Barbers Point NAS

The boys down in the Solomon Islands are catching hell. Heard over the radio last night that the Japs even raided Espiritu Santo, our main PBY base. Hope everyone got out of it alive and uncaptured. The Japs have also landed large forces on Guadalcanal and are forcing us back at every turn. It’s the same old story again — fat-headed staff work. A half-assed job of occupying the Solomons along with the usual friction between Army and Navy. The Navy wanting all the credit, didn’t want any of the army in the occupation, hence the usual handful of Marines doing the whole job what I want to know is what in hell are we spending so much time in the Solomons for anyway? When we eventually do win, what have we got? — nothing. Japs don’t really give a damn whether they win or lose, outside of a certain matter of face. But what they are doing is keeping us busy as hell in a region which lies about as far away from Tokyo as they could get us. This war is going to be long and tough, and the brasshats running the show aren’t shortening it.