A Cold War Love Story

By Alan E. Fisk Jr.

"A Cold War Love Story" is comprised of a collection of letters that author Alan Fisk Jr's parents exchanged during their 50 year love story. Initially separated by 1,000 miles, and separated off and on again because of the demands of service in the United States Navy, the couple's relationship is thoroughly logged by the exchange of written words on post cards, interiors of books, and photographs.

This endearing correspondence paints the portrait of a long distance relationship before the digital age. These human artifacts still carry the emotion that they were endowed with a lifetime ago, a testament to the devotion of two lovers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Oct 22, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098327354

Book preview

This book is dedicated to the loving memory of my father, Alan Sr. and my mother, Margaret and their unique love story. In addition, it is dedicated to my loving wife, Annette and our cat Lucy. A labor of love and dedication, this book took four years of work to bring to fruition.

Copywrite © 2020 Alan E. Fisk, Jr.

Self-published by Alan E. Fisk, Jr.

All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced by any means (photocopying, electronic, recording, mechanical, electronic or otherwise) without prior written permission of the Publisher.

The publisher can be contacted at PO BOX 534, Blue Bell, PA 19422.

All correspondence (written and audio) and photographs are originals from the Fisk family archives.

ISBN: 978-1-0983273-5-4

Cover: A nuclear SSBN submarine in Holy Loch Scotland.

My mom circa 1966.

My dad circa 1966.

Table of Contents

Introduction

USS Avenge

Wedding

Officer Candidate School

USS Sea Leopard

USS Von Steuben

USS James Madison

No Longer At Sea

Lunch Love Notes & Other Messages

Mom’s Passing

Glossary

A Cold War Love Story

A marvelous, unique and very happy fairytale is what my parents always called their love story. It also was one that was very unlikely to have happened in the first place. Both of them were born during World War II and it was very improbable that they would ever meet, let alone fall in love. Separated by about 1,200 miles at a time before cell phones and the internet, their paths would most likely never meet. But their paths met and they fell in love. I knew about their love story since I saw it in person for almost 50 years.

I missed the contact I used to have with my parents. My mom passed suddenly one night in January 2010 from a heart ailment and I no longer could talk to her. My dad could not talk normally due to dementia that culminated in a stroke in late 2015. Afterwards, he only spoke in short sentences and normal conversations were not possible. A year later, I remembered the large number of letters my mom gave me. They were ones my parents wrote to each other from when they were courting and all the way up to 2000’s.

The letters were not stored in one place. Most were kept in our basement in an old 1960’s cardboard box that originally contained disposable baby diapers. Some were in a filing cabinet. One was used as a bookmark. Some were in my mom’s desk & others in my dad’s. One was on a garage shelf with car parts and a few were in my dad’s last briefcase. I gathered them up and put them in order. Then I began to read them. As expected, I read things I knew but others I learned for the first time. It was putting together fragments of two lives bit by bit, one passed and one lost to dementia. This journey of discovery made me feel a bit closer to my parents as if they both were still young, healthy and alive. It was a connection with my parents that I was yearning to have back again.

The letters had a tenuous life. Most were written with water-based ink and put in a basement that flooded frequently! It was very possible they could have been destroyed. Surely some have been lost over the years but I found as many as possible. I gathered what I found and realized what a remarkable archive they left, I began to put their writings into a book and wanted to share their love story with the world. My parents left a vast archive of letters, 35-millimeter slides and reel to reel audio tapes. It is a truly unique archive of a love story that spanned half a century. I never read their letters until I was missing them and felt I could get a bit closer to them by reading and get the flavor of their personalities when they both were still vibrant and alive. I realized the documentation they left was a remarkable testament to their love and validated what I saw in person.

My dad’s 35-millimeter pictures are more unique than most. Not only was he a good photographer but he developed the pictures himself to save money. After they were taken, he put the film into a fabric dark bag, opened the film container and into a developing canister the film went. Then the dozen chemicals needed were put into reused glass pickle jars and into a warm bath in the tub. I remember helping him pour the chemicals in and out one by one. After the last chemical was poured out, the canaster was opened and the film was hung to dry. Then it was cut into individual pictures that were put into a slide and was folded over. Then the slide was put into a heated press to activate the glue. Once cool, the slide was done & ready to be seen with a slide projector.

