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.

Dearest future wife,
You will have to accept another excuse from me for not writing last night. I’ll be frank as you are with me. I was feeling pretty bum from a sore throat, headache and I guess a dose of the stomach flu. I had to go to bed early as I couldn’t staying up. Today I stayed in the barracks and I believe I didn’t even look up. I’m beginning to feel better so don’t worry about me too much.

I received two letters from you today. One you wrote the 16th Saturday and the other the 17th Sunday. They are enough to make me get well in a hurry. They sure were nice. Say darling, I don’t like this monkey business that has gone on at work. That certainly isn’t very nice at all. If trouble still continues to brew I would politely go to the guard and tell him to keep his mouth shut or you would see to it that he would. I hope you find some ways to straighten it out. Now don’t scold me for worrying about it. You are my sweetheart like I’m yours. Well, write me on how it comes out.

That little letter that baby Jerry wrote was very cute. Give him a big hug and a kiss from me. You won’t get jealous will you? I’m very glad to hear that you and a girlfriend are going to celebrate your birthday. Your first party and I am unable to attend in person. But I shall be there in mind as well as thoughts. I hope you have a very nice time, darling. I am hoping and praying that we shall never be apart for any of your coming birthdays. Don’t be angry for the small presents I’m sending. They aren’t very much. But they contain all of my feelings toward you. That is that I love you more than anything in the world. I shall always be as true as gold to you as I know that’s exactly as you feel towards me. Love certainly is the greatest thing in the world. It certainly keeps me going when I feel down and blue. I sure hope I get my leave after boot camp. If it doesn’t come true I should have it shortly. I hope you have everything in order for that big day of ours.

You asked about that note your mother put in that letter? Well all she told me is that she hoped I could be present in mind at your party Saturday. That was all.

So you think Bud is in Africa? Well! You never know what they’ll do with you. They try and take complete control of you. I sure hope he is OK and that Addie and your mother aren’t too much on the blue side. It’s a very tough world but with God’s help everything will come out okay. I hope my friends aren’t sore at me for not writing. Between my colds and studying they are trying to kill me or something. Try and make them understand that I really haven’t forgotten them but that the circumstances are a little tough.

Say! Dear see how much Benimon wants for a stretchy watch band. Write me the price as one of my pals out here would like one. Boy! This place is sure odd for weather. It just finished snowing for 24 hours leaving about a foot on the ground. Now it is starting to turn cold so you can guess what I think about Farragut.

Well! Dear, I’m going to have to close for now. Keep your chin high and know I love and miss you. Here is a kiss and a hug for my wife to be.

Loads of love from your sailor husband to be,

Joe

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