January 6, 1945

Dearest,

With one of those pens I’ll write to you a few lines.  I still haven’t got a lot of time but lately that’s only natural. I haven’t any of your letters here so I’ll just ramble.

                We just finished our 18^th week-2 more to go and then we’ll see what fate is in store for me.  As you may have already guessed we’re pretty hot stuff-(in a joking way). We’re pretty well done on one of the Navy’s toughest schools and already the boys are getting itchy feet.  A good deal of the talk is centered around our “orders”-where we’ll ship to from here.  Some want North Eastern states-around New York-others, around Key West, Pensacola, Corpus Christy-others along the West Coast, Seattle, Diego, L.A., Frisco, etc… Most of them hoping to get near their wife and family.  Ogden ought to be a coastal town so I could have such hopes.

                Yep-class 10 is fast becoming men of the world.  (No joke). When we graduate it won’t take long before the Boys will be scattered all over from Shanghi to London, including all else between.  Our pet dread being the Aleutians Islands.  There’s only one catch to it-the coming two weeks is when the thinning out process comes in.  It won’t be easy but we’ll just have to stay on the boat and I think we’ll be ok. You can tell there’s a strain on though cause everybody’s irritable and there’s always arguments, almost fights, etc…

                Your picture calms me lots though hon. I’ll let this do for now my dear.  May God be with you.  My thoughts and love are.  Pablo