2 April 1956

Dear Folks

Just got word that mail will leave the ship sometime tomorrow. It hasn’t gone for several days now, so you’ll probably get a batch of letters all at once. If I remember it, I’ll try to keep putting the date on the upper left hand corner of the envelope, so that when you do get a bunch all at once you’ll be able to read them in order.

Actually, if I were a model Mess Cook Yeoman, I’d be busy trying to dig my out of the six tons of work I’ve accumulated & been bequeathed during the day. Oh, well, it will only take ten or twenty days to catch up, working 24 hours a day.

It feels good to be at sea again, which is really a rather inane comment, since the only way I can tell we’re moving is by the vibrations.

I’ve been reconsidering going to Madrid; much as I’d love to go, it would be nice to have that money saved. But you know me when it comes to a choice of buying something I want or saving money. Well, we shall see.

Actually, aside from Berlin, I’ve been to every major city in Europe—Paris, Rome, Naples—not to mention Cannes, Nice, Genoa, Beirut, Rhodes, Palma, Gibraltar, & San Remo. I’ve covered almost every foot of both the French & Italian Rivieras. So if I don’t get to Madrid…well…. If I don’t go, I’ll definitely call home from Valencia, which will be somewhere between the 7th & 16th of this month. You probably won’t even get this until the 10th or so.

Tell me (you may already have)—did you receive the film yet? And did you, as promised, show it only once? As I said, I’ve only seen Baalbek once, & I wouldn’t want you to beat me at my own game.

Speaking of movies—I wish they’d get some good ones on this tub; the other night we saw "Random Harvest" with Ronald Coleman & Greer Garson. It was good, & I was way too young to remember the first time I’d seen it. Oh, when I get home.

I managed to get Lloyd a job in the ship’s store office as a yeoman, & he got off mess cooking today. He’s a good kid—typical All American Boy type. All he’s worried about is getting home to see his girl—poor kid; he’s been away from home four months now, if that long.

131 days.

Chief Sewell has taken over the management of the mess decks & control of the Mess Cooks. He advocates a steel fist regime, which makes it misery for the poor mess cooks. He’s taken over almost all my duties, which leaves me rather lost.

I never have been quite sure just what I’m supposed to be around here. Officially, I am the Mess Cook Yeoman—I check them in & out, make up liberty cards & do any paperwork in connection with them. However, I also type up the menu for the Chief, type all sorts of letters for Mr. Clower, & do odd jobs for Coutre. I belong to everyone & no one. Oh well.

Did you know that 131 days has 3,144 hours—I’ve already spent 600 days or 14,400 hours in.

And with that fascinating bit of news, I leave you.

Love

Roge