Chapter 3
GROWING PAINS
1941

THE WORLD

GERMANY SINKS 22 SHIPS IN BRITISH CONVOY

Berkshire Evening Eagle, September 12

US DECLARES WAR! JAPS SMASHING MANILLA

CONGRESS VOTE IS 470 TO 1

Newark Evening News, December 8

JAPS AND US AT WAR, BOMB HAWAII, PHILIPPINES, GUAM, SINGAPORE

Chicago Daily Tribune, December 8

US SINKS JAPANESE BATTLESHIP

Chicago Daily Tribune, December 8

JAPANESE PLANES TRY TO ATTACK S.F.

San Francisco Chronical, December 9

PHILIPPINE BATTLE GROWS!

US ADMIRAL DIES IN JAPAN RAID

Chicago Daily Tribune, December 11

BANANA RIVER

The sailors were now considered a part of the community by the locals. John ran into them at Hal’s, on the beach, and at the post office where they picked up the base mail.

Communications for the Banana River Naval Air Station were consigned to a general Cocoa Beach post office box and a TWX machine located in the hangar. There wasn’t an operator assigned to the bade. When the bell rang signaling a message someone working nearby picked it up and delivered it.

John was at the post office the day Chief Maddox collected the first mail to arrive.

“Looks like you’ve got some important mail,” John commented.      

‘Well, I don’t know how important you call this,” replied the Chief, “It’s five pounds of air plane glue.”

Communications were always a concern. One of the biggest problems was the lack of phone cables and lines through the base buildings. During construction, little thought had been given to telephones. This over sight would cost the station time, money and efficiency.

The crew was a poor one. The sailor’s paychecks were forwarded at the beginning of the month from Charleston, South Carolina, but due to the usual bureaucratic inefficiency their money didn’t arrive until late in the month. The townspeople took pity on the crew and each month they generously fed them and gave them clothes, cigarettes, and a few other creature comforts, trying to make their lives more bearable until t