A photographer who was there… I have discussed this with his son, and he is not the same “Blackie” mentioned in these letters. Grandpa Knowlton’s Blackie worked for AirTemp in Dayton, Ohio. It seems incredible, considering the photographer Blackie had these photos of where Grandpa Knowlton worked and a map to the Red Cross HQ on Okinawa (see photos).
http://blackie-okinawa-photography.rememberingokinawa.com/page/blackie_the_photographer
This map of Okinawa is from The National Geographic magazine.
After the war:
(Booklet by American Red Cross)
http://www.rememberingokinawa.com/page/1946_arc_booklet