Encoded for for the Veterans History Project, October 15, 2014.
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 long letter and certainly did enjoy it. It seems I can't write a decent letter any more. I either don't have time or feel too stupid to write. I am over at my brothers now and have a forty eight hour leave so am kindly rested up a bit and will try to improve on writing just a little whether I succeed or not. It is awful hard to write a letter on board a ship anyway as your have
to sit on the deck and write on your knee and somebody is always jabbering and running against you.
At least I sent you a small box of candy and I know you think I am an awful liar. I tell you I am going to do something and maybe six months later I do it. My intentions are good Myrtle whether I do as I should or not. I would have sent you a little ring with an anchor and U.S.N. on it but I didn't know what size you wore. They are nice little things and most of them are for your little finger. I may take a chance and send you one anyway. I would wait and get your size but don't think I will be in the yards by the time I hear from you. I may be up around Hoboken N.Y. by then and I don't expect I will get a chance up there to buy one. I wanted to send sister one too but didn't know her size either. When you write be sure and give me your size and if I am where I can buy one I will send it.
Has cousin Chas. Decided to go into business at Corbin or not? I kindly hate to see you
move there because I think Jellico is an awful nice place and it's not very agreeable to live in a place where the majority of the people are not well-to-do. You know it is not much desirable to associate with people that is not of your own class. I know I had lot of that to put up with at home and it has took a lot of work for me to overcome things that I learned and fell into by associating with these people. I being a kid and haven't overcome it all by a long ways yet. I still have a lot of that put up with in the Navy but
I aught to have sense enough to not fall in with those things now. At least I am old enough, but as you know I did fall into one of the worse one of them. Some times I think what foolish things I do like telling you I get drunk and the like when I know you will think less of me when you know these things, but still Myrtle I think it is nothing but right for you to know everything like that about me and if you should ever learn to really and truly love me
I don't want you to be able to say why I didn't know you did anything like that and that it might have been different if I had of known you did things like that. Myrtle dear I want you to know me to be what I am and if I am hornery cuss (sic) I want you to know it, for I don't believe in making a girl think she is getting something and then when she gets him find out that he is no good after it is too late. But darned if it don't seem to me like usually a good man gets a no good woman and a woman that deserves a good husband most usually gets a good for nothing boob that is not worth the room he would take up in her. Most of boys drink a little but the girls don't know it and they take pains that the girls don't find it out so you see I am nuttie and nutttie as I can be for telling you I do such things and beware little girl beware. Myrtle please for your good and happiness and for Gods sake never marry a man who makes a habit
of drinking for he will wreck your happiness and make your home and life a hell. I have been drunk (not so very soon) a number of times and I can't see why any man will do such things and degrade himself so low, but still I have done that very thing. I am trying awful hard little girl to make myself and be what you would want me to be.
You know the fellow I told you about deserting ? Well, he only stayed about four days out and come back. He got a Summary
Court Martial for it and they haven't given him a trial yet. I don't know just what the punishment will be, but it is a pretty serious offense. They have about ten ups every week and give them court-martials. Several of the officers said that the G.W. (USS Geo. Washington) had the largest bunch of rough-necks they ever saw in their lives. Nice reputation for us eh? Well I am not such a rough neck after all for I haven't been on report since I have been in the Navy and that is no. A record. I hope I will
never get on report either. One sailor came on board stewed up to the gills and walked up to the officer-of-the-deck and slapped him on the back and said "Hell old top you and I used to be pals. What don't know me eh? The hell you don't. Have you forgot the good old time we have had together?" And so on. He got about $50.00 fine and thirty days in the brig on bread and water one square meal a week. Well Myrtle, I guess we will leave the yards around Nov. 10th and God only know where we go from here I don't. Some say we go to Hoboken, but really no one knows. We will take a trial trip tho before starting across maybe down around Hampton Roads. You asked my why I enlisted as fireman. Well, I didn't know much about the different branches and the recruiting officer advised me to take fireman so I did and think now that is about as good as anything else I could have taken. Myrtle girl it is all hard work in here and we are all kicked about like a bunch of dogs. There is not much difference, but even at that it's not so bad after all. I am
perfectly satisfied in here as long as the war lasts and when it is over if I still survive I am going to get out of it.
Gee Myrtle you make me sick with the thought of going home Xmas but it is not for me it's impossible. I may spend Christmas in a foreign land.
Well I will have to close as it is 6:00 A.M. now and have been up all night. I have to go in and go to work at eight. Please ans. Real awful soon and don't forget to give me the size ring you wear.
With lots of love,