Scuttlebutt Is Unreliable

Lt. (j.g.) Gilbert Steingart

U.S.S. Ocelot, F.P.O. San Francisco

Saturday 2 June 1945, 7:15 PM

Dearest Eleanor,   

          Hello Sweet, I hit the jackpot again today.  I got ten letters in all, eight from you and one each from Deb and Ethyl.  Outside of that today was very uneventful.  I worked all morning and didn't get to read my mail until after lunch.  Then a few of us went ashore and got back at 6:00 P.M. and now here I am.

          I really was disappointed about missing Sol. As an enlisted man it is pretty hard for him to get around but if I had known the ship he was on (and I would have if I'd had the name), it would have been a simple matter for me to make the run. Of course it would be nice if our ship would make the states once in awhile, but I really wouldn't care for duty on an APA.  They are always in there when the going is tough and they have plenty of casualties.  Don't say anything to the "Gs."  You see even Sol didn't know he was going back to Frisco when I did.  I can find out about others but not about myself.  Oh, well!

          I've never given up about getting back soon.  However so much of the scuttlebutt is unreliable, I don't mention stuff unless it is well founded.  Don't worry, I'll ask for Long Beach and I'm pretty sure to get it.

          What do you mean my course grades should be 4.0?  Don't worry I won't flunk and anything above 3.9-- is excellent.

          It is getting close to movie time so I'll secure until later.  Don't go away.  I'll be back soon.

          9:45 and here I am again Honey.  We had an excellent movie tonight.  It was "Conflict" with Humphrey Bogart, Alexis Smith and Sidney Greenstreet.  Now back to your letters.

          Bet I know the photography place Wallie is taking over.  Do you remember the young Jewish fellow who took some pictures at Linda's 4th or 5th birthday party? He is married to a shiksa and is in the Army.  It all ties up very nicely.

          Your news of Iz Goldman is interesting.  By the by, you sent me Simmy Marcus' address once and I misplaced it.  Also Vic Spitzer's.  How about sending them to me again.

          Cox is my roommate.  He is married and has three kiddies.  He has been in the Navy for about ten years and is a lieutenant (j.g.) with a permanent rank of chief yeoman.  You see after the war all men's rank will revert back to what they were at the beginning of the war or when they were first commissioned if they came in after the war started.  Peacetime promotions are very slow.  Of course invite him over.  He still hasn't left here.  Lord alone knows where his relief is.

          I love your ideas about our new home.  They certainly are not too crazy.

          Yes I went to a lot of trouble for my shells but it was lots of fun, and the effort well worth the results or vice versa.

          Linda seems to be spending lots of time on her dancing and it sounds like she is getting quite good at it.  Gosh it's been so long now since I've seen any of you that I wonder if I'll know how to act when I get back.  I've really been living in the present and try not to think of the past or future.  Thinking of the past brings back many loving memories and thoughts but also makes me homesick and blue.  Looking to the future makes time drag, so it's just today.  Tomorrow will take care of itself.

          I do love you Darling and while all those couples you write about are together, we are far apart.  That is, far apart physically, yet you are always in my thoughts.

          I'm all writ out for tonight so I'll sign off.  Goodnight Sweetheart, until tomorrow.

Yours alone,

Gil

Japanese Invasion Money

Lt. (j.g.) Gilbert Steingart

U.S.S. Ocelot, F.P.O. San Francisco

Wednesday 30 May 1945, 10:15 PM

Dearest Darling,

          Hello Sweet, how is my Eleanor tonight?  I've had quite a busy and interesting day.  Of course to begin with, I worked on patients all morning.  After lunch I took the liberty party ashore.  We had over one hundred men go, so we got an LCI to take us over and came up on the beach just as you've seen it done in the movies.

          After I got the men squared away I decided to go over to the officers' club.  It seemed very close for all there was separating the club from the enlisted men's area was a great big rocky hill.  Well they told me there was a trail winding around the rock and so I started out.  It had been raining and the ground was quite muddy and in a couple of minutes I found myself in real jungle surroundings.  The brush and trees were so thick you couldn't walk except along the trail which ran along the bank of the muddy stream.  There were big gnarled roots and large rocks. It wasn't easy going.  Believe me I can appreciate a lot more what some of our boys went through in the jungles with full packs on their shoulders and death hidden behind each tree.  Anyway after about fifteen minutes the going got easier and in another few minutes I was back on the beach.

          I found a group of officers from the ship there and had a couple of drinks with them.  Then several of us took a walk along the beach.  We found a family of natives living in a small hut on the beach.  The whole hut wasn't any larger than our den, yet the family consisted of a father and mother, two teenaged boys, two teen aged girls and one girl in her twenties.  The teenagers looked fairly clean but the rest of the family, the surroundings and the hut itself were filthy.  Tied up alongside of the hut was a sow with two pigs and two scrawny looking chicks.  They speak English well enough to be understood and I'll have some very interesting stories to tell.  I did pick up several denominations of Japanese Invasion money and expect to get many other souvenirs in this area.  At 4:15 I went back to the enlisted men's area via the jungle and rounded up the men.  At 5:00 PM we boarded the LCI and returned to our ship.  I showered and changed and was just in time for a late dinner.

          The movie tonight was excellent.  It was "Animal Kingdom" with Ann Sheridan, Alexis Smith, Jack Carson and others.  Be sure to see it.  You'll enjoy it.

          There was no mail again today.  I understand that due to some mix up all our mail that arrived here was sent back to our last stopping place.  I suppose it'll be weeks before some of it catches up with us.

          No more for now Darling, so I'll sign off.  Goodnight Sweet, I do love you and miss you.

Yours for always,

Gil

Also, after the liberation of the Philippines, the Red Cross came in to help out. They obtained Japanese Invasion Currency notes, and punched 2 holes in each one. These hole-punched notes were distributed to the military as souvenirs. 

Natives in front of hut

Aboard Ship A Quart of Whiskey Sold for $36.00

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