Evening star., 1944-04-30

men overseas would be glad to
miss a meal to get mail from
home and so mail transportation
is given priority almost as high
as food and munitions. Right
now when the invasion seems
imminent, we're all more than
ever anxious to be sure that our
letters get through. According
to Army and Navy postal serv-
ices. there's only one way to be
sure-by using V-mail where de-
livery is guaranteed BY guar
anteed," we don't mean you can
sue Uncle Sam if your letter goes
astray, but we do mean that de-
livery Is certain. So sure is de-
livery of V-mail that both serv-
ices like their men to use V-mail
rather than ordinary mail for all
discussion of legal or other i'm
portant arrangements. The Navy
even sends its official technical
orders on Navy V-mail-so we
guess you can rely on it, too. If
that doesn't convince you, con-
slider the fact that of more than
300 million V-mail letters al
ready handled, not a single one
has been lost.
Roughly, here's the way it
works. When you write a V-mail
letter, it goes to the port of en-
barkation where it is photo
graphed on micro-film and filed.
Eighteen hundred letters go on
one film which is then numbered
and flown overseas. Yes, we said
''1own"-because V-mail is the
ONLY personal mail which is as
sured air travel. Your Govern
ment is only too anxious to give
you this speedier, safer delivery
on V-mail because it saves so
much precious space for needed
supplies. After the film has been
received overseas and reproduced,
a cable is sent back to the point
of embarkation acknowledging its
receipt by number. Only then
after receipt of this cable-are
the original letters destroyed. If
something goes wrong and the
film is damaged or destroyed en-
route, the originals are photo
graphed once again and sent
winging on their way.
With all this talk of photo
graphing your letters, there's the
point of secrecy. OF course, we
can't understand what difference
1t would make anyway if a third
person (who didn't know you or
your love- read your letters, but,
If you're the shy, retiring type,
be comforted in knowing that
V-mail is just as personal as any
other and receives the same con-
fidential handling. V-mail goes
through the machine SO rapidly
Q,500 an hourD that unless it's
torrid enough to scar the film,
the man who runs the machine
will never know that you wrote
anything more exciting than
news of the latest book. No one
sees your V-mail except the
censor, who, by this time, is a
very callous guy. Furthermore,
he's interested in security, not
sentiment, so don't get your Joe
IN Dutch by repeating rumors
or trying any "cute" code tricks.
But, you may say, 'I KNOW
that I have received ordinary
airmail more quickly than v
mail" That may happen where
there is space for additional reg
ular mail on a plane after V-mail
has been put aboard and the v
mail loses a day for reproduction
after arrival. However, this hap
pens more often with incoming
mail because there is more space
on home-bound planes than on
the supply-laden planes flying to
far-flung battle fronts. In the
case OF mail going to the men
and they're the ones who count
V-mail has top priority and gets
there first!
Yes, it gets there first-IF it is
properly addressed. Army Postal
Services say that their biggest
current headache is improperly
addressed mail. Writing the APO
number alone is NOT enough to
find Joe. That's equivalent to
writing Joe Doakes, Missouri.
Although he may be the only
man in the world to you, postal
authorities must have all details
to find him. That means: Full
name and rank, serial number
name of outfit, APO number and
postmaster, port of embarkation.
When I write, I like to write
more than post cards worth.
remarked a friend recently. Well