Friday, November 13, 1942
Dear Diary, Friday the 13th nothing much happens until about 9 p.m. Then one of our Corp men, an Indian, drank three cans of shellac and got into the nurses home and put on a bra slip and wrapped one around his head ran around down in the sub basement for some time, the girls thought he was a nurse that had just washed her hair. Then he got upstairs, then things happened, the porch door slammed, the glass broke, he came along hunting for Martin, well they

caught him and so goes life.
Jr and Slip are back here now. Johnnie I hear (shh -a rumor) went to the East Coast. Got some Christmas packages and ah opened them too, ”˜cause ah got beat out of them last year and I”™m not going to let it happen this year.
Lights out, on the alert, get dressed and stand by. All the harbor lights are out in fact, it”™s a 100% blackout, only there is an awful electric storm on. Part of it looks like lightening the other part of nice little ole sea battle. Things are still, all but the mosquitoes and are they raising cane. Sleep with my clothes on, with one hand on my gas mask and the other hand ready for most anything. Even got out my blue job. Say that one mosquito Oswald and Toyo sure

are the most persistent cusses. Oswald just raised cane ”˜cause I didn”™t have my dog tags on and he couldn”™t tell my blood type. You know these Hawaiian mosquitoes are shore particular.
Well I hear by the radio, the Japs are on their way back to the Solomon”™s in a convoy so large it can”™t be seen from one end to the other at one time. Gee whiz hope we give ”˜em a little show. They still expect an attack here. Shucks they just now are looking for it and I”™ve been watching for eleven long months. Sure am glad we are over there in Africa too, wish I were there but then don”™t want to miss anything over here either. Well I see by the news headlines we have stopped the Jap convoy and sunk 23 ships. We lost eight. The battle

began Friday the 13th by Monday noon we were the winners. The extra headlines tonight are swell, Japanese Flat Smashed.
Boy oh boy, saw a new kind of uniform today. White shoes, stockings, white shorts in fact all white, but the hat which was a blue, guess he may belong to the Dutch boat that is here, have met some kids from Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji Island, Canada, East India, England, Free French, China and even Japan. Yes sir, a nice impudent slant eyed Lt.
Heard from the folks back home telling me Merle Shineneman and Bud Boupen are gone. Missing at sea. I went to school with them in Nebraska. Met Miss Sikes from Hot Springs, she was in the East India store. Jr and I were in there hunting for shell necklaces, but as usual they were paku.
Well boats

come and boats go, usually no boats at all, they say it”™s not a convoy so it must be a mirage. “Could be.” Anyhow the South of France came in with free French troops going to Africa they are from New Caldena and New Hebeul too.