WW2 Chapter 74 - Competing with the Censors

Letter of April 23

4/23/45

Dear Mother,

    Certainly wish that that Middlebury post office would get a new stamp. When I receive many letters, I'm unable to open them in order, since the date is always invisible.

[Censored]

    Met a very nice colored soldier. Have played cards, and gone to the theatre with him several times.

    One of the wonderful things about this island, is that there's no mud -- the "soil" is coral - except [censored], but it still rains like hell.

    Was up at the hospital again today -- had a dozen letters. One of yours was addressed to the hospital (April 14th).

    Though we've had many "air raids" on the island, only once have we been bombed.

    Visited my friends there at the hospital -- and the nurse in my ward. She made up some iced fruit juice for me. I used to help her prepare and pass out medicine and pills, etc. to the patients. We've had long talks about New England -- her home is in New Hampshire -- and she has often visited in New Milford. She's been overseas 3 years.

    Then I visited that Red Cross girl -- and she gave me more "supplies". She's been pretty nice to me -- even gave me various canned goods. And if I had wanted it, there was beer. I've got enough of all kinds of toilet articles to last a long time. Then there's towels, wash cloths, this pen, checker games, card games, dates -- and I danced with her a couple times (on the coral -- to a record and a G.I. swing band).
~~~~
    There are certainly a lot of rackets in this army. The [censored].
~~~~
    Another two months has gone by -- and I've had another haircut ----

Much love,

Franklin

    My address is on the envelope.

    Remember me to Snodgrass -- tell him that was a very nice Easter card.

    Notice the A.P.O. on the cartoon -- that's the island where I'm at -- on which there are nurses, Red Cross, and Wacs [probably the Women's Army Corps].

Enclosed Cartoon (click to enlarge)

Franklin included this last sentence and enclosed the cartoon in order to secretly get a message through the military censors and let his family know where he was. The "APO 920" on the envelope in the cartoon (bottom right) referred to Army Post Office 920, located on the island of Biak in Indonesia.