I'll Be A Lieutenant

Lt. (j.g.) Gilbert Steingart

U.S.S. Ocelot, F.P.O. San Francisco

Thursday 14 June 1945, 7:20 PM

Dearest Eleanor,

     Hello Honey how is my favorite wife tonight? I was plenty high when I wrote last night and I do hope you'll forgive me.

     Today was a busy one beginning with a tough extraction and keeping me hopping right along right through the afternoon. However I was through by 3:15 and went up to my room. Censored some mail and began another story. I'm reading "Saratoga Trunk" by Edna Ferber and I think I'll like it.

     There is still no mail so I suppose when it does come I'll hit the jackpot. Still no ALNAV, so the communications officer went over to another ship where it has already been received to get a copy. A few days one way or the other don't really matter as my pay increase is still from June 1. However officially I should be a lieutenant tomorrow.

     We have another excellent movie tonight. It is "Lost Angel" with Margaret O'Brien. We've really been lucky in the quality of our movies lately. I do hope it keeps up.

     Our exec is going home on emergency leave tomorrow. His mother is very ill. I do hope he gets home in time. Dan Graves left for the states yesterday. He got his orders two months after Ivan Cox who is still waiting on his relief. When my orders do get here, I hope I won't have to sit around and wait a long time for my relief.

     There isn't much more to tell so I'll say goodnight to my own darling wife. Gosh but I wish the next few months were behind me. "Nite, nite," Sweet. I'll see you in my dreams.

Love,

Gil

Gil's Insignias

Lieutenant