Encoded for for the Veterans History Project, January 30, 2017.
All letters in the McNutt collection were digitized.
The following letters were transcribed from the handwritten originals by the donor. No alterations to this transcription has been made, although spelling errors are indicated with [sic]. Any special emphasis (i.e. underlining) is presented *between asterisks*.
I received your nice letter and cant express how glad I was to hear from you once more. I sure did miss your letters, but thought for a long time that you didn't care to write any longer. As I had written two letters and several post cards without getting an answer. Now do you blame me for thinking that you didn't want to write? You certainly did miscomprehend the letter I wrote to you from home. I merrily meant that as I didn't get to tell you good bye when I left Knoxville and maybe I would never get the chance again so would give you a farewell by letter. I didn't mean Myrtle that I didn't care to write any longer. Far from it. If such should ever be (which I know will never come) I wouldn't write two or three times after the one I wanted to be the last. After the letter I wrote from home I wrote
again from Roanoke just after I enlisted and then a card from Richmond and I think I sent another card from Norfolk. I wrote you another letter from the detention camp just after I got here and ask you to write as often as you could while I was in here in training as it might be two or three months possibly longer between letters before we could hear from each other. You see mail can't be sent direct to a ship and nobody much knows where the ships are and the mail is sent to a certain station and may be sent to several before it finally goes to the ship and there is no telling where the ships will be. Maybe in American water and maybe in foreign water. So after that letter I waited and looked for a letter from Myrtle but none came and I thought damn it and said if you had forgotten me and didn't want to write that it was up to you. I sure am glad now that it wasn't that way now that I know. Later I found out that you had misunderstood my
letter and said that if you thought that it was my place to write again I would do so, but I didn't think it was. Did you get my letter from here? Yes Myrtle it does seem that we just cant get along without quarreling or misunderstanding each other. I don't know whose fault it is, but I guess it's both of us. Let's cut this foolishness out and be sensible and not act so hasty about things we don't understand and find out for sure before we act. What do you say, alright? Honest I never saw two people like us in my life. I don't remember but one time that we have ever been together that some trouble didn't start and ruin all of our pleasures and was the time I was down at Jellico. I don't remember a time that I enjoyed any more that I did that time. The only thing I regretted from that trip was because I didn't ask you for that rose. Remember that, the beautiful red rose bud and the
the [sic.] flower I love best? I do love the bud of a red rose just when it begins to open a little, but I often think of that and the letter I wrote about it and smile to myself. I know it must have been awful foolish letter, but it wouldn't be the first one I ever wrote for most all of them are that way.
I enjoyed the fourth very much and no I didn't scrub any clothes that day or scrub decks. I didn't ever have to drill and had some swell dinner. They sure did give us some feed and give us all a cigar and beautiful little folder with the menu in it. If it had of been served out it would have been seven or eight course dinner. I would like to have sent you one of the folders, but they wouldn't let us have but one each and I sent that one home. But say, they starved us a week before and a week after it. I don't know if I would care for those kind of dinners to come along very often
or not. What do you say? I am thinking that if I ever enter the married state (and before that there will have to be an awful fool to let me hood-wink her and I don't think such a fool exists) it won't do my unfortunate wife much good, for if she ever mentions the word scrubbing clothes or floor I will break my neck getting away and there will be a widow, to her joy. Gee! I do hate this washing stuff(?) and just think, we are supposed to put on a clean suit ever day and wash one every day, wash leggins three times a week, underwear three times, hammock and bag every two weeks. They require us to take a bath three times a week that that is one of the things I like to do and usual do every day. We have nice shower baths here and it is a pleasure. There was one fellow in our company that wouldn't take a bath, so we politely got a couple of scrubbing brushes and they sure are stiff and walked down to his bungalow and
rousted him out and marched him over to the bath house and talk about a scrubbing he got one. We took those old rough scrubbing brushes and almost took the skin with the dirt and he hasn't had to be told to take a bath since. Believe me one thing you have got to do in the Navy and that's to be and keep clean. I like this gol-darned place pretty well now, and I am satisfied altho I get awful blue at times. I was here a month in this place before I got shore leave and it was awful in here. Money was worth no more than stones. I have had liberty now three times and will get it twice a week from now on. The first time it was raining nigger babys, but didn't stop us from going for we would have gone no matter come or what. I was strange how funny everything looked. You wouldn't think it, but the outside looked like a new world. It poured all afternoon and we stayed out
in every bit of it, so you can imagine how wet we got. We got liberty again Thur. and again today. I just come back and started this letter. I went over to Norfolk and stayed about an hour and beat it back. We have a fire drill once a week and our drill instructor told us, now if you hear three blasts from that whistle and the bell on the grinder (drill ground) topping, roll out of your hammock double quick, throw on what clothes you can get your hands on and get out in the co. street and wait for orders. So what do you think happened last night at 2:30 A.M. but three blasts sounded from that darned old whistle and somebody yelled fire. You ought to have seen them rolling out the fellows in the upper hammocks jumping down into the face of the ones in the lower and one fellow run into the sewer and very near breaking his leg. I was lucky and have an upper
hammock so I turned over and said to heck with it, but it wasn't but a little bit until some boob give my hammock a hank and I had to come. I managed to get out with about half of my clothes on and get in line. It was about ten minutes and the officer of the day came out and said go back to bed. They only give a false alarm to see how quick we would get out. Now I think that was a dirty Irish trick don't you? I ruined our whole nights sleep, for it was a long time before things got quiet and then we have to tumble out at 5:00 A.M. I don't know just how long I will be here, but I don't think it will be long until they ship some of us out. They are awful crowded now and more coming in and not many going out. They are going to have to do something with some of us. There are about six thousand in this station now. There has been a lot of talk going around here about sending a bunch home on
reserve. Gee! But I wish they would send me home on reserve, but I know I'll not be so lucky. Our drill instructor told us yesterday he and a lot of other instructors are going to Jamestown tomorrow or Monday and that we're going to try to get them to let them take their companies with them, but don't know for sure if we will get to go. I hope so. I used the word them enough, but please overlook bad spelling and grammar. I could write all day about life in Navy and troubles of a sailor, but will have to close the subject. You know what they call us in here? Rookies.
I sure am glad you got a good position but am sorry it wasn't in K or some other good town. That certainly is a excellent salary to start on, and you must remember that usually it takes a stenographer with several years experience to get $80.00 per month. I hope you get it soon, but you
must not expect promotion too fast. I have found out and you will find out that it takes years of experience and you have to start at the bottom, take a lot of cross words before you demand a large salary. Do your work good and don't expect promotion to fast and you will get there by and bye. I know you are going to succeed and please your employer but don't get discouraged when things don't go just right. I am awful sorry you haven't companions there fit to associate with, but co company is better than bad company, so just watch yourself and be careful and you will be alright. You will find out later and juss(?) you are finding out now. Many things and troubles in business life that you don't know now but ball this goes with life and just keep pegging away. Ans. Real soon and a long letter.
[Lower left corner] U.S. Naval Training Sta. C/O Norfolk, Va.
With lots of love,