Tuesday June 20th, Okinawa
Dearest Mother,
It's been a pretty long time since I last wrote, but not to much has happened. The only thing that you would be interested in is the fact that after I was discharged from that Navy hospital, I returned to my company.
Four days later, still on the front lines, a Jap opened up on us, as we were digging foxholes late in the afternoon, with a 20mm anti-aircraft gun. Turning anti-aircraft guns against ground troops shows you how desperate they are.
Any how, like a fool I fell in a hole and stuck my head out to try and see where he was firing from. One of the shells hit in the loose dirt right under my left hand. We had dug a pretty hole and there was lots of wet dirt there, so all I got out of it was a to blood nose, piece of rock stuck in my chin, and and eye full of mud, and of course a headache to beat all headaches.
This time I'm in an Army hospital! They picked the mud and specks of mud rock out of my eye, fixed my chin and so tomorrow I again go back to my company and the front lines.
Those Japs are getting my range, slowly but surely, and I don't like it at all. A guys luck, even mine, can't last forever. Barsness and I thought we were immune to such stuff, but Barsness is gone and I am by myself now.
He was the closest buddy I ever had, he was close if not closer to me than Jim is. I'm not ashamed to say I cried many nights after it happened. I wish I'd get a case of amnesia or something, for a guys memory can just about drive him nuts at times.
Hope everyone is alright at home, give them my love. No telling when I'll get another chance to write you -
Your youngest son,
All my love,
Jonny