After reading the letters I yearned to hear their voices from the reel to reel tapes. However, there was a problem. Years after my mom passed my dad got rid of things that should have been kept. One casualty was our reel to reel tape player. I had to find a working one to listen to the tapes. Reel to reel tape players are a bit of orphan technology and they are hard to find. After a year I found a working one. Then I finally heard the tapes for the first time in about 50 years. My parent’s voices sounded so young! My dad in his late 20’s and mom in her middle 20’s. It was moving hearing her voice for the first time in almost a decade. Their words of reciprocated love were touching and moving. The letters and tapes cemented what I saw in person and proved that their love was unique.

My mom was born in 1945 and was the youngest of four sisters. Elvera was the eldest. Georgie was second and Eleanor was third. Her parents, George and Elvera Thompson, lived in the Hyde Park section of Cincinnati, Ohio. The houses there were built in the late 19 teens to early 1920’s. Her parents were poor due to the Great Depression. However, that was not the case before the crash. George was a skilled carpenter and he & grandma owned and rented several homes in the area. Because of the Depression, they lost all of the rental homes. Tenants could not pay rent and they could not pay the bank. Their own home was not unscathed by the Depression. They had to subdivide the lot with the house into two properties. The front house was one and the other was a long sliver of land with the driveway and three-car garage. The front house was sold and the garage was converted into a home. It had an address with a 1/2 since it was halfway between existing two homes. Sometimes it was called the rear or back house. You could not see it from the street as the driveway had a downward slope to the rear.

The converted garage was not a typical home. It was divided into four small rooms with no closets. You entered into the dining room from the covered porch that was on the entire front. To the right was the kitchen. Through the kitchen was a very small bedroom, which sufficed as the master. On the opposite end was a doorway to the living room, which doubled as a bedroom at times. On the opposite end was the bathroom with a white claw foot tub. The walls had wallpaper with a repeating white & blue gray sea gull design. Nearby was the doorway back to the dining room and the basement entrance. There were no rooms in the basement. There was another bathroom with a curtain as a divider in the basement and the stairs made a jury-rigged storage area for dry goods. My mom called the basement furnace the green monster. She was always afraid going to the basement alone because of the green monster.

My mom loved telling a story about the large metal floor registers. The grates had openings of about an inch square each. The air flow from the green monster was forceful. On very cold and wet days, my mom came home from school or playing outside and stood over the grate and enjoyed the heat coming from the basement. It was like a large hair dryer in the floor. In no time she was warm and no longer wet or cold.

A house of this size was not suitable for a family of six. So, grandpa built a small detached room in the back. Basically, a one room home but without a bathroom. It had electric and heat but no plumbing. Mom lived there when she was old enough in her early teens until married. She would have diner, finish chores and visit with her parents in the bigger house and then grandma would watch her walk out and around to the back and wait for her to get in the room and lock the door for the night. She always made sure she watched my mom lock that door.

My mom was the youngest of four siblings. However, that was of the ones that lived to adulthood. She had a sister named Virginia that passed as a child in 1936. She passed from complications of an operation and severe heat exhaustion. Grandma made the following diary entries about her illness and passing.

August 19, 1936

Virginia’s birthday today. She does not feel very well as the heat has been intense and we cannot let her out hardly at all during the day. Only in the evening when the temperature has cooled down, took her down to Tom’s conf. store and she came along in with me, bought 1-quart bulk cream choc. straw. & van. Also suckers which she proudly carried out of the store. She was eager to eat the crème as she had a steady fever. Had a birthday cake but she could not eat it.

August 22, 1936

Very hot today. Virginia has high fever at night and her bed is wet with sweat, almost drenched from head to foot. She does not get any sleep at night owing to the swelling of her throat. About 2 in the afternoon made her a lawn sun suit as it would be a little cooler on her. She eats hardly nothing except orange juice, refuses milk all together & wants cracked ice in her mouth continuously. Called up Fitz. as her throat is bad. We went to his office to get it treated but must come back in the morning for operation.

August 23, 1936

Today, God help us. Took Virginia to Dr. Fitzmorris No. 1 W S Clair Ave for operation of throat condition which is gradually choking her. Brought her back 1 PM dying. Bathed her in tepid water in tub. She does not rally. Played with little china doll until she dies! God help us! Died about 2:30 in the same afternoon. Called up Mrs. B. & Mr. & Mrs. Craig. Both arrived shortly. Sent remains to Whitt F. Home Madison Road for preparation. God help us. Our baby gone! She suffered so long, the lord thought that it best to take her away from the misery of life. God help us.

