BAKER'S DOZEN

Take a bearing on the 26th of April, me lads ... 'tis bandied about that on said date 1-43 becomes eligible to wear a white shirt every day ... and a paper collar every two day ... in short, achieve the distinction (?) of being summoned as Company A ... the date of our "last night ashore" is still shrouded in a typical New England mist ... lay your own odds as to whether we see the sunrise over the Yard on the 30th of May or not, or march with your own local American Legion in the holiday parade. Casualty list: a good percentage of one Tactics group sunk and not without Trace ... in fact the tracing or tracking down was not in the least, as Sherlock Holmes would put it, "elementary" ... is was very, very systematic ... painstaking and "painsgiving," too--what maneuvering, man, oh man! The Target Ship must have been doing a Conga ... and still caught one amidships ... Note to signalman strikers ... for lessons in signaling (semaphore to you) with your feet, see Mr. Grant ... I wonder, did he ever work for Ford?

Strike up the band, mates ... we have added to the roster, muster, or what have you ... one Guilfoyle, one Cahill, and one Clyde Fuller. 1-34 is proud to have you with us ... you possess the necessary requisite of a sense of humor without which one is person non grata ... (what the heck does that mean anyhow?) ... Combination question and suggestion ... isn't there something we could offer to do to help out over to Chelsea, such as reading aloud to some of the lads of a Sunday or something similar? After all they're Navy men and shipmates for whom are should be willing to to little things like that. Maybe the W. and R. Officer could find out about it. Congrats to Jay Gates on the successful campaign for Big A1 ... the slogan which carried all wards and precincts in Platoon Three was a pip--"March Smartly With Big A1 Hartley" ... "Keep out of the Mud with Big ---".

Oh, say did you hear ... another Smoker soon, good goody, for us ... let's hope it's at least one half as good as the initial one was ...

No, kiddles, Robert Taylor did not arrive with 4-43 ... nor did Rita Hayworth arrive at Radcliffe ... t'was sure batted around for awhile .. Tip--are those Company B boys handy with their dukes ... from the display Friday night last, God help the Axis when the boys get underway ... The mass movement the last few days to secure living quarters ashore for next month has been something.

NOW HERE THERE---how about a few preliminary ideas for our ball--we will be thinking very seriously about it in a few weeks and the earlier the groundwork the less work later ... what sort of a program can you suggest, what ideas do you have ... get, those brains (?) working now ... in a month maybe they will produce ...

Caution ... Jack Gudgel .. that's a riveter you hear, not Radio Gode.