Tag Archives: Navy Base Hospital #4

Well of Information (Roscoe)

1 Reply

: December 5, 1943 envelope

: December 5, 1943, p. 1

: December 5, 1943, p. 2

: December 5, 1943, p. 3

Letter transcription:

Lieut. R.S. Yegerlehner USNR
USN Base Hosp. #4 Navy 133
F.P.O. San Francisco Calif.
Dec. 5, 1943

Dear Mother,

Just finished a letter to the Folk and one to Sis so maybe if I hurry I can get one out to you before I run out of things to say. It’s funny but my well of information is very shallow and it seems to take some time for the thing to even get enough to cover the bottom not to say anything about filling up.

We had turkey for noon day meal today. At first I thought it might be what was left over from Thanksgiving but it wasn’t at least it didn’t taste like the leftovers we used to have. Due to my being away on Thanksgiving I missed that meal but

[page 2] we had our fried chicken instead and one can’t kick on a good meal of fried chicken. I wrote you about the chicken in yesterday’s letter.

I’ve been wondering what Dr. Van Kirk will do now that he is out of the Army. He probably will be in demand at his usual work – possibly more now than even before. The way he liked Army life I’m sure he must have been displeased with his discharge. Maybe that will help the other Drs. in the area. At least that will be one more to call and find out of town.

I thought there had been a law passed to keep the pre Pearl Harbor fathers at home and why is Socky Wilson so near to being drafted? There are others with fewer children than

[page 3] they have.

Some of the Drs. here do their own laundry and I’m think[ing] of doing mine also. The first bunch I got back from the laundry was a surprise. I told them I’d paid for those clothes before but the price sure is in keeping with new ones. I thought when I left The Russells I was thru with laundry but I may change my mind. At least we have good hot water here and at that place everything was cold but the drinking water.

Later – about 9 hours. Had a little work to do and just didn’t get back to this. It’s now about 11:30 PM and almost my bed time but I may read for a short time if I can find something to read – So
Good Night –
Love Daddy

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/07/18/well-of-information-roscoe/

Fried Chicken (Roscoe)

4 Replies

: December 4, 1943 envelope

: December 4, 1943, p. 1

: December 4, 1943, p. 2

: December 4, 1943, p. 3

Letter transcription:

Lieut. R.S. Yegerlehner USNR
USN Base Hosp. #4
Navy 133 F.P.O. San Fran Cal
Dec. 4, 1943

Dear Mother,

Another Saturday rolls around and another week gone. In other words this is Sat. night and I can’t say it compares with a like night at home. There isn’t even a show and of course there are no stores or streets to be crowded, but maybe that doesn’t happen there anymore. Seems as if you wrote something a month or so about Sat. night. I believe you wrote that the usual late buying was slow because of a lack of goods to sell.

Repeating – Three days ago I sent you a check and in the letters of Dec. 3. I sent each of the boys a money order – I hope they all get there in plenty of time for good usage. I know Mark will have a glorious time with his and D. probably won’t get much kick out

[page 2] of the whole affair and John will probably buy or want to buy some records. And you – please use that amount for a dress, etc. Something you feel you couldn’t or wouldn’t want to afford otherwise.

Just stopped to get a few magazines to read – a few copies of Life which I hadn’t seen before – Of course they are Sept. and Oct. issues but they make good reading or I should say good time passers. Especially in off hours.

I’m trying in my off moments to think up and view over in my mind the rudiments of Masonry so that I might attend lodge and also Rotary. I think either or both will be fun and good experience but so far I haven’t made any direct contact. I have found however that the Rotary meeting is at the noon day meal and that is a little difficult to attend.

[page 3] You came in for your share of praise from Ruth M. in her letter. Especially how you were getting along and carrying on thru your mother’s illness. I do hope you have not tried to over extend yourself and do too much on your nerve. Please try to take things easy and watch the sinus and throat infection this winter. I know it’s easy for me to say this but it’s an another thing to avoid the difficulty.

During our leave we had an occasion to have fried chicken. The natives here didn’t know how to prepare such so I went into the kitchen and did it myself and believe it or not it was browned to perfection with mashed potatoes and all the fixings. Everyone seems to be pleased – and why not? Because we had two chickens for three people. It was the first of things like that in ever so long so you know it was enjoyed.

