LETTERS OF A U.S. NAVY LIEUTENANT DEPLOYED IN THE PACIFIC THEATER
Small group of letters written by U.S. Navy Lieutenant Orville Hockett "Bud" Read (1910-91) to his wife, Ruth LeMay "Mimi" Read (nee DeVault, 1917-2002), during his deployment in the waning months of World War II and the early postwar period. His detailed letters describe conditions in Japan, a soldier who went AWOL, transporting military personnel, and his opinion of the war.
Read served on the SS Jean LaFitte, a Sumter-class attack transport ship. He wrote that it could carry as many as 1,800 people packed in tightly.
Writing from an undisclosed location on January 17, 1945, Read describes a brief excursion to a warehouse where his ship is docked: "In it there are tons and tons of Chinese coins which the Japs confiscated and hauled over here. I am getting 3 different sizes and enough to make a set of poker chips. It's the first time I ever walked around in money piled knee-deep. None of it, of course, is any good anymore, but it looks impressive."
"We just got back from a brief jeep ride, having gotten the troops off the ship about 10:30 pm," he wrote on November 2, 1945, "Couldn't see too much because it was dark, but there was no question about the town being a total wreck. There were a lot of very fine buildings here, but they are in ruins - most of it demolition work by the Japs when they found they were whipped."
The collection includes twelve handwritten and typed letters during his naval tour and three postwar letters written from Cuba, where he was traveling on business. All are in their original mailing envelopes and in very good condition. Item #77282
Price: $75.00