Lt. (j.g.) Gilbert
Steingart
U.S.S. Ocelot, F.P.O.
San Francisco
Saturday 6 January
1945, 9:40 PM
Dearest Eleanor,
Got another
stack of mail today. Six from you, one
from my mother thanking me for her Xmas gift and one from Libby thanking me for
their gifts. Also I got that comic book
and the box of plastic for molding, Now
I'll see what I can do. Your mail was
marked the 23rd, 26th, 27th, and 28th.
Guess I'm just about caught up on all your back letters.
Guess you're
curious about Helen Dingey and D.G. If
you remember, about four years ago I had a patient who was pregnant when her
husband died. Well every year she has remembered
me at Xmas. I guess this is the first
time I've missed. Will have to drop her
a note.
About film,
don't send any if you haven't already.
The way parcel post takes its time getting out, who knows when it'd reach me. Beside I have an idea we'll be on the move
again soon.
I'm glad you
saw "Casanova Brown." Now you
know why I wanted you to see it.
I did enjoy
the pictures of the kids and I'll add them to my pin ups. Got the chains also and got the bum one fixed
up. Should have both necklaces ready in
a few days and I'll send them on. How
about another chain so I can make one for you also. I've got enough matched shells after my last
trip ashore. And , by the way, these
necklaces sold from $12 to $20 in Pearl Harbor and here at the officers' club
they sell for as high as $30 so don't let the kids wear them when they're out
playing.
Yes dear I do
enjoy the clippings and so do several of my shipmates. Keep them coming. How about the date on the pages from
U.S. News so we can tell better about the news forecasts.
Our glee club
is dead for the time being. Too many
other things interfere with rehearsals.
However as soon as our routine permits we'll resume for our own
amusement.
Don't worry
about when you get a hold of me. Wait
until I get a hold of you. I hope you
can take it! And don't worry about you or me changing. We'll always be as before, a boy and a girl
in love even with gray hair and what have you.
About Sol, I
thought you said he was a storekeeper.
Storekeepers are rated first, second and third class petty
officers. There is no such thing as a
seamen third class. As a Navy wife you
ought to brush up on the grades of enlisted men and ranks of officers.
"Since
You Went Away" upset a lot of us too.
As I said before, even though it was a good movie it is not a moral
builder and shouldn't be shown overseas.
So you never
saw a girl with a red tochas, well neither have I but what could I do without a
full selection of colors. I'm sending
you a menu of our New Year's Dinner. Add
it to our collection.
That last
poem "This is My Beloved" by Benton was quite torrid and I liked
it. Send more please.
Well you
finally found out what you wanted to know.
My darling wife will always find out what she wants to know, won't she?
The Officers'
Wives' Club sounds alright but you know the Santa Monica "Elite" and
remember the Women's Club. However use
your judgment and it might not hurt to phone Mrs. Gail anyway.
So much for
your letters of today. Now aboard the
Ocelot everything is serene. We were to
have another personnel and ship's inspection but it poured all morning and it
was called off. In the meantime I had
called off all appointments in anticipation of the inspection so I had nothing
to do all morning but read mail.
This
afternoon everybody, but me, went fishing--no fish. Guess I'll have to show them how it's done.
Tonight's movie was "Hey Rookie"
with Anne Miller and the original soldier cast.
In addition there were a few skits stolen from "Meet the People." All in all it didn't come up to the stage
show. Do you remember, dear when we saw
it? It was at either the Belasco or Morgan and the war seemed so far away. Bet if you were sitting next to me tonight,
I'd have enjoyed the show a lot more.
I have some
more letters to write so I'll sign off now Sweet. Goodnight.
Love,
Gil
New Year's Menu
One of the Pictures of the Kids
