September 31, 1945 (to Marion Sneen)

At sea and how!

Sept. 31, 1945

Dear Marion –

The rocking of this ship is not exactly conducive to neat penmanship so try to bear with me while I scribble this note.

I’m finally over the hump now, I hope, and don’t expect to get seasick from here to Japan. I’m really proud of myself, cuz I haven’t missed a meal thuuu (whoops that was a bad roll) thus far, while all around me they’re sick as dogs. I admit I have been lying on my sack fighting it most the time, but I’m up & feeling good now. ‘Tis a funny feeling, Marion. I guess you haven’t experienced it – very much like the dizzy feeling you get after “one too many” – your head starts to revolve and – “that’s all brother!”

But to get to the point of this thing called a letter – I have now at last been officially initiated into the Navy – I’m one of Father Neptune’s “boys”. And I mean it. For the last 3 days we’ve been blown all over this Pacific right in the center of one of those gadgets called a typhoon, We started from Luzon; got way up past Okanawa when we received a storm warning. The skipper turned around to try to avoid it, but the typhoon also did an “about face” & caught us. We tore along completely at it’s mercy for three days – it was closed in so much we couldn’t even see our own bow from the con tower. Navigation was solely by radar (the whole convoy stuck together & had a job avoiding collision) Finally when the storm overran us we found ourselves on the East side of Luzon further south than our starting pt. – Lingayen Gulf.

I could never explain the way the ocean looked during the storm. The water lashing across the deck reminded me of an old fashioned Minn. blizzard at it’s worst. All the canvas on our trucks blew off.

Eating was a problem – the colored boy really got a workout. First he’d walk uphill to serve us, & then walk back uphill to the kitchen. We had to hold on to the table to keep from sliding out into the middle of the room Some dope would drop a pea on the tablecloth & the damn thing would roll from one end of the table to the other & back. About that time about three or four jokers would hurry out with their hands over their mouths. Then when the salt & pepper shakers started to waltz with each other the rest of the boys would excuse themselves. I held out ‘till one of the empty chairs fell over then I decided I was no longer hungry – I hit the sack. We have our Bn. medic aboard – he hasn’t been out of bed since the storm was your – we feed him in bed.

Gosh – this is much longer than I expected it to be, Marion, hope you don’t mind all this chatter.

We’re again on our course heading for Japan – we’ll be a little late naturally. This tub is still rocking considerably – they say we’ll have it rough for several days as a result of the blow. I hear our landing area has been changed because of mines in the Nagoya harbor – hope they’re cleared out where we go in. If you get this letter you’ll know they have been. Good logic?

We still are in the dark as to exactly what our job will be when we get there – but I’ll let you know as things develop. Hope I won’t have to sweat out the orient for very long. Maybe a couple of months will see me back on the ocean again – homeward bound. Let’s hope! More later

Love, Dip

P.S. How’s your incubus?