Virginia passed at four years and four days old and the temperature was 103 degrees.

August 24, 1936

Terribly hot out, around 104 degrees. My mother spent the night with us. Stella, Pat and Grandma Thompson came over including some of the neighbors. Went to Witt’s to see the baby. She is lovely in her white dress with peace on her marble cold face – with black fringed eyelids closed in her last rest, such beautiful hands she has with the poor little sore thumb which never did heal. Her head is slightly inclined to the right side and she is at rest and God Bless her and care for her.

August 25, 1936

The Funeral today at 2 PM. The internment in the Odd Fellows Cemetery Plot in Madisonville. She had a lily-white coffin, wore a white net dress with pale pink bows, half socks & petticoats. God help us. Had lovely roses & white tiny flowers in floral bouquet. How hot it is out. Over 104 in the shade. How will we live over today! Spent the evening at home – in a daze how we loved Virginia – we called her Dinnie but God loved her more & had an eternity to exchange for her life of suffering here.

August 28, 1936

The days pass along – we cannot realize yet the terrible loss as it really is. We have been busy getting things of Virginia’s ready for the Salvation Army. Only some things of hers I will keep as long as I draw breath. Her shoes, hose, coveralls, also her little scissors she loved so well, pencil book, dolls and toy dog. Have put them in George’s grip all together including her dinner dish and silver spoon with the 3 little pigs.

August 30, 1936

One week since the baby died. Am reliving last Sunday – the incidents leading up to her death, especially the time when we left the doctor’s office and brought her home. It is such a shame that we have no late pictures of the baby – but her picture in my mind will never fade and I can see her just as she was. God alone knows how much we loved her – but His love is greater than ours.

My grandma never got over Virginia passing. When visiting I recall seeing up until the early 1980’s Virginia’s small child’s cane in the pantry near the kitchen. It had a red shaft and was about two feet long. There was a white Bakelite pommel in the shape of a German Shepard dog’s head. It always was hanging there and no one was allowed to touch it and it never was until after my grandparents both passed. Virginia’s passing would reinforce and provide evidence that my parent’s love story was predestined & this will be self-evident later.

My mom’s parents were poor but they had all of the family’s needs met. They could not afford store bought clothes most of the time. Most of mom’s clothes were either hand-me-downs or she made them herself. Even her wedding dress was handmade by herself! She bought clothing patterns and cut fabric out and sewed them together. Mom used an antique Singer treadle sewing machine, an antique even in the 1960’s, along with hand sewing. The sewing machine is in a wood cabinet that looked like a piece of furniture. The top flipped open and the sewing machine works were pulled up to use. Then the doors in the front and back were opened so the foot treadle could be operated. The treadle was rocked bank and forth by foot and was attached by a thick leather cord. My mom became an accomplished seamstress out of necessity using this antique machine.

In high school my mom was about 98 pounds and about five foot two inches high. Her complexion was light and she had brunette hair with blond highlights. She always liked shorter hair that was above the shoulder. I never recalled seeing her or any picture of her with long hair. Her eyes were very dark blue, just like her parents. She was a bit of a tomboy growing up and liked cars. From just a bit of a fender or fin, as a lot of cars had in the late 1950’s & early 1960, she could tell the make and model. Her love of cars was something that she would eventually share with my dad. She had a very fun and outgoing personality and made friends easily.

My dad was born in 1942 in Nucla, Colorado, a small town in Montrose, County on the Western Slope of the Rocky Mountains. Most of his childhood was spent in two towns: Paonia & Buena Vista. He was the eldest of three. His youngest brother, was Michael, a half-brother as they had different mothers. The middle brother was James and they shared the same mother. His parents, Elbert (Bert) & Ada, were very poor. Grandpa was named for the highest mountain in Colorado: Mount Elbert, named after Samuel Hitt Elbert, Governor of the Territory of Colorado in the 1870’s. One of 53 mountains called 14’ers, Mount Elbert is in the Sawatch Range, near Leadville. A 14’er is a mountain with a peak over 14,000 feet. My dad’s father did many jobs over time. He helped deliver ice & coal with his father before the Great Depression. During the Depression & into the early 1940’s he was a construction worker on the Taylor Reservoir and also was a uranium miner. During World War II he served in the Navy in the South Pacific. After the war he worked mostly as a prison guard for the Colorado State Reformatory. I remember grandpa telling stories that he and his father-in-law, great grandpa Doc, would work the Farmer’s Coal Mine that they owned, after finishing their day jobs in order to make ends meet. Doc’s day job was as a Colorado State Trooper. Doc’s given name was Glen but no one ever called him by it.

