Hello darling,

I hope you are feeling fine this Sunday. The only reason I didn’t get a letter off to you last night was that I felt quite blue thinking about your birthday party and everything that I just couldn’t write. I laid down on my bunk and concentrated on you all evening. I sang “happy birthday” to you and I day dreamed that I was there with you. You can understand why I couldn’t write, can’t you?

I guess the mail service has been kind of bum lately going both ways. I didn’t receive a letter from you yesterday or today. I understand as you do that there is a possibility of a delay on the mail services. Here’s hoping that I receive one tomorrow from you, dear.

We sure had a very fine inspection yesterday. At 9 o’clock in the morning all the Co. lined up in the drill hall and we had personal inspection. Then an officer inspected our barracks for cleanliness. We passed both with flying colors and one of the inspecting officers said that our Co. was the best in the regiment. That sure made us feel good and our Co. Commander was sure happy. He gave us very light duty in the afternoon for our swell showing.

I bought the official song of our station for you. I hope you’ll like it. Try not to loose it as it would be nice to save for a souvenir. I don’t know exactly when I’ll get it mailed, but I’ll try and get it off real soon.

The weather has been pretty nice the last couple of days. We have about two feet of snow but the sun has been out and the scenery looks beautiful. This place wouldn’t be half bad if the climate was decent. The scenery is really beautiful.

I hope you had a nice birthday with the girls last night. I’ll try very hard to make the next party for you dear. I was thinking of you all evening especially hard. I was hoping that our thoughts might get together. Your 19 now and a real big girl. Well dear, you have been big for quite some time and doing a fine job of keeping things going for us back home.

You know how much I love you, dear. Knowing that you love me the same and are waiting for me gives me the strength to meet any situation that may come up. I dream of the day when we’ll be married. I’m sure that marriage is the right thing for us. Our love is one that just seems to grow and grow. I know mine is embedded deep in me and I believe yours is also. With God’s help we might be able to be together for a while soon. I hope and pray that it may be soon. But that is up to my supervisors. They run the whole show as for where I go.

I have found out when we are going to graduate. That doesn’t mean that I’ll get a leave as I won’t know that until the day I graduate. The date is the 12th of February. I certainly will be glad to take these boots off. If I don’t get the leave right away, I’ll get one quite soon.

How is Lucille? I hope she is fine and not too angry with me for not writing her. I’m going to try and get a letter off to her real soon.How is Dale? Write and tell me what a fellow mate is doing as I would be glad to know if he is in school yet.

I hope your mother and dad are O.K. Give them my love and regards. I guess I’m going to have to close for now. I’m going to try and get a few letters off today. I owe one to Mother and Bernice. I also have to write the kids.

Take good care of yourself sweetheart. I love you with all my heart and soul and here is a kiss to my wife.

Your loving sailor husband (to be),

Joe

P.S. God bless you, dear.