January 31, 1945 Wednesday

Dearest Skip,

                I don’t know exactly what to say that you’d be interested in. I don’t know either-exactly what the score is around here.  This is a small base and very much different than Jax.  Of course I haven’t been here long but so far I like it quite well.  We straggle to chow and straggle to work-just so we’re there by 8:00 a.m. for muster.  Ship service is pretty fair and the auditorium.  The barracks are fine-brand new but we have to live out of those confounded sea bags because they haven’t moved in any lockers yet.  The chow hall is just across the street and the chow is good too.

                Reveille is at 6 a.m. but if you want to forget breakfast and stay in the sack while you don’t have the Master at Arms putting you on report or hollering at you over the P.A. system.  And the town-oh what a town. BIG! The best liberty there is-I’ll tell you more about that when I go ashore. 

                I don’t know where the church is here but I have an idea how I can find out.  I will only be able to go every two weeks.  The other week I’ll be working.  It looks like there’s going to be plenty of that work to do.  You’d think there was a war on.  There’s some noise about that.  There is going to be a night shift put on.  I’ve been working lately on PV-1 a bi-engine plane.

                Well my dear, all that I’ve written so far is not really what is on my mind.  You see my darling, when I left Jax, I expected very strangely that I would get a leave when I got here.  Of course you remember that I didn’t say anything about it.  I was so sure I’d get one that I was going to write and surprise you and the folks.  When I was given the papers you read, it felt like there wasn’t very much more to live for.  Of course I feel better about it now but the bottom sure fell out of things then.  Seriously Hon, I could almost have cried like a kid.  So, I just layed on my sack and thought of you and home.  I didn’t even feel like writing.

                You remember those 3 extremely good letters that I have always kept? They made me feel a lot better too.  I read them over and over some more and when I could see you, you were smiling-same as always.  Now I’m just waiting patiently until some mail comes.  It’s like you said, “Those words are food.”  And Skip, I’m almost starved to death.

                Well Hon, mizpaw and play “always” after you read this-just so you know how my thoughts run about now.  And all my love too. Paul

p.s. Oh yes-I made my first snowball and slipped on some ice the first time and boy is it cold-worse than Utah if my memory doesn’t fail me.