March 24, 1945 Saturday

Dear Harriet,

                Two letters to answer and most enjoyable letters too.  Hope you’re enjoying your time home. Probably you’re fixin to scamper back to the campus when you get this.  This will probably be a disconnected note.  I just got off of 4 more hours of that-ground duty and I’m awful sleepy and tired, etc…I’ve been putting in an ultra violet fluorescent light in one of the Navy’s fastest patrol planes and I’ve been standing on my head and every other position you can think of.

                Tonight when I was on guard, I sat down to take it easy on the sly a bit and I fell asleep and started falling.  Come near getting on the deck but I thought-well last night I couldn’t write and the day before it was just a card so I better try anyways.

                Last night, I and this Student Body President from Scott Field-he’s shipping out so we decided we’d have a bit of a time before he shoved off.  We and a couple of girls from the Branch went to see Glen Grays outfit over at tune town and enjoyed the evening very much.

                You were asking about this civilian that I’ve been gone with now and again.  He’s Sue’s girlfriend’s boyfriend.  We had a double date a time ago.  Now if I remember right, what I meant when I said on the phone call, “By the way you talked your feeling wasn’t natural which is natural.” Well if it was one of those frequent calls like when we lived close together there wouldn’t be any occasion for excitement or quickening of the heart.  But I hadn’t talked to you for a long time so it’s only natural that you didn’t sound as usual-no deep meaning, just the odd way I say things.  I’ve noticed it before, but I guess it’s a habit.

                Your physiology teacher has a right bit of philosophy there.  You won’t have a worry coming though because you sack hours, from the sound of things, is fairly late. Yah I saw “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo” at the Base in Jax.  There are few of the best ones that I have missed as you are probably aware. As I said once before, if I reap nothing more from this experience I’ll be a movie critic.

                As I also said, it would have been well if Zelma could have seen Howard as he moved through. Tell me he’s not bad off is he-he’ll be ok? Awhile ago the boys brought the mail to me and I read what you had to say concerning our friend Lila.  Of deeper concern probably than we can fathom because that girl has seem more at her early age than many people see in a lifetime.  Perhaps she is stronger than most of us.  I can’t remember if I told you or not that Lila wrote me about her baby several weeks ago so it was no surprise.  In many ways, it’s best this way, in many ways, not.  It could surely complicate her life in time to come but it could occupy the many lonely hours to end. Give her great more cause to carry on.  I wish I could have got this letter to you while you were home so you could give Lila the word for me.  Last night I started this letter but had to give up and hit the sack so that’s why I finished as I’m doing so now.  I guess it’s like I always said, “I was born tired and I’ll die tired and always be so.”

                I worked this morning (Sunday) and they secured us for the rest of the day so I’m caulking off for awhile and have to muster for a watch at 1500 though-another 1700-2100 guard.  2 days in a row now and my blood’s a boiling.  The winds a blowing and it’s raining out at that. We had some fine noon chow-breaded chicken, cranberry sauce, potatoes, gravy, ice cream, etc… I chugged a bottle of milk and have it sitting outside of the window here by my sack to keep it cold.  Before I go on watch I’ll have a delicious swig of milk and a couple of the best cupcakes that the folks sent me in an Easter box.  Apples, fudge, etc.  Oh yes, a bottle of native currant jam too.  Really swell of them.  Too bad we’re not feasting on it up in the meadows of South Fork. Well toodle-oo my sweet and write soon.

Paul