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Sept 8, 1945 at Sea

Dear Mother:

Tonight is a night I have waited for, for along time. All during the war you would never show a light top side at night while at sea. Tonight after sunset we will be allowed to smoke top side and porthole will not be closed. It should be a wonderful sight for all of us who have lived in darkness after sunset for so long.

In my last letter I promised to tell where we went and what we did since we left the States. I thought at first I could spread it over a couple letters but as I don't go in for long winded explanations and flowery adjectives I think I'll cover it all tonight. Then too it won't keep you wondering until the next lettter arrives.

We went from San Francisco to San Diego first. Trained and drill on the way. Stayed there a few days but did not get ashore. Then left for Pearl Harbor. Did a bit of

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training there and then left. Stopped at Saipan over night and then on to Iwo Jima. Arrived there Feb 25 and stayed until the early part of March. Went from there to Ulithi which was then the fleet anchorage. Stayed there about two weeks. Took on stores and ammunition and headed for Okinawa. As I believe I told you in the last letter we arrived there March 25th one week before the landings. We were there or at Le shima continuously until May 5th, forty-two days in all. It got tougher each day and we got tireder each day. Finally, on May 4th this Jap came diving straight down on us and made a direct hit, plane and all. The next day we left for Guam where we reparied temporaily and then went on to Pearl for permanent repairs. That Le Shima I mentioned is the place where Ernie Pyle was killed.

We had many exciting moments during air raids. The most exciting came on Easter Sunday, the morning of the landings. We were shelling before the troops went in. A few enemy planes were in the area.

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We saw a few shot down. Then the ship on our port side began firing her A.A. guns forward, then we started. The Jap was traveling across our bow then turned and headed straight for us and started to dive. Our guns really hammered him. We knocked off a wing and his bomb which both landed about 50 feet off the port side. The rest of the plane, out of control just missed our superstructure and land about 30 feet off our starboard side. It hit the water directly out from our gun and went straight down we never saw it again.

The news on transfer and discharge is pretty good today. Nothing real diffent yet but it is possible that we may get off here in a week or so. Don't count on it as I am not because orders of the ship can be changed at any time. But the future looks bright at present. If you ever recieve a short note from me saying to stop writing until I tell you to begin again. Do just that as I'll no doubt be moving around quite a bit once I leave the ship and the mail would

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never catch up with me. Also tell Anna and Al to stop writing at that time. I'll try to write more than that but I may not have the time. As I travel I'll keep you posted as much as possible.

Well that is about all for tonight. Give my best to everyone. I'll write soon again. Don't worry or get excited. I'll be home when I get there.

Your loving son, Georgie