Leyte--Expensive Junk

 

Lt. (j.g.) Gilbert Steingart

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

Sunday 3 June 1945, 10:35 PM

Dearest Eleanor,
     Hello Sweetheart, here I am just in time for our little visit. Today being Sunday I observed holiday routine and didn't go to work until 9:00 AM. From then on I was busy until lunch time.
     I didn't have any appointments this afternoon and wasn't in any mood to go ashore so I worked on those gadgets I'm making.
     What I made for Norma was all finished when the darn thing broke; four hours of work went to hell. Was I mad. Seeing as it's fragile I decided maybe I'd better make her something more substantial. It'll be ready this week. Anyway I spent the afternoon puttering around. Before I knew it, five o'clock had rolled around and it was time to shower and change into some fresh clothes.
     After dinner I played some cribbage with the skipper. Then it was time for the movies. We had a real oldie and if I had seen it before, I'd forgotten all about it. It was "Destry Rides Again" with James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich. All I can say is 4.0.
     I didn't get any mail today, but twenty-three letters in two days will have to hold me for awhile I guess.
     Tomorrow I take the liberty party ashore.  It's quite a job and responsibility out here. Twice as many go as ever did at our last location and they scatter so that unless they come back on their own, they're just left behind. Anyway I'll get a chance to shop for some souvenirs. They tell me all that the natives have is junk and very expensive junk at that. We'll see.
     Well Sweet I'll sign off now with loving thoughts of you and our girls and the fun we'll have when I come home.

Yours as always,

Gil