Dearest Betty

Letter # 4
August 22, 1950
Aboard Ship

Dearest Betty,

Well, did they ever catch up with me today! Shots galore---five to be exact. I missed them all in Pendleton, so got caught today for the works. We will cross the International Date line again today. Have had lots of fun kidding the troops about what it is all about –---

School on mines and demolitions today --- the two 4—gun batteries have been made into four 6 –gun batteries---quite an expansion --- reserves, of course—most of them ex-service so is not so bad. I just had a bath and washed six suites of Dungarees—salt water—sure wish I had your Thor for about an hour. I have had so much time on my hands aboard ship---three meals a day and only two lectures to give---while getting ready to come aboard, I was too busy to think.


(At age 40 my dad was older than the others. He had served in WW II
in The first Marine Division in Guadalcanal)