August 15, 1942 (Saturday)

Pearl Harbor

Our one airplane went out of commission yesterday afternoon, so here we sit, some 35 experienced pilots with nothing to fly, and the United Nations needing pilots as they never have before. They put petty criminals in jail for the good of society, but the crimes against our war effort committed by people in authority are passed by with a shrug of the shoulders.

Pick up Marion Robinson early in the afternoon and took her out to the house, after buying an aloha shirt and a beautiful ginger lei (delivered in the proper fashion) enroute. Had a very pleasant afternoon as Carmichael’s farewell party got underway. Took Marion home about 6 p.m. just in time to escape the heavy-handed drunkenness that comes with the latter half of these damned Navy brawls.

Marion is going home to Kauai tomorrow for a three week’s vacation. Her family, from what little I can gather from her remarks, is pretty heavy-handed on the morality issue. The same trait is shown in their dominance of the natives on Niihau. She’ll get a good rest from her life around here, and strangely enough, I think I’m going to miss her. She has a most intriguing personality.

The party ended in the usual orgy of blackout furniture crashes and smashing glassware. Nothing is lower than a drinker who can’t hold his liquor.