The Skipper and I Drove Around

Lt. (j.g.) Gilbert Steingart

          U.S.S. Ocelot, F.P.O. San Francisco
             Monday 9 October, 1944, 10:30 PM

Dearest Eleanor,

          Well darling, here I am again.  This was a varied day for me.  Censored mail till 8:30.  Examined seven men from our ship and five from another for dental treatment.  Then took care of one of them.  Then went back to reading mail.  By the time I was through it was lunch time and so I ate again.

          After lunch the skipper and I drove out to look for certain recreational gear we needed and some things that he wished to buy for himself.  Then we stopped for a couple of drinks and returned to the ship.  I was hoping to find some mail but I guess struck out today.

          This evening we had "The Great Moment" with Joel McCrea and Betty Field.  When you wrote that you saw it I didn't know what you were referring to.  Marty and I saw it previewed at the Village Theater; that was the only time we attended a movie together.  The original title was "There Shall Be No Pain."   No wonder I didn't recognize it.  The sequences in the picture were also changed.  Instead of the flashbacks as it is now shown, the picture originally began with Morton being a med student and ended with his death.  I do believe the change improved the picture considerably.

          Honey, with no questions to answer I hardly know what to say except that my thoughts are of you.  Very often during my waking moments,  I wish that you could see this thing or enjoy that thing with me.  I do love you, Sweet, and I know how hard it must be for you.  How I wish I could be home to give you a lift.

          Nothing more for now, darling.  I'll finish in the morning after I've seen what the mail brings.  Good night and pleasant dreams.

Lovingly

Gil