5 December 1955

Dear Folks

I have a stinking suspicion that all is not well between the State of Illinois & the USS Ticonderoga—I’ve sent several more than five letters home, plus Ching-Chong, whom if you haven’t received by now you probably won’t at all.

That settles it, though—I’m not mailing another single thing home—Christmas will have to wait till next August, & that’s all there is to it.

It only affirms a belief I have held for some time—namely that I despise the United States Navy & everything connected with it with an undying passion. I would not spit on the best part of it & advise anyone considering joining to shoot themselves without further ado!

I do have Xmas presents for you, but I’ll be damned if I’ll mail them

Of course I got the camera—I wrote & thanked you profusely. You in fact have a very short memory, because I received a letter from dad telling me how much to ask for my other one. Oh, hell, this whole Navy is so damn …**@ed up it’s a wonder all its ships are still afloat.

Yes (again) I got the cookies—very good. Yes, I got the fudge—sorry to say it was excellent. Ah, but now it sounds as though I’m bitter---Well, I am. I hate, loathe, abominate, abhor, despise, detest, & generally dislike the U.S. Navy. Do I make myself clear? The point I’m trying to get across is that I am not particularly enthralled with military life.

Got two letters from the Auto insurance company addressed to NavCad F.R. Margason—H A H ! ! !

Sorry—don’t know what made me blow up like this, but I honestly am so damned fed up with the whole mess—not disheartened, mind you; just sick.

I’ve written every single day, usually mailing them in batches of two to four days in one
letter.

Didn’t you read about our "explosion" as the papers called it? Gary wrote & mentioned it—it happened on the 21st & your letters I got today (5th) were mailed the 28th—not a word.

Enough drivel—I’ll vent the rest of my spleen in tonite’s journal.

Love
Roge

P.S. KSFM Remember that picture—have it taken at once! Excuse the profanity, but I hear so much of it, it becomes a part of me.