Show on land or sea navy P 0 gets mail delivered system of Bran branches clies readies reaches remotest islands one of the most gigantic wartime tasks confronting postal men is delivering mail to mobile units of the fleet the mounting tempo of operations in the last year means not only that greater distances must be spanned to effect delivery but that a greater number of men are involved in combat activities increasing all classes of mail to an unprecedented volume during march 1915 1945 pieces of letter mail passed through fleet post office san francisco to navy marine and coast guard personnel in the pacific in march 1941 1944 there were pieces of 0 letter mail dispatched to the pacific showing clearly that the mail volume increased well over per cent in one year it is expected that it will rise even farther th the e nerve center of the navy mail service is in the navy department washington D C here ship and plane movements are traced and communicated daily to the fleet post offices by wire and airmail information on ship and plane movements come in from all over the world by radio letter and messenger throughout the world there are over navy post offices varying greatly in size and appearance some within the united states but the vast majority are on board ship or at advanced bases or on captured and liberated islands the large ones serving the mobile units are designated as fleet post offices what navy men want extensive surveys show that navy coast guard and marine corps personnel overseas above all want letters letters giving local news and telling of things done and things planned secondly they want objects with a personal sentimental appeal such as photographs snapshots drawings made by their youngsters and newspaper clippings that can be enclosed in these letters such surveys also show that they positively know what they dont want they dont want cakes soft candies cookies cigarettes and fancy toilet kits these foods do not survive the trip to the pacific and arrive in a battered moldy condition to make sure your package arrives in good condition the following suggestions are outlined 1 use a strong container spes sper cial boxes are designed for this purpose 2 pack each article in shredded paper or some filler material to prevent movement inside the package 3 inside each package put a sheet of paper with a list of the contents content s and the full address of the person to whom it is sent plus y your our return address 1 4 tie the box with cord then WRAP it in heavy paper and tie it with strong cord 5 PRINT the address in IUA ina directly on the wrapping dont use gummed labels which fall off when they are arc subjected to moisture experience has shown that a man overseas places a far higher value on a letter from home than a package of candy or a long delayed newspaper because ot of the great morale factor the navy delivers first class mail to the far pacific as expeditiously as possible |