Dear Bob,
Last night as I drove over the Burma Road in my jeep I saw the large, red moon come up over the China mountains. Fires burning the weeds high on the mountain side were soon far bellow me as the jeep climbed the rough, winding road at a high rate of speed.
While enjoying this peaceful scene I thought of home and my family. Then I thought about what I should write my boys. You see, while I was visiting the airfield, we had an air-raid alarm.
Boy! What an interesting and exciting experience.
Here, air-raid alarms are called "Ging-baw" and their intensity or rather importance of the alarm is indicated by balls hung from poles. One ball means Jap planes have been sighted some distance away. Then the P-40s shoot up into the air one after another and form fighter groups to welcome the enemy. Two balls means the enemy is quite near. Then all personnel lock desks, storehouses, and other buildings, put on helmets, sling gas masks, pick up weapons and drive off the field to the protecting hills and trenches. Three balls means duck for cover, bombs away.
Ours was a two ball alert. We saw the American fighter formations as mere specks in the sky looking for Jap planes but none were found.
During the past several months the Japs have found raids on American air fields very costly. One they made on this same airfield just before Christmas did very little damage but cost them several Zeros. I am sending you a section taken from the prop (propeller) of one of the Zeros brought down by a P-40 during that raid. You may use it as a flag stand and present it to your class if you wish.
Now how about writing me a letter.
Love, Dad.
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