Tag Archives: Operation Cleanslate

Promotion (Roscoe)

: March 8, 1943 envelope

: March 8, 1943, p. 1

: March 8, 1943, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Mar. 8, 1943
Lt R. S. Yegerlehner
Note (jg) gone
A.P.O. 43
% Postmaster

Dear Mother,

I hope you noticed the (jg) gone from the title. It is sorta peculiar that this would come just 7 mo to the day that we left the U.S.A. Now that gives the same pay and rate as a captain in the Army or in other words two stripes. I can’t send any more money at present because my pay accounts allotments etc are still in Noumea so all I can do is let the whole business pile up until such time as I’ll get there or they are sent to me. Write the folk and tell them and maybe I can

[page 2] spare one sheet of paper for that purpose, but just in case I don’t you write them.

It’s almost too dark to write more just now so I’ll try to finish in the A.M. Our lights here just don’t work.

Next A.M. not much change in temperature or otherwise. Didn’t rain but weather still hot and flies still bad.

Tell others who might write about the omission of the (jg) part.

Lots of Love,
Daddy

Another possible picture from the Russell Islands, 1943

©2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found at: https://genealogylady.net/2014/02/04/promotion-roscoe/

Dry spell (Roscoe)

8 Replies

: March 6, 1943 envelope

: March 6, 1943, p. 1

: March 6, 1943, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Sat. Mar 6
Lt (jg) Yegerlehner
A.P.O. 43
% Postmaster, San Fran.

Dear Mother,

Not much to write about since yesterday – In other words business as usual. It’s hard to understand our long dry spell after so much rain at first but it sure does help to dry out the damp clothing. I’m glad I left my blues in Noumea because it is dry there as compared to here.

My mail from here should be getting to you by now, I hope, but as yet none of yours has come thru.

I forgot to mention but the other eve. we had a good chicken

[page 2] dinner and you can believe me it was appreciated after eating out of can. Also had some fresh steak for dinner so things aren’t so bad. And we have some pasteries now and then so that isn’t so bad. Of course, at all times we can have milk from the nuts that are abundant but I told you the other day of my experience with those.

Well, I’m all run down and it’s time for evening chow so all I can say is watch the newspapers and listen to the Radio –

Love Daddy

Sat. Mar. 6, 1943
Lt. (jg) Yegerlehner
A.P.O. 43
% P.M.
San Fran. Calif.

______________________________________

Since Roscoe was beginning to send hints to Gladys in the form of “read the newspapers or listen to the radio”, I tried to find some newspaper articles about this time of the war in the Pacific in order to embellish my posts. But I found something a whole lot better! On the Digital Commons @ Liberty University website, I found a wonderful article by David Lindsey Snead titled “Obscure but Important: The United States and the Russell Islands in World War II.” Roscoe was in fact on the Russell Islands, and a member of Operation Cleanslate. This is the first time I have been able to find any detailed information about Operation Cleanslate. I actually had chills when I found the first reference to Cleanslate in the article. Several of Gladys’ letters to Roscoe have Cleanslate written across them as their forwarding address. Among the family photographs are four large pictures that were obviously taken during World War II, but I had no idea when they were taken. I don’t know if Roscoe took the pictures himself or if they were military stock photos. At this point, I believe they were probably taken on the Russell Islands.

A new runway, Russell Islands, 1943

©2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found at: https://genealogylady.net/2014/01/31/dry-spell-roscoe/

Navy 224 (Roscoe)

1 Reply

: February 15, 1943 Envelope

: February 15, 1943, p. 1

: February 15, 1943, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Mon. [February 15, 1943]
Lt (jg) Yegerlehner
Navy 224
% Fleet P.O.
San Francisco Calif.

Dear Mother,

Use the above address when writing in the future.

Everything is swell. Weather still warm and most of us griping as usual. Your mail to me will be delayed a little due to the change in address but it will reach me in due time.

Don’t expect my mail to you to be as regular as it was for some time. Tell

[page 2] the boys I’ll write them later. You can also drop the folk a line and I’ll write them later.

The box I was going to send home will be stored so don’t expect it. I’ll be able to write more later so for the moment Solong.

Love Daddy

____________________________

U. S. S. John Penn – Image courtesy of Wikipedia

At this point, Roscoe was being transferred. He was detached from his post at the Advanced Naval Base at Noumea, New Caledonia. On February 12, he boarded the ship U. S. S. JOHN PENN and was transported to his new location. He was part of “The First Special Detail.” The above letter was likely written on board the U. S. S. JOHN PENN. Arriving on February 16, 1943, Roscoe and his companions disembarked as members of Advance Naval Base Cleanslate. Time will tell where Cleanslate was located.

Image from Ancestry.com

: 4th Endorsement

: 5th Endorsement

The U. S. S. JOHN PENN was torpedoed and sunk later that year near Guadalcanal. For more information on this ship: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_John_Penn_(APA-23)