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#192 Navy #3247 (Mil. Govt) FPO San Francisco Sunday 8 April 1945 9 pm Dearly Beloved, Here's a small miscellany of snapshots for you, duplicates given me by Dr. Kooser (an awfully nice guy whom I don't think I've mentioned to you - tho it seems to me I once spoke of him as a family man…he's from a Pennsylvania town named Irwin, which he says is to Pittsburgh as Chambersburg is to Harrisburg; has a reputation of brilliance as a general practitioner, having ridden a county circuit on horseback for several years - researcher by nature, but not academic, he has - according to other doctors here - singlehandedly been responsible for the squelching of certain Pennsylvania epidemics - well, he's leaving here very soon now; has no idea of where he's going, but if he should get back stateside he'll telephone you. Gentle and mild mannered though not without a sharp tongue in criticizing things like living conditions when he sees fit to. Hope you hear from him. Mailed you a small package today (airmail) and will get a big one off in a day or two, parcel post. Couldn't get all the stuff for your birthday in it; so it will be followed by another soon. There's nothing really special - not special enough, I mean, darling - but there are a few little things you and Wendy will enjoy, I'm sure. (#208 I'll be looking forward to receiving the case for contact prints - fun having presents on the way and I sort of wish I’d started sending you things earlier, a little at a time. But, [pg 2] as you say, you've something to look forward to now. I don't know about the big push, and whether the men are all lined up for it, but I do expect ultimately to get to Japan. The way things look now, that prospect does not make me fear a prolonged separation. If I'm sent back to Hawaii for reassignment it would almost surely be to go someplace already secured, but it doesn't follow from that that reassignment from CASA necessarily means the reverse. I just don't know. In many respects I’d like to be in on some one operation from the planning stage (a couple of months) thru the assault (which I have a feeling will never again be what it was at Iwo) and on into the phase we’re in here now. But I'm not asking for it. Yes, Art Smith is one of my two roommates now in our 1/3 quonset and also has a desk in the Education Office. He is a cleancut looking guy of about 42-5 with no bad habits and a very pleasant smile. Slightly negative when there's a lot to be done, but maybe a good influence on Tel and me (both of whom have more to offer the job, I think, though we need to learn certain disciplines and restraints). If I don't ask for reassignment I've no idea how long I might be stuck here. Possibly indefinitely I'm in a different category from the rest of the language men. Whether I do or not will depend on a number of different factors which you know about. Right now I'm itching for a change of almost any sort but what really counts, next to [pg 3] getting home is whether there's any more for me to learn here. That in turn depends largely on whether I have a whack at running the school myself. Gosh, if you keep asking questions I'll never get caught up answering letters! But go ahead, sweetie - just don't mind if I fail to elaborate sometimes. I was mistaken: they don't peel the potatoes. Just wash them, cut out bad spots, cook and serve whole. They’re really very good; have sampled them several times. Currently we’re only serving about 350 bids a day tho (whoever goes potato digging and those who work on the farm) because that's all the food we can get. #206 (Mar. 26th) Wasn't too satisfactory on the matter of your trip to the doctor, but at least the doctor didn't kill you. No, darling, I'm not really worried by I do believe in being persistent about something like that. Good for Wendy and her vaccination. Interested to hear that one of my handkerchiefs fits Wendy when tied kerchief fashion over her head and under her chin… Glad the books arrived - haven't even mailed the net batch yet but will soon - the trouble is that I picked up Ehrenburg just to glance thru it and got interested in it again. Would like to finish reading it but probably won't. I am holding you tight right now, precious - #207 I know Bob Ziegler - as to men being gradually sent out from Washington, they’re probably being replaced by men fresh from Boulder [pg 4] Good work on the bank balance - didn't send any to Father last time because I spent most of what I got for birthday things (prices are high) and my pay last month was cut down because I got too much the month before - that's still my affair, tho, and over a period of time I'll have no trouble liquidating it. No, it doesn't get a bit easier except that one gets inured, less likely to go off the beam - all that is is a negative, merely protective feature more than a positive virtue, but there'll be lots of positive virtues to come. #193 - Honey, I know I haven't given you much encouragement for a long time - I've been needing some of it myself, but that's just from having my days crammed overfull so that I don't get the satisfaction of finishing things (something new always going on) - we’re really settling down a little now and in another two weeks should begin to take it easier. #198 - Stop reading books like A Home of Your Own! No, don't stop, but don't set your heart on anything except me, darling - the rest will come in time - “…Where’ere it be.” Thank Gladys for me for being so kind to us both. Or at least give her my cordial regards. Sure, Walter knew where he was going. Such information does get around. Goodnight, darling, I love you Warren
