MAIL TO FRONT LINE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 7 January 1944, Page 5

MAIL TO FRONT LINE

AMERICANS IN ISLANDS AN EFFICIENT ORGANISATION Bougainville, Dec. 23. The supply echelon of the 37th United States Army Division is providing troops here with the traditional American Yuletide dinner, including turkey, giblet gravy, mashed potatoes, coffee, candy and nuts. Christmas religious services will be held just behind the front lines. Meanwhile, Christmas packages and greeting cards are being received; letter mail is arriving once every three days, and sometimes oftener. Ninety-five per cent, of all letter mail is flown in, according to the War Department postal inspector in this theatre, Major A. W. Stacks. So far, the fastest mail trapsit from date of posting in the States has been 12 days, but this time will improve with the tactical situation. Parcel post necessarily comes by boat, and bulky packages are received three to five weeks after United States mailing. Money order service is available during combat, though few use it, since they do not draw their pay until return to a rear area. Details of mail distribution are as follows:—The A.P.0., San Francisco, breaks down the mail by units, and a postal rear echelon on another island out of the combat area in turn breaks it down to company, battery and similar units. Next, from forward echelon regimental mail orderlies pick it up and pass it through battalion mail clerks to smaller units in the front lines. Contrary to popular conception, mail written by United States troops does not fall off noticeably when the men are in combat; with the arrangements made, a soldier can pen or pencil letters while sitting in a fox hole. Each soldier receives, oh an average, no fewer than five letters monthly, and writes approximately the same number; but many receive and write as many as 30 a month. Postal personnel are not listed as non-combatants, and they go up into the front lines literally armed to the teeth to deliver mail