Dear Mother,

You may open welcoming arms to your bearded son any time now. I expect to arrive in Canada within a month. I will be going on leave soon after that, and it might be a nice long one. Perhaps even fifty days or so. You see I am definitely going to the far East. They will give all the leave they possibly can. All I have to worry about now is how long it takes to flatten Japan. I am allowing a year for the job.

I wouldn’t worry about it keeping me in the Navy longer if I were you. We will be discharged immediately on our return from the East.

I received three parcels from home as soon as I pulled in from the last run, also I got three hundred cigarettes from the Canadian Legion. I can’t figure how they got my name and address. Thank the Cheerful Hackers Club for me, will you please? And thank you too for the shorts. They were four sizes too large but I will re-model them anyhow. Don’t send any more parcels because I will be home by the time they get here. (I hope).

I think perhaps we might have been on our way now if it wasn’t for the big V-day celebration trouble in Canada. They probably think that we would add insult to injury.

I am only writing a short note to give you a general idea of what to expect regarding my immediate future, so I must close now. I have to write to Huldah, Jean, and Mary yet.

Bye now, and don’t be forgetting that I may pop in home in a month or so. Expect me in June or early July,

Your prodigal son
John.

[Editor’s note: The letter’s month and year was dated based on written content.]