55 Doctors, No Patients

Thursday, 1 November 1945, 9:00 PM

Dearest Eleanor,
     And so begins a new month with nothing to do and lots of time to do it in. There is supposed to be a shortage of doctors. Why else are 53 points required for them to get out? Well, on Okinawa at one hospital alone there are fifty-five doctors and seven hundred corpsmen. Yet there are no patients. What's being done about it? Just as much as is being done about us. Nothing. Although there was plenty that I didn't like about the Navy, I never complained as long as I had a job to do. However, when you see so many men with nothing to do and nothing is being done about moving or releasing them, you can't help but get just a wee bit disgusted. I'm plenty fed up.
     Nothing new about us that sounds encouraging. From day to day the dope changes, but no one will make a definite decision about the disposition of the Ocelot or its crew. The only hope is that the ship will be disposed of soon and then the crew will have to be disposed of. I'm just hoping I can be home by Xmas. Not being there for the holiday is one disappointment I couldn't stand. For the time being there is nothing I can do but wait and hope. Maybe I'll get bureau orders soon and then nothing can hold me. Let's hope. If I believed in prayers I'd even pray.
     Tonight's movie was the "Cowboy and the Lady." Another repeat. It seems that the movies here are all old ones, not new ones like we got on the Ocelot.
     That is thirty for tonight. Maybe tomorrow I'll have better news. Goodnight Sweet. Don't let this upset you. In any event our separation can't last much longer.

Love,

Gil

U.S.S. Ocelot and Nestor YP289