“Button,” Espiritu Santo

Flight of last three planes postponed 24 hours due to the admirals request that we install our bomb-bay tanks. Maybe they want us to take a look at Truk. However none of us like flying with bomb-bay tanks; an incendiary bullet would explode them in a second, rending the plane from stem to stern.

Gut still aches and I have a very bad cough from my inflamed sinuses. Have a sense of gradual disintegration in this lousy steaming climate, where nothing heals. Daily doses of atabrine prevent us from coming down with malaria. A good number of the fellows are laid up with dengue fever or tropical ear.

Anything leather gets a coating of mold on it within 48 hours.

Rained hard all day; the place is swimming in mud.

Got a letter from Noje today, which got here in 15 days from Brazil — damn good service.