Dear Folks:

It’s time I was writing you again, and several good things to report.  Yesterday I made a flying visit to Saipan again and once more saw Jack.  We see each other fairly often although you can never tell which one will be the last one.  Well after I got back I saw the mail orderly sweating out six or so bags of mail and I was hoping your package would be on this load.  Sure enough it was.  The watch is exactly the thing I wanted and I’m nuts about it. I almost hated to wear it.  This batch of mail was the first time we had received anything but first class mail, and now everyone is reading their hometown papers and magazines.  I received three issues of the Free Press, the earliest dated 11 [illegible] and the last June 8 so I must have a bunch more floating around somewhere.  But no matter how old they were they were gobbled up eagerly.  I see I rated the paper with a little about my visit with Bob Harris.  I hope Dick has received his issues by this time.  Anyway with all the mail and packages the morale [illegible] a while anyway.  Boy that stuff has to come a h__ of a long ways.  Yesterday [illegible] the news of the landings in Southern France and it seems that things [illegible] lasting in Europe.  Incidentally I listened to the Nazi commentator [illegible] and it was almost ridiculous to hear his account and then listen [illegible] only after he spoke the axis overseas musical program for the Allied [illegible] with the comment it was especially for the ‘boys on Saipan”.  [illegible]  yesterday I took quite a comprehensive look at the island from the [illegible] was rather surprised to find how nice looking an island it is. [illegible] look out and see almost all of the island, with [illegible] the rolling slopes, green and laid out with [illegible] imagine the maddened Japanese occupying such a [illegible] every battle the Japanese put up their [illegible] it was equally as bloody and dis- [illegible] fourteen Jap officers who had [illegible].  They are nothing short of [illegible] certain we came to the airport [illegible] every one had a burned Jap plane [illegible] climbed into the cockpit of one [illegible] Japs lost so many planes on the [illegible].

[illegible] well that is the typical [illegible] can smell a Jap before you can [illegible] it rains often.  Our office [illegible] rain out and provides a little [illegible] time.  I’m very fine as usual [illegible] can’t worry about me.  I’ll see Dick in a [illegible].

Love,