As I said, my dad’s folks were very poor. They grew fruit and vegetables and preserved them to keep them supplied in the winter. They fished for trout and hunted deer to put meat on the table. Dad and grandpa would hunt to get one or two deer for the winter. Once dad and grandpa were hunting in late Fall when it was crisp and cold when they saw two deer coming into the clearing. Both were in range and they had good shots but they only had one deer tag. They hated leaving such a good opportunity to both. Two deer would mean their freezer would be filled with meat that would last the whole winter and perhaps longer. So, they shot at both and got them. The largest was taken to town first to get dressed. They covered the smaller one with branches, leaves and snow and left for town. It was very cold and they figured it would keep until they could get another tag and bring the second to town to get dressed. After trudging the larger deer down the mountainside and getting it dressed, grandpa scrapped up enough money and bought a second tag. He and dad hurried to retrieve the second deer. When they got there, they found it half eaten by a hungry mountain lion. They knew it was a mountain lion from the footprints in the snow! The tag they bought was not wasted but it was a week or so before they were able to shoot another one.

Grandma Jackie was really my dad’s step mom. Shortly after World War II his birth mother and father got divorced. Unusual for the time his father got custody of the children, just my dad and his brother Jim. Grandpa met & married Jackie in 1949 & she was who my dad identified as mom. She also was a distant cousin of grandpa. However, she was not a close enough of a cousin for it to be a problem getting married. Grandpa came across a car one day stuck on a muddy dirt road and met Jackie. She and a friend got stranded on one of the many dirt roads that were common in that part of Colorado in the 1940’s. They had been trying to push the car out of the mud but only succeeded in getting covered with mud. My grandpa said Jackie was the prettiest girl he ever saw, even covered in mud. He got helped get them out of the mud and moving again. They immediately were drawn to each other and got married about a year later. Their marriage lasted close to 60 years until Jackie passed.

My dad was one of three siblings. But that was for the ones that lived to adulthood. My dad also had a sister named Virginia. I do not know much about her as she passed in 1952 at only four days old! Our family never spoke much about her. She passed due to issues with cystic fibrosis. Both my mom and dad had sisters named Virginia and both had the number of 4 associated with their passing as children. I believe this is confirmation that their love story was predestined.

Now back to my dad’s family being poor. My dad said that they did not have much but his parents always found a way to meet the family’s needs. My dad worked many jobs from weeding petunia fields, picking peaches and running the projection booth of the Paonia movie theatre (which was his favorite job as a kid). He said he grew to dislike peaches after a while of picking them. After a day of picking, the fuzz got into the skin of his hands and irritated them. As a result, he is not too fond of peaches to this day.

A quiet western man of few spoken words is how my dad referred to himself as this was the same way his father referred to his own self. As a young man, he was about 6 feet tall and on the thin side, about 150 pounds. He had dark hair that was always short cropped. A flat top haircut was his favorite hair style. This way there was little maintenance needed. His complexion was light and he has dark blue eyes, as many of the Fisk family members had. He had a very dry sense of humor and really liked puns. His delivery was so dead pan that you thought he was being for real. After a while we all got used to this and knew he was really kidding.

After graduating dad wanted to go to college but neither he nor his parents could afford it. He found out the Navy would pay for college if he served for a few years. After signing up, he went to boot camp at Treasure Island in California. He made friends with Ed Kincaid from Ohio. He asked Ed if he knew of any single girls back in Ohio that he could write to. Ed told him that his girlfriend, and later his wife, had a younger sister that he could write in Cincinnati & her name was Margaret. This is how my mom and dad were introduced. Their love story, A Cold War Love Story, began with the following letter.

October 22, 1960 San Diego, CA to Cincinnati OH

Dear Margaret:

I’m one of Ed’s friends here at boot camp and talked him into giving me your address. I hope you don’t mind me writing to you and I hope you will write me.

First, I should tell you something about myself. I am 18 years old, 6 feet tall, weigh 140 pounds, have brown hair and blue eyes. I like cars, music, dancing (although I have two left feet) and getting letters. One of the things I don’t like about boot life, it gets to be quite a drag. I don’t like sleeping only eight hours and getting up at 5 AM. That’s the worst part. I suppose Ed has told your sister all about it, so it is old stuff to you.

