7 January 1953
"I seen some French panties and bras sets that one of the sailors had purchased on the beach. There sure isn't much to them. And you can see right through them. I guess if you had on a pair I could just about see anything that I wanted to see. Then they don't cover as much territory as the common type does...Well the boys are writing their wives and girl friend too here in the office. We just set there and shoot the breeze about everything...Sometimes we talk about what we are going to do when we get home. But nothing personal you see...Friday we should get some mail from the "home front" as we most generally get out mail as soon as we arrive in a new port...until Friday I will say, Adios Amigo."

Buss Gerdes circa 1944