Letter transcription:

Sept. 1
USNRH
San Francisco 12
Calif.

Dear Mother,

I’m writing this with a borrowed pen on account we had inspection today and I forgot to take my pen out of my gray shirt and I’m writing this while on duty. This being Sat. everyone is off duty except those who have some special duty and my special duty is convoy watch – The thing I have to do is meet any and all ships bringing in patients between now and tomorrow at 1000. Otherwise I just sit where I can be reached by telephone.

This mail system is terrible. I finally did get one letter today, yours of Aug. 29. That was the one of Wed. I wonder if mine are coming to you in such in irregular fashion. I presume you are writing every day the same as I have been.

In this inspection today I was on the other side from what I had been in Liberty. All the Drs. and nurses, corpsmen, etc., were inspected by the Captain & Ex. It was cold and a heavy fog was present. It has been foggy now for several days – clears a little in the day time but early in the eve the fog comes in from the bay and by morning the sidewalks are wet just as if it had rained and the cold is very penetrating. Many of the personnel

[page 2] develop terrific colds when they arrive but so far I have escaped. Maybe I haven’t been here long enough or something.

You wrote of the travel money. I should be getting that one of these days. I’m to see them Tue. – I went in last Thur. but they didn’t want to mess with it until next Tue. with Monday being a part holiday. That should be more than enough for the insurance to Laf. Live and I should get it before Oct. 7.

Don’t send that picture for me to make for a few days yet. We think we are going to move into our new quarters the first of the week and then I can tell more about the room, etc. You can get it ready because I do want it because there is too much time with nothing to do. The show was fair last night. Irene Dunn in Over 21, but I would have gotten along just as well not to have seen it. The officer seats are in the back and the building is constructed so that the screen cannot be raised too high so one has to sit on a hard chair and try to see over around & across several heads up front. Reminds one of the K.C. Music hall only the seats are not as good.

My (jg) friend is on duty today also as the Junior O.D. – He is a big Irishman from N.Y. and rather funny in more ways than one but a

[page 3] very good and hard worker. He has now spent about 12 days in the navy and the fog around him is lifting in minute quantities. I have to help him dress and also give him the once over after he has finished. I think he has in a way adopted me as his God Father – anyway he is not the smart kind and will in time make a good officer. His dad and brother are Drs. in Northern New York. He went to Med. school in Canada and came directly to here from an internship there so he has a few of the “bloody” expressions of the British.

I see this is Sat. Sept. 1. The day of the old S. meeting at Bowling Green. I hope it’s a big success. I remember how I used to look forward to that day but somehow I got over enjoying things like that. Sometimes I wonder just what I do enjoy other than being with the family – Not golf, not swimming, etc. Well I guess being with the family is sufficient, pardon me, I don’t know exactly how those last sentences got there. I guess it was because several of the Drs. were talking about the week and I didn’t

[page 4] see any reason to be elated because it was to be a holiday. Maybe it means a little more sleep but that is not too possible unless one wants to miss breakfast. It’s over at 0815 and there is no other place around so it’s either get up or go hungry.

I’m taking the San Francisco Chronicle – have it delivered here on the ward. There is no other way of getting a paper and for several days I was completely lost – with no paper and no radio. We all hope there will be a radio in the lounge of our new quarters. I’d like on in my room but that would be something extra to pack if & when I get orders.

I may not get a chance to write tomorrow until late. There is rumors of a convoy of between 4 & 5 hundred early in the AM so I may spend most of the day down on the dock and the rest around here getting my ward in shape. I know I’ll get plenty of patients for there are 113 empty bunks and they probably will be all filled. Then maybe I can get a trip to Great Lakes to bring them there. I’d like that especially if the C.O. could give me a day or two off which I understand some of them do.

Well Dear I’ve written about all I can stand for the time being –
I Love You
Daddy

©2016 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
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