We had a real big deal here Friday. President Eisenhower came here. We didn’t see him but we heard the 21-gun salute they gave him and saw his helicopter go over.

Love,

Alan

October 31, 1960 San Diego CA to Cincinnati OH

Dear Margaret:

I thought I sent your letter airmail. I was awfully hurried the night I wrote because I had to clean the head and I just forgot. All the other letters I write I just send regular because they just go to Colorado.

We went up before classification today to see what schools we would get. They gave me all my choices. I’ll only get one school though. They just recommended me for all of them. My first choice was radarman, my second was sonar and the third was radioman,

Your insect collection sounds like fun. I started on once but my mother threw it away. I guess she didn’t like all that mess and smell.

We had a nice time this morning. When we got up (at 5 AM) you couldn’t see through the fog and it was really cold. I felt like going back to bed and sleeping some more.

Tomorrow we leave Camp Nimitz and go into advance training. Starting tomorrow we can have some visitors on Saturdays and Sundays. So, you can come visit me any weekend now, I’ll be looking forward to your visit.

We took a test today to find out how much we have learned so far. Out of a possible fifty, I got 49 right. The whole company did real well too.

I really get tired of washing my clothes here. We get a bucket of water, some soap, and a scrub brush and scrub all of the dirt out. It’s really a lot of work if you don’t learn a few tricks, like not scrubbing your dungarees – just swishing it in the soapy water.

If you really want to, I’ll let you write long letters to me. I like long letters anyway. The thing I like to do best here is to read letters! The longer they are the better.

Will you send me a picture of yourself? I would really appreciate it if you would.

I got to thinking about home just now. It’s a real nice place. It (Buena Vista) has a population of 2,000 and its right at the foot of some of the highest mountains in Colorado. The town is 7,200 feet high and one of the mountains there is 14,196 feet high, it’s just about the prettiest place in the world. Just 20 miles away is the highest mountain in Colorado.

I’ll have to close now. They are ready to blow taps. Write soon.

Love,

Alan

November 9, 1960 San Diego, CA to Cincinnati OH

Dear Margaret,

I was going to write you sooner but we were in our galley week. Seven days of K.P. duty. Except for getting only seven hours of sleep a night it wasn’t too bad. I got a real soft job pouring coffee for the poor suckers that drink the dishwater. I got food stains all over my white uniforms. I might have to buy some new ones.

Thanks a lot for sending me your picture. I thought it was pretty good – and in color too. I’ll send you one of mine soon as we get them taken. No matter how good mine is I can’t match yours.

I went to sick bay with a cold and a sore throat. They gave me three kinds of pills, some more drops and a bottle of cough syrup (gin). Everybody was making a big fuss about going to sick bay and getting some G I gin that I thought it would rally be something. It tasted so bad that I haven’t ever bothered take it after my first try. The bottle is still in my locker almost full.

Next Thursday we will get to go to the artillery range and shoot real bullets. I am really looking forward to that. It might even improve my deer hunting. I really need improvement.

I will have to write this letter a little at a time because we have to get ready for our bag layout. If it’s not perfect we won’t have any liberty. All our clothes have to be clean or folded just so and laid on our bunks in the proper manner.

I really got a surprise yesterday. I got a letter from a girl I didn’t even know. She just moved to Buena Vista and somehow got my address. Talk about a crazy letter. She must be nuts or something. Your letters are nicer because you write intelligently

I will go to the dentist today; they are going to fill a couple of teeth for me. I always get kind of scared when I go to the dentist.

We are wearing out white uniforms now. Before we just wore during dress. I am back from the dentist. They filled one for me and I didn’t even feel it. They are better even than civilian dentists.

That’s about all for now.

Love,

Alan

November 18, 1960 San Diego CA to Cincinnati OH

Dear Margaret:

I’m over my cold now, I can even talk now. Today is a real nice day. The sun shone real bright and it was warm as it could be. Not too hot though. It started with a nice sunrise. I hated to get out of bed in time to see it.

Yesterday we went to the A range. We shot the M1 at a target 200 yards away. I didn’t do very well. I just barely qualified. Out of a possible 180, I got 130.

They fired the BMR, the Tommie gun, the M1 carbine and the 45-caliber pistol for us. I had never seen a machine gun before