OKINAWA SHORT SNORTERS

A short snorter is a piece of currency, usually military related, with signatures and/or dates. The short snorter is originally thought to have been started by bush pilots in Alaska in the mid 1920's. They would sign a piece of currency and have their friends sign it, and when they met in a bar later on they had to produce the signed note or buy their friends a drink. Snort was slang for a mixed drink and short referred to less than a full drink, thus Short Snorter. Although usually associated with people traveling together in a plane it became popular during WWII with pilots and flight crew and then spread to all parts of the military.

Here are photos of various "short snorters" related to Okinawa mostly during and just after WWII. The first photo shows a short snorter over the shoulder of a GI at the 1st anniversary party for the WXLH military radio station on Okinawa which first broadcast on 20 May 1945 during the battle for Okinawa. The other short snorters are arranged by date if known. A GI from Tennessee noted on a piece of yen that he was with the first spearhead to land on Okinawa which would have been 1 April 1945. Three different value B-yen notes from a GI to his sister on 30 July 1945. A 10sen B-yen note dated 17 August 1945 on Ie Shima and at Tokyo 0745 30 August 1945, he would have been among the first GIs to arrive at Atsugi Air Field outside of Tokyo to begin the occupation of Japan. An unusual B-yen from Okinawa 21 Aug. 1945 before the end of WWII. A Seabee went to the trouble of going to a Navy military post office on Okinawa and had it post marked. The unusual thing is that the post mark is from a Navy Branch Post office number 10990 which is the number for the 3rd Naval Construction Battalion which arrived on Okinawa in June 1945. Several Japanese yen notes which a GI traded packs of cigarettes for as a souvenir. A high value 100 yen B-yen dated 1950 and a 1954 MPC note with a rubber stamped name and location on Okinawa.