Description
408 Marpi Point Transient Officers’ Center, Saipan Wednesday 26 December My dearest darling, Yesterday morning I hitchhiked six miles to Camp Susupe (M.G. Saipan) where I soon discovered Arthur Kruckeberg lazing on the fine white sand beach, with Arthur Szathmary somewhere else about. Looked up Ross Fink, the Education Officer, just to pay him a visit - he was Columbia 7th Section and as I remember was one of those who strove to make us feel at home at that 7th Section party we went to. (He is plumpish, about 45, pink-cheeked and silver-haired, and generally pleasant of manner; married but has no children.) I spent a refreshingly idle day with a swim and a sunbath in both morning and afternoon; visited with some Boulder men I had known vaguely (four of them are down [pg 2] from Japan with orders to await the evacuation of civilians on Saipan - there are two similarly posted on Tinian); and in the evening, with Sz. And K. and several others went to a Christmas pageant in the Korean camp. After that, joining forces with two USCC men quartered at M.G., one of them a visitor from Tinian whom I’d known there, I dropped in at the Officers’ Club for a few drinks and a bystander's view of a party that was in full swing. My first drink was a toast to you. I spent the night there; this morning I got a haircut, went to the M.G. Hospital to have my ears cleaned (had had a slight earache in one, but that was all they needed), and then at ten o'clock was taken through the Chamoro camp, or rather village, at Charankonoa, which I had not seen on previous visits to Saipan, but Ross Fink. [pg 3] After lunch I got a ride back here with Wayne Bryson, the USCC visitor from Tinian, after he had showed me the quonset huts which are being converted to temporary living quarters for the families of American personnel. One to a family, the Quonsets will be divided into two bedrooms, a bath room and a good-sized living room whose porch extension is located right on the edge of the beach and just a couple of hundred feet from the water. Men who are due to be here as long as July 1 may have their families come out at govt. expense; while they are living in the above-mentioned temporary quarters they will have to share in a community mess, but permanent housing the equivalent of Stateside Navy housing is planned for the near future. [pg 4] On my arrival back here this afternoon I discovered that another ship had been scheduled to precede the cruiser Wichita (which is still to leave the day after tomorrow): the transport [Clarmont?]; both Arthurs are on the list but I missed it, am now high on that of the Wichita. Since the latter is going to San Francisco (the other to San Pedro) and may be a faster ship anyhow, I am not too sorry to have missed the [Clemont?], which is to leave tomorrow. There is no choice in the matter; one simply has to take whatever ship he's scheduled for on the basis of his priority in checking in here. I still write you each day now until I leave. So far I haven't discovered any means of sending a cable, since those sent from Tinian required authorization of my commanding officer. If I can, I will. If I can't, at least you won't have to wait so long after hearing that I'm leaving until I finally get in - Running time is 14-17 days. More details, if any are available, tomorrow. Gosh, darling, I still can't believe it's real! I love you Warren
