Dearest sweetheart,

How is my sweetheart tonight? I hope you are feeling fine. I’m feeling pretty good outside of a little sore throat. It isn’t very bad don’t you worry about it. I hope you are ok. In a short time I received your two letters. The one that you wrote the 11th and 13th and they were really wonderful. Your letters just seem to give me a lot of pep and give me the power to meet whatever comes up. Your girlfriend and “wife” a fellow could ever ask for.

Darling I love you such an awful lot. I hope that I’ll be able to get a leave soon so we can be man and wife. It doesn’t look so good just know. They have opened a big new Navy hospital up here and I will probably go to work in it right away. If I don’t get to leave right after training I will keep asking for one until they get tired of hearing me and give it. We must try and be as patient as possible as I know I’m bound to get one sooner or later and then I’ll make up for the time we have been apart.

We’ll see aboutyou arranging for that radio call. I want to be on a line where everybody can hear me. I hope I can talk to you real soon if I can only get a line through.

This week our company is in charge of the colors. I’m in charge of the thing. I go to regiment headquarters with five other men in the morning and we bring the colors to the pole. We then hoist them when colors is played. In the evening we take it down, fold it and put it away. It really is quite a stirring thing and holds quite a bit of trust. We have been warned that if the flag touches the ground you are liable for courts martial. Boy! We are trying our very best to carry out our military and mission in good order. They still are drilling us quite a bit. It should make good sailors out of us.

Thar letter of V Mail you bought and added all those things too was very cute. I was very happy to hear that you really think of me all the time. Even when you are out eating. Of course that was our old hang out for food. I wish I had a steak right now.

Well! Dearest I guess I better close for tonight. My eyes are pretty tired. I love you very much, dearest. I hope and dream of you as my wife. Many kisses.

Your loving sailor husband,
Joe