Page 51 - Mastheads Aug-Dec 1944

THE MASTHEAD, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1944 PAGE 5

ONLY FIFTEEN DAYS REMAIN TO
MAIL XMAS PACKAGES OVER~EAS

Navy Christmas packages will travel far flung distances
to Attu and to Tulagi, to Oran and to Saipan, to Naples and
to Cherbourg-to every ship, and to every outpost and
beachhead held by Navy, Marine and Coast Guard personnel.
They will travel through a variety of cliJnates; they ·may Siamese Dinner
Ask anyone of the seventeen
easily travel 10,333 miles by truck and by train, by convoy guests who "attended just what is
and by amphibious craft, by plane and by hand; and they served at a Siamese dinner and
may be rehandled innumerable times before they finally they will tell you that it is more
reach the men for whom they are than a dinner, it is a ritual and it
ture often reaching 120 degrees
intended. In the delivery of Christ- takes all day to prepare it. When
which melts chocolate, spoils food,
mas packages to men overseas, and decays fruit. you finally get around to eating it,
you will all agree that it is deli-
these are some of the elements in- Correct Address Essential
volved. cious, but you have not the slightest
Since more than 100,000 incor-
1. Distance-means time and rectly addressed letters and pack- idea what you ate.
The WA VE singers were guests
handling. ages came. to Fleet Post Offices,
2. Fleet Combat Operations- of their director and accompanist,
means diversion from course and Ross McKee, Sp (W)3c at the open-
delay. ing of the new barbecue at his
3. Correct Address-means di- home in Forest Hills on Sunday,
rect delivery. Last year fifte-en per September 24. Chaplains Gatlin,
ce,nt of all Christmas packages Alley and Vincent went along, and
were delayed due to an incorrect Chaplain Vincent proved to be the
address. The delay-60 days to six able chef for the affair.
months. The main feature was the ·prep-
To make sure that your package aration and eventual consummation
arrives intact and in time, to make of a Siamese dinner. Chaplain Vin-
sure that you are facilitating its cent, who spent his childhood in
delivery, here are three things you Siam, prepared the meal at the
can do: outdoor fireplace, and the only in-
1. Address it correctly. gredient which the girls were sure
2. Wrap it securely. about was that the main dish con-
3. Mail it on time. tained Chinese rice.
To finish off the evening, Chap-
Twenty-five Million Gifts
lain Vincent told the girls and their
The mailing period is September
Incorrect addresses cause delay. guests stories of Siam, and from
15 to October 15, one month to mail
what we have been able to gather,
an estimated 25 million packages New York and San Francisco in
it would have been hard to find a
to bluejackets, marines, and coast- the month of June, a comparatively
more enjoyable way of spending
guardsmen-almost four times the slow season, it is easy to under-
Sunday afternoon.
volume of packages handled during stand what an important factor a
Time Out For Fun
Christmas 1943 for men overseas. correct and complete address is in
The earlier you mail, the better. the prompt delivery of your Christ- A sure way to banish pounds,
mas mail. boredom and rusty joints is to be
From the South Pacific came found in the WA VE recreation pro- A product of "Glamour Manor" is pretty Marie Hildebrand of Colorado
gram at the gym. This is the latest City, Tex., "The Masthead's Girl Back Home" featurette of the week.
this terse, direct explanation from A very close friend -of Ivan Brown, S2c, one of the MAA's at Ship's
a Navy Mail Specialist on what news on the subject with a promise Service No. 3, Miss Hildebrand is continuing her education. Seaman
of more forthcoming.
happens to mail coming to bases in Brown wishes to ret-urn t.o his native state of Texas after the war and
the area known as "down under" Tennis embark on a farming project.
that is incorrectly addressed and Two doubles and two singles
insecurely wrapped. . teams will be entered in the district trict. If you are interested inquire
"In the past three years the tennis tournament to be held Sun- at the gymnasium and look for Sea bee Converts
Navy has expanded very rapidly. day, October 1 at 0900 on the tennis future notice of these activities.
It now includes a vast personnel courts at the University of Cali- This about winds up the sports Use of Gas Mask
stationed in many new units ashore fornia. Probable entries for the department · for this week, but
as well as afloat. This personnel event are Ens. Kerr, Ens. Mac- watch for news of swimming and To Diving Mask
has doubled and redoubled-it is heter, Ens. Robinson, Ens. DuCoty, general conditioning classes which When there is a job to be done
still in a fluid state. L. Funke, Ylc and M. Fry, SKD2e. will be held as soon as the new and the necessary equipment with
