GOOD NIGHT OFFICIALLY

THE PACIFIC WAR LETTERS OF A DESTROYER SAILOR

The Letters of Yeoman James Orvill Raines

Edited with Introductions by WILLIAM M. McBRIDE

This is a rare insightful and profoundly moving collection of letters written by enlisted sailor and former newspaper reporter Orvill Raines.  Unaltered by censors, his letters portray the transformation of his shipmates from eager young recruits to war-weary veterans enduring all that modern war has to offer.  ‘Good Night Officially’ lets us feel some of the periodic terror, pervasive fear, boredom, and estrangement of the ordinary men who fought “the good war” in the Pacific.

From the time when he joined the US destroyer "Howorth" during the Pacific War in April 1944 until his death a year later in a kamikaze attack off Okinawa, Yeoman Second Class Orvill Raines wrote a series of letters to his young bride.  Due to Raines's special relationship with the officer responsible for censoring, the correspondence was uncensored, and for this book the letters have been edited and set in their historical context.  The letters reflect the horrific experiences of the thousands of American sailors involved in the fight against the Japanese, and conclude with Raines's final letter to his wife, which he instructed was to be opened in the event of his death.

Non-UK buyers please note this book will be posted through eBay's Global Shipping Programme and will, therefore, unable to be combined with other purchases.

This 1994 edition U.S. paperback is in very good overall condition although there are some signs of wear to the cover in the form of light bumps and knocks to the edges and corners (see photograph).  All pages are present, tightly bound, and free from tears, creases, and significant marks.  The book runs to 306 pages (23.5cm x 15.5cm) plus an additional 18 pages of photographs.