So much for today –
Love
Daddy

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/07/16/fried-chicken-roscoe/

Dear Mother (Roscoe)

1 Reply

: December 3, 1943 envelope

: December 3, 1943, p. 1

: December 3, 1943, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Lieut. R.S. Yegerlehner
USN Base Hosp. #4
Navy 133
F.P.O. San Francisco Calif.
Dec. 3, 1943

Dear Mother,

I’ve almost gotten writ cramps from writing letters. One to each of the boys with their money orders and one to Boonie. Those were earlier this P.M. so maybe I’ll be able to write you without too much difficulty. It might seem it’s a task to write you but don’t feel that way because it isn’t and I might say it’s the only highlight of the day – for somehow it seems like a real visit topped only by getting and reading one of your letters.

Writing the Christmas letters to the boys seems to bring to reality the time of the year and actually it is only about 22 days until Christmas time. Last year when we left it seemed a long time when one spoke of Christmas – I mean of ’42 but here it is of ’43 and the time has gone someplace or somewhere. Much of the past seems only like a dream – or may I add a “nightmare” with the bad man on the march and very near or on the edge of the cliff ready to be pushed off into space. There is a certain something about that feeling which appeals to the adventurous side but there is also a relief in a good non anticipated

[page 2] disturbance of the sandman’s best. True experience is a wonderful thing – usually one would take nothing in a financial way for those experiences but would pay very little to be able to take the same trips and the same adventures a second time. Really I’m writing a lot of trash so just don’t pay too much attention. May it’s something I “et.”

To the more serious side – You haven’t written anything of finances for ages. Is it so bad you don’t like to write? Or have you written and the letters just haven’t arrived? Later I’ll give the figures on which income tax have to be paid for 1943 and you can figure it out with the legal brains at home to see how we stand. I’ll have some extra money to send home sometime this month – either the 15^th or the last of the month so if you will let me know I’ll make an added effort to send it as soon as possible.

It’s hard to tell how the mail will go thru around Christmas and in case it is slow let me say now that I hope you and the boys enjoy yourselves lots because really we have more reason to feel elated this year than last. I’ll write more of Christmas later but for now

Lots of Love
Daddy

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/07/14/dear-mother-roscoe/

Dear David (Roscoe)

1 Reply

: December 3, 1943 envelope

: December 3, 1943, p. 1

Letter transcription:

Lieut. R.S. Yegerlehner USNR
USN Base Hosp. #4 Navy 133
F.P.O. San Francisco Calif.

Dear David,

I just know you will get a big kick out of this little present I’m sending you. You will have to consult Mother about how to spend it but and I’m sure she won’t go too far wrong.

I’m sorry you can’t have too much candy but you can have an extra pull on your thumb unless Mother should decide to buy a guard to keep that from happening.

John & Mark probably will see to it that you have a good time and I know Mother will do likewise – Just between you & I she is a very capable woman – Don’t you think?

Love Daddy.
P.S. give Mother an extra kiss for me.

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/07/13/dear-david-roscoe/

Dear Mark (Roscoe)

1 Reply

: December 3, 1943 envelope

: December 3, 1943, p. 1

Letter transcription:

Lieut. R.S. Yegerlehner USNR
USN Base Hosp. #4
Navy 133
F.P.O. San Francisco Calif.
Dec. 3, 1943

Dear Mark,

This is about the best Christmas present I can send you at present so you will have to make the best of it. I know you will need no help in spending it but just in case you do have trouble your mother will be glad to help you.

David and John are getting the same but if theirs should happen to become lost in the mail I know you would be glad to share yours with them.

No doubt but what you will have a big tree and everything that goes with it. You probably will get a kick out of helping Mother do the “fixing” of those things. Do have a good time – I’ll be thinking of you

Love Daddy
P.S. Give Mother my regards.

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/07/12/dear-mark-roscoe-3/

Cigarettes and Chewing Gum (Roscoe)

2 Replies

: December 2, 1943 envelope

: December 2, 1943, p. 1

: December 2, 1943, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Lieut. R.S. Yegerlehner USNR
USN Base Hosp. #4 Navy 133
F.P.O. San Francisco Calif.
Dec. 2, 1943

Dear Mother,

Just by way of repeat – In yesterday’s letter I had a check for your Christmas and I’ll get some money orders for the boys tomorrow. Maybe I’m a little late with this Christmas business but with any kind of connections the letters should get there in good time.

Your V-mail letters of Nov. 16 – 19 & 20 came today – Those were the latest I’ve received here. It seems v-mail is faster than air mail but keep both coming. I don’t mind v-mail in the least but many of the fellows don’t like them – they do seem a little like canned mail but it keeps one up to date.

