“Button,” Espiritu Santo

Did my laundry and lay around the rest of the day. 

VP-12 with Tylutki, Gillette, and Pack, is due to leave any day now for the States. They are being relieved by VP-23. Their tour of duty was a little over six months, part of which they served, however, at Nandi in the Fijis, which is out of the war zone (three months there I believe).

Much to the squadrons growing disappointment, it looks as though they are not going to be relieved at the end of the usual six-month period, despite the fact we are one the most badly battered squadrons in the area and that our planes are rapidly wearing out. It seems that our scheduled relief, VB-103, (VB-102 came down while I was in Nouméa) has been sent to patrol duty in the Atlantic off the East Coast (tough work!) so we are stuck here until VB-104 can be organized and sent down to relieve us. That should be sometime between September and November.