 1!JacDet~F,'.tMonmouth NJ) 11 I read every word of the VB you sent me.,. and soon I sha.11 ~end .you a picture"'* PfcPaul Grine(APO)"I. now weigh 12stone 9lbs,so you know I'm in England-pass VB on to two fell ows fromNewCnstle and Ellvwod C,ity who know SR faintly~Have been here a long time and so far have not seen o.ny vv0ath6r fit to mention in the s_arne brea.th with Pai}:\'esJ I have r.iet some :really f:i.ne_ ·psople who cha.rm and enchai:it me..U* From ,r'vt David Sarcone(iiPO) "I ar.1 back oq New Guinea again,. and in the neo.r fu~ ure expect to be very busy. Hae ti.. oocko furlough in Sydney. ~nd that is a garden spot of heaven.Count me in on tho.t reunion° -~,-From Lt David Thaler(APO)"I am still in Englnnd and risht now living in a tent .with 3 other men-alild not q o ba.d. 'Ne have a rttdi o, c.nd I am now list ~ning to Duke Ellington" ➔~·From a/c BillTebay( Bldgl236rensac ola Fla) 11 Hope :to be finished with thi~ part of my training ~oon and will then pay you a visit when this happens,nfter 17 r.io.as o.n a/c..---I SQ.W 9JJJ:...l .Sinkulci'.S picture in the hc:.ng Gr but hear he is away on sick leave just now". ~,-From S/3gtc.F·.swartz(Ba.r 953Trua.xFieldMad'.7is) "I am very busy with r;iy wo work here at 'l'ruax Sield, and time passes very rapidly.I saw Li ajQf B.9,sche some days ago but he is move.d again to Yic.1.shington DC I hear" -;;-F~ om .§.ylvan H. Harria S1\3/c(AFO) 11 Severa.l tJf the VB.'s h 2 ye gone astray but the last 3 hnve· re4.-ched me. away out here in the S. rac if ic. . It was U good ide.c\ se:n d ·thf..tn also to the girls 1.:md We like to know where they ars t!o-J ~a0 .no ~ in Hawaii, and.assign6d to the sup~ly dept and am getting a liber a l E.ducation in ~tore~E.eptng,Aloha..11 j{loha:i. to yoµ Harris. ¾From Ens Gene ·ac..rlett(Ar0) 11 i .. fter -I \':as comuissi'oned. I reported to New OrlennsJ:for duty on LST-then came gunn6ry and ::1a.neQvers and then we arrived in NY~Ttie convoy I came over on ·was rather large,abou~ the size of three of y6ur art classBs, a nd the c~ossing not too bad~! was at no time sea .$ickj by golly r•m an old salt~A lot of lovely dark nig !:1 ts nll by r:1yse~f up .in the ''conn' keeping st .7 -tion with the other ships-it was really~ Gi~a.t ex ~eri&nce-no troubls with the enemy, but we are now ri ght next d o or to the louse. Our crew is y oung-none over 34 and I I m th0 · bo.by _of . th e s r oup-wE- c1:r riv t:d in England happy and in good. _ heo.lth" ~1. darn good letter Genet *I:ror.1:Ens Betty Brown( VJOQ-An6ll'Jorfol k Va.) 11 S0 1,1.etimE-s when I read about al.l the th·ungs,tho.t the S.R •. boys.·. o.re doing I feel ~hat -my littl.G bit couldn't help mucI+".'"keep those VBs -.·. coming tho ugh 1"' ~-:. From · S/Sgt John O. Ka uf mnnn( 102D AAF-Uni tR .s .. t1iamiBe ~ chFlo.)U·My work now with fie~urrie'a s frcm ov~rseas.,-getting them: from all theaters of opero.t~ons.,. fo.r rea.t and rea.,! 3signme.n1i--we give: ther:1 d.eep sea fishing, , boa.ting, golfing, picnic,s., sunshine and swimming, and a ll the sports equ~pment poss~ble. The married men have their wives with them o. nd the ; set up ia good. I have ,h l.\d~hand in the nd.r.1inistra.tion a s well a.s supBrvision , ,a.nd thc.t .may be beneJicio.l_ someday. '!le hear we mo.y go oversea.a soo~, and :since hearing o.bout Stnn and Do.n and the. rest I fsel · like a .l apping somebody around.Don wus very close to me ancl I shall al.ways", remembGr him as a ..!llQ..ll•"' J~TTENTION r.:rnn in EnGlo.nd:A letter was jirit rec6ived here from a Rotary Club over there-stating that they rather w~ntsd t6; know you fellows better. England is full of Rotary Clubs ::~~ek_ out the nearest and ni_ake yourself. known\ t I. Itls. a. baby for Gao, Kline _and hi_s ,\'.'Jife(Etta YJnlters), [\nd its a b~by girl for Mr o.nd Mrs Kelly of · Yocmiistown 0-she was 11 Pat."Shearer,Its a baby f~r Dr and Mrs Curtis Ruf.f~maktn·g · C.C J.nd his wife Grandma D.nd Granda.d .G:toria Dondero is now wit~ her ·husband Keit~ itoner .in ~.J. As this l~st page is being typed ths blosso1~1s o.re · out, . the air. clen:I c.nd cool, the' -.$Un bright and t~e leaves just .forming ,on the trses-its really a clay to ~ivel.1 !. Regrets-~that all t -h e 'fine letters that ·come . in cannot be ,·even 1n a few words 'srecorded-spa.ce prevents; .;,From CpJ_Jimr.1y _Hnrkina: I nm now in Corsica., nnd it i.sn't so bad.,. J.S it .is ·much r,1ore qL~iet tl~q.n :-in.·: Ital;y wher6 I ,.left. There has been little fighting _done· here, . o..ntl · the pe0ple seem incl.cp.endent, have mol)ey J; but not so much to buy. In. Italy we had our lqundry done by the nativ~s for pfaoticully noth~ng;bere it would cost you o. inontrts wnge.s ·.to . g~t a .montHs washing done•• Shull we send you o. washboctr'd.Jimmy?_ - ~t-_Yro'm ·1tjgBob Booz.er'(AP._O )"'!!hile serving en 9. different ships in 2 ~u~ies Iv~ collt~ted 2 \ stars f0r ~y ~e~~ice rib. bon.• I want to .&et home to see Daughter #R born 7 /17J44-I lE.a,rned -~ _-. h&r Nov4th-thats. the l7!0St_ pr .? ldng &d father 'labour.if ••Good ~·11 ~T·. . . -.. to is . ·,