Lt. (j.g.) Gilbert
Steingart
U.S.S. Ocelot, F.P.O.
San Francisco
Monday 25 December
1944, 9:30 PM
Dearest Eleanor,
After the
movie last night, "Kismet" with Ronald Colman and Marlene Dietrich I
went to my room and finished "Strange Fruit." There were several parties on board but with
you so far away I really had nothing to celebrate. So I went to bed early and awoke without a headache
which is more than most of the officers did.
Just had juice
and coffee for breakfast. This being
Xmas I didn't keep any office hours. By
various and devious methods I got two quarts of grain alcohol and spiked the
egg nog for dinner. The drink was so
good that no one knew anything was in it until afterwards. The captain and the exec had one each and
still don't know it was spiked. Further,
just before dinner, I called all the corpsmen and a few officers. I gave each a shot. I bought the stuff
in Pearl. Is it valuable! Right on
our ship a quart of whiskey sold for $36.00.
I was tempted to sell the three pints I had. However I preferred using a
quart as I did today and save the rest for New Year's Eve. What is money anyway? I'm enclosing the menu and it was really
good. All the food was set out buffet
style, and we ate all we could hold.
Spent the
afternoon resting, reading and weaving.
I'm going to make identical bracelets for you and our girls. At least I started something but I won't know
until I'm further along. Anyway, we'll
see.
For supper
tonight we just had cold cuts of turkey and ham left over with the necessary
trimmings, but who could eat?
After eating
we had a good, old fashioned song fest.
And when movie time came they just wouldn't stop singing until the captain
came down to see the picture. The movie
was a riot. It was the "Dough Girls"
with Ann Sheridan, Alexis Smith and Jane Wynn.
It is one of the most hilarious pictures we've seen and was just the
thing to cap Xmas for men away from home.
No mail today
so I have little more to add. Dear, do
you remember how in past Xmas nights, the whole family came over for a drink,
to view of our tree and to see our two darlings. Next year business as usual for the
Steingarts.
Dr. Bushyager
got a recording from home and I can hear him playing it now. His wife and little girl (five or six) both
send him love. I don't know why you had
trouble sending me recordings. A package
with odds and ends can be sent and no one knows the difference. One thing, pack everything well, you should
see how the packages look when they arrive.
Most of them are marked and many have the contents falling out.
Good night
darling, how I would love to hold you in my arms and just kiss you once. Once?
Well that would be a good place to start, wouldn't it?
Impatiently
Gil
Xmas Dinner Menu
Autographs on Back of Menu
No comments:
Post a Comment