"Batteries are broken up, _ units A tournament to be held on the gymnasium is completed, and sev- which to accomplish it is not avail-
. and besides, "perishables" are disbanded; others are com- island for all girls, whether be- era! other activities which will be able, the Seabees simply make their
spoil adjacent packages. bined, ships are. Jost, men go back ginners or experienced players, will started as soon as facilities permit. own equipment.
to the States for new assignments, start in the near.future, and will be Smooth Sailing Faced with salvage and building
When you wrap your gift, wrap others are hospitalized or returned held in two flights with suitable It is with regret that we say operations which required diving,
it securely. There are limitations for rotation purposes. This all awards to be offered for the win- good-bye to Ens. R. L. Rombold, a Seabee battalion on an island in
of weight and size which must be means that thousands of men will ners of both classifications. Tennis W-V(S) (H), who has served as the South Pacific was halted in its
remembered, otherwise, it will not have more different addresses in classes will be open until the instructor in physical therapy at work by the lack of needed diving
be accepted by the postal authori- the near future than they have at tournament begins. the Treasure Island hospital during equipment. The stoppage was brief,
ties and will involve rewrapping present. Bowling , the past year. Ens. Rombold has however, for CBM Homer L.
and the possible reselection of a "It needs no considerable stretch Bowlers will have a chance to ex- received assignment to the Naval Wright of Milwaukee, Ore., made
gift. These are the rules on the of imagination to understand how hibit tournament stuff when t_he Convalescent hospital in Sonora, a few changes in the face piece of
overseas package size and weight: mail looks after it has been shipped bowling tournament begins Octo- Calif., and will take up her duties his gas mask, adjusted · a small
five pounds in weight, 15 inches in for thousands of miles by water, ber 5 at the gymnasium. Teams there in the near future. compressor from a spray gun to
length and 36 inches in length and then, when it hasn't the right ad- will be organized by activities with We wish her the best of luck and supply air, and made an experi-
girth combined. As an added pre- dress, worked and shipped again, as many teams to an activity as smooth sailing as she goes to her mental dive.
caution against the outside wrap- reworked and reshipped until it there are girls to participate. new station, and say sincerely that The improvis_ed mask worked so
per becoming damaged, inside the arrives at a Fleet Post Office for You need not be in the champion- her interest and participation in well that the Seabees went ahead
package place a tag with the ad- directory service. ship class to enter since there will island activities will be missed by with their work, placing concrete
dress repeated and list of the items "By this .time, any of the pack- be a handicap series for everyone, many. slabs for seaplane approaches; free-
included in the package. ages that were at all inclined to and the fun of playing is offered ing a freighter which had fouled
Selection -of Gift Important be perishable are thoroughly de- to all girls regardless of their pro- Several recruits went into ship's its propeller with a heavy manila
The selection of a gift is an im- composed not only spoiling all the ficiency at the game. Winners will service. The only attendant w·as line; salvaging a large Navy trans-
portant factor. Perishables will not contents within the particular be sent to represent T. I. in the sitting comfortably behind the port plane which had crashed in
be accepted and foods and materi- package but damaging mail ad- district tournament, so come out counter. The boots waited. Nobody takeoff, and raising a 40-foot motor
als of a fragile nature are d1s- jacent to it. and join the fun. came to wait on them. "Can't you launch.
couraged. It is important to realize "Addresses should be printed in Batlminton and Volley-Ball wait on us?" one finally managed
that the best gift is a gift that will ink or typed, and the same address Teams and classes in these two to ask meekly. I didn't raise my daughter to be
be in a functioning condition on put inside the parcel as a pre- sports will be opened soon with a "Can't you come in sometime fiddled with," said the pussy cat as
receipt. Sacks of parcels travel in caution against the outside wrap- promise of tournament play later, when I'm standing up?" was the she rescued her offspring from the
a hold of a ship with the tempera- per becoming damaged." both on the Island and in the dis- indignant reply. violin factory.
WILBUR
•••
,
Ml YA NOA.MA, WANNA WHY t'O
,.... ___ .,-
GO FOP- A A..l OE ? ... LOVE TO
WILBUR ..
(SIGH ... )