In case I didn’t mention it before – Ruth M. sent me some cigarettes and chewing gum. The latter was quite a treat since that stuff is really hard to get. I don’t like to mention things like that because I have a feeling gum is hard to get there and I wouldn’t like to deprive anyone from their supply. Mother sent some a few months ago and I had some of that until just lately.

Your greeting also came and the little insert where you inserted the word “one” for “folk” was

[page 2] really something. I’d say rather cute and with much meaning and of course the thing applies both ways.

I’m still feeling badly about not writing for such a long stretch of time because just about now you are in that period when you are reaping the benefits of me not writing. I surely hope you won’t think to me too terrible but it was an opportunity I hated to miss. I’d like to write you all about the trip but that isn’t al the way the censorship is here so things like that will have to keep until later. It was such a delitful delightful experience after the past few months that it’s hard for me to even describe or realize just how much it really did mean. Here I am writing you all this when you really haven’t had a vacation or a change for some time and no prospects of one so I’m more than somewhat ashamed of myself.

Other letters to the folk, the Ruths, etc., have to be written and if I stop now maybe I can write one or two tonight so

Solong –
Love Daddy

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/07/09/cigarettes-and-chewing-gum-roscoe/

Yesterday’s Letters (Roscoe)

1 Reply

: December 1, 1943 envelope

: December 1, 1943, p. 1

: December 1, 1943, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Lieut. R.S. Yegerlehner
USN Base Hosp. #4 Navy 133
F.P.O. San Francisco Calif.
Dec. 1, 1943

Dear Mother,

In one of your letters yesterday you gave me the full details of the flowers arriving for your birthday. He (Palmer) had the exact date so maybe he planned the whole thing that way and there is also a possibility that he arrived just in time. Too bad something like that couldn’t happen so I could send you a real nice Christmas present but so far I see no hope of that.

This little check is for that purpose – (Christmas present) but it really isn’t like flowers, etc. One could buy some things presents here but I am a little afraid of sending things since that box I sent last year didn’t come thru and it was also late when I arrived here. So use the check for something you wouldn’t otherwise wouldn’t buy, like the Pjs you told me you bought for your birthday. I got more than somewhat of a kick out of your description of that affair.

When you wrote that I would have a good picture – better picture rather of D. growing up than some “Daddies” at home you were very correct because there has been very few letters in which he didn’t come in for his share from

[page 2] his proud Mother and of course I was as eager to hear read those things as you were to write them. I often as you can. What you write but send them as often as you can. What you write but send them as often as you can. What you write but send them as often as you can.

Tomorrow I’ll get some money orders for the boys so they can get a few things for themselves, as they did last year. Seems as if they got a big kick out of that last year. All this Christmas writing by me I suppose was brought on by the date for it just doesn’t seem that that time is around again and of course we know now that we won’t have snow but you have possibilities there. I know you will not be disappointed if snow doesn’t come but as I’ve often written a little bit of snow under my feet would sure feel fine especially if it were in certain parts of Indiana.

I do hope this gets to you by Christmas time but I have a feeling that the mail will be slow again this year because of the regular Christmas rush which is hard to control.

I’ve rambled lost lots but any way.
Lots of Love
Daddy

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/07/07/yesterdays-letters-roscoe/

Ten Days (Roscoe)

2 Replies

: November 30, 1943 envelope

: November 30, 1943, p. 1

: November 30, 1943, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Lieut. R.S. Yegerlehner USNR
USN Base Hosp. #4
Navy 133
F.P.O. San Francisco Calif.
Nov. 30, 1943

Dear Mother,

You mentioned in one of your letters I received today about forgetting to mail a letter for one day and was sorry – well, I haven’t written for 10 days as you probably know by now but I wasn’t supposed to say too much about a leave I was taking – So I’m sorry for not having written. It had to be that way – The only thing I did write was that my mail would be off schedule. There was 18 letters and a package from Ruth M. waiting when I got back.

About the vacation – I have a word picture of the whole thing but that can’t be written for reasons you already known by you. It was a chance I couldn’t afford to miss and maybe I had it coming because it has been some time since I’ve had a day off from duty. Not being able to write was the thing I hated the most.

There are so many things in your letters about which I’d like to write but three more just came so I’ll have to have some time to digest all of them. Most of the letters were old having gone to the old address the latest being Nov. 15, and the worry you had about leaving off the 133 was useless because it really isn’t too necessary although

[page 2] it does help.

