Last night was Christmas eve and we sure got plenty of fire works here. Nearly seventy five bombers passed throughout the night. I guess they were trying to remind me that today is my birthday. What a gift, my gun crew and I got credit for two kills. Not bad hunting for a old Mississippi rabbit twister. We had been down here under almost constant attack for six weeks. There was little sleep to be had during the war. If we slept it was light and at our guns. One hell of a way to spend your 19th birthday. There was no Christmas mail from home. I was not the only one who was depressed. I wrote in my diary (even though we were not allowed to have any type of journal) that I think I would jump over the side if this war would last for another year. It was a good thing that I did not follow through with my feelings for it lasted much longer than that. Things were looking up now. We got our orders to return to Pearl Harbor to join the mighty task force fifty eight. Our ship was needed to help take the Marshal Islands.

     We were sent to a rest and relaxation camp on the Windward side of the island. Our entertainment was a U.S.O. type strip show by the famous Gypsy Rose Lee. When she got through with her show a couple of young Hawaiian girls did the Hula. Everyone went wild when one of them lost her bra. What a wonderful time and place to be young.

     The rest was provided in four men huts. The relaxation consisted of all the booze and green acme beer we could drink. One of the guys in my hut was a huge Rambo looking Italian named Angelo. He was on the bottom bunk and a scrawny little sailor, about my size was on the top bunk. About three A.M. we were awaken by a big fight. The little guy had to take a piss and after getting out of his bunk he thought he was outside the hut and started pissing on on Big-Bad Angelo. We had to take the fire axe away from the big guy to keep him from chopping up the little wimp.

     On the 16th of January, 1944 we departed from Hawaii. We were now officially part of the ominous team whose goal was to capture all of the islands. When we left no one could have guessed that it would be thirteen months before we would see land again.