Warren to Rosie and Geo, 24 August 1942

I'm in California now, doing a little genealogy research and visiting family.  I've been spending some time with my cousins and my Auntie Wilma, who was married to my mom's brother, Warren.  Wilma has a collection of letters Warren wrote to his family during World War II.  A couple of years ago when I visited, she pulled out a bag of letters and I set to work putting them in chronological order.

The letter I post here was written close to today's date 74 years ago.  Warren's birthday would be later this week.  I miss him very much.  He was a wonderful father, son, brother, and uncle.

August 24 [1942]

Dear Rosie and Geo,[i]

By the time this letter reaches you Geo will have probably left for San Diego but I’ll include his name in case he is still there.  I know how bad you must feel to see him go and how bad he must feel to leave.  It was better however, to join the Navy now than let the Army get him.  Send me his address and I’ll write him as soon as I get it.

I don’t know what school the selection officer will give him but I sure wish he could come back to Detroit and study with me for electricians mate.

Four other fellow and myself left San Diego for Detroit and we certainly had a lot of fun  I’ve never had better food than that we got on the train.  We were served in the diner, allowed a buck a meal.

From the following paragraphs you might assume that there were only four of us on the train but it was full of sailors from about ten other companies, some going to Rhode Island to gunnery school and some to Radio school at Indianapolis.  Every station we pulled in to all of the sailors including yours truly would be out talking to the girls.  Speaking of girls, there are sure some honeys here and they’re certainly friendly.  A lot of the boys have already been invited by them to their homes for dinner. 

For some reason the whole town has a friendly attitude towards sailors, we never have to ride the streetcar although they are free.  We just step off the curb and within two minutes someone will give us a lift.

It doesn’t cost a sailor a cent to get drunk, the men here will set him up as many as he wants.  We can get our meals and sleep at the U.S.O. free.  The show rates are cut in half for us.

As you know we are studying for electricians mate third class.  We started today and these are our subjects for the first eight weeks: General Instruction Electrical Theory Mathematics, Wiring Shop tool Instruction, Electrical Machine Lab. I’m sure going to try to make the grade, if I make a 3.5 average which corresponds to about 87% I’ll get a crow and one stripe which signifies electrician’s mate third class. [at this point in the letter there is a hand drawn illustration of the Navy logo he describes.]

This has a faint resemblance to what it looks like the round ball means electrician.  I would be a third class petty officer.  I would sure be proud to bring it home and show Dad.  I would like Vernice[ii] to see it too.

I haven’t got an answer from her as yet but maybe they have it down to San Diego and they haven’t forwarded it.  I guess I’d better write her again soon and give her my new address.

We have liberty here every weekend from noon Saturday until midnight Sunday.  I had a swell time here on my first liberty.

Our quarters are pretty cramped here as at Kidd.  There are four companies here in a comparatively small building.  The bunks are three high, the firs one is about 8” off the floor and the top about 6’ off the floor.  I’ve got a bottom one so if I fall out of bed I won’t break my neck.

The weather here is certainly queer.  When we first arrived it was so hot we slept without blankets and the last few nights have been very cold.  I wish it would make up its mind so I could get a good sleep.

Well, Sis, it’s nine o’clock and I want this letter mailed tonight.  I’d sent it air mail but I haven’t a stamp and won’t be able to get one until tomorrow.

If George is still there I wish him all of the luck in the world and hope to see him soon.  Write soon, Sis as I would like to know what you two are doing and how everything is going in general.  Give my love to Mrs. Powers.[iii]  Say hullo to everyone.

Your brother,
Warren


[i] Letter written to his sister, Rosemary Brown Hartman and her husband, George Hartman who was a very good friend to Warren.  They had played soccer together.
[ii] Might have been a girlfriend of Warren’s in San Francisco.
[iii] Mrs. Powers is George’s grandmother.  She raised George and was more like a mother to him than a grandmother.