The most vivid thing running thru all your letters was D. walking. I believe you stressed that the most. Maybe that was the thing that was most interesting to me. At least I enjoyed it lots, and I know he must enjoy walking from your word pictures of his actions while he is toddling along.

I hope Art Kenney was correct about the tour of duty. Of course one don’t expect things like that to happen on the exact day. What he told you about the contingent of Marines has proven correct in so far as I am concerned. He has been promoted rather rapidly to have reached the rate he has in such a short time but I think Art is a pretty bright boy.

So far the home town paper sent by Boonie hasn’t arrived but things like that are slow. I hope the pictures of D. are good you had taken under the sponsorship of the paper.

Maybe tomorrow I can write a little better letter after I’ve had a chance to think about yours and re read the ones I might have skipped over lightly –

Lots of Love
Daddy

Football Season (Roscoe)

1 Reply

: November 17, 1943 envelope

: November 17, 1943, p. 1

: November 17, 1943, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Lieut. R.S. Yegerlehner USNR
USN Base Hosp. #4 Navy 133
Nov. 17, 1943

Dear Mother,

Your V-mail of Oct. 19, came today. It was a little old but I read it just the same. When an old letter does come it doesn’t have the kick that a late one has but they are appreciated just the same. There are a few from Oct. 10 to Oct. 20 still missing but no doubt they will be dropping in sooner or later. Also got a letter from Lentz. I had a chance to see him not long ago and he dropped me a line just to let me know how he was making out at the present time. He never did work very hard and from what I gather from his letter he is still the same.

It’s hard to realize that its football season is here or I should say almost gone. I imagine Jim got as much kick out of the football game and the hot dogs as the boys did. Mark of course would get the biggest kick of all. So Jim’s appetite hasn’t slowed down? He should try Spam, etc., for some time. If he still goes good after that he really is something. I ate so little for so long that a big meal now makes me feel all stuffed up so I just don’t eat so much but I think I’ve gained back a

[page 2] little but I didn’t take off much to start with. Just a day or two ago I weighed exactly what I did when I joined the Navy so I’m not doing so badly but I had last year about this time, gained about 15 pounds.

My regular schedule of writing to you may be broken again in a day or two but the address will be the same so think nothing of it if the letters are slow in coming to you. I’ll write as often as possible.

Another Dr. & I took a long walk this p.m. just to see the countryside and it really is beautiful. It seems to me the green of the growing vegetation here is much more vivid than at home. Maybe there is more of it. I mean less cultivated spaces and the land is more hilly or I should say mountainous and possibly the point of view is what brings out the various shades. I wish I could describe things more minutely but that isn’t possible so it’s only general descriptive terms and those don’t help in painting a word picture.

It’s bed time and good nite time so
Lots of Love
Daddy

A Little Prejudice (Roscoe)

2 Replies

: November 16, 1943 envelope

: November 16, 1943, p. 1

: November 16, 1943, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Lieut. R.S. Yegerlehner USNR
USN Base Hosp. #4 Navy 133
F.P.O. San Fran Calif.
Nov. 16, 1943

Dear Mother,

Your v-mail of Oct. 28 came today and of course it was forwarded from the old place but that can be expected for some time to come.

I suppose the boys will write me all about their grades etc. You only mentioned John’s in your letters – were Mark’s too terrible? Possibly he hadn’t received his report card as of the date you wrote the letter. And I thought I was correct about the grade Mark was in but just wasn’t quite sure you see things get mixed up when a year passes by without contact. Your writing of D.’s popularity is rather consistent so he must be OK because you write about him, the folks write about him and Sis always puts in a good word for him so all those people can’t be wrong although they might be a little prejudice in his favor if you want to say it that way.

I also got a letter from one of my old buddies and he informs me that things are going about as usual at that place except some of my friends have also left

[page 2] so the changing process is still going on just like it was when I was there.

Don’t be disappointed if my mail to you is slowed down because it seems in these parts it takes mail longer than from where I was before – just one of those things which you probably have already found out and I’m sure your letters to me will also take longer. It seems v-mail is better this way and I might even try some that way but of course air-mail is still better if you can get it. It really doesn’t matter so much if mail is a little late just so it keeps coming regular.

The sun has been out most of the day and it sure does seem good to have that again even though we were very tired of the hot sun not so long ago. Some people say this is an unusual cold spell we are having at present for this time of the year at this place.

Well Dear it seems I’m at the end of the paper and you can tell I’m at the end of my subject matter so solong until tomorrow
Lots of Love
Daddy