Newspaper Nugget

I thought of all my friends who have common surnames and had to laugh a little at this "nugget" I came across:

The Record-Post
Au Sable Forks, NY
Thursday, June 8, 1944

16,000 Men in Navy Answer Name Smith

     There are 16,000 sailors named Smith and 300 of them have the same first name and middle initial-so the Office of War Information has suggested that home folks spell out all middle names when addressing letters to navy men.
     An estimate that 15 per cent of overseas mail is carelessly or insufficiently addressed was made in the OWI's report on why letters from the United States take detours before reaching the boys over there.
     The Veterans' Administration joined in the plea, asking that dependents who write to that agency concerning veterans identify carefully the serviceman they are writing about.
     The master index of the Veterans' Administration now carries the names of 19 million veterans of all wars, living and dead.  They include more 100,000 Browns, 92,000 Williamses, and 88,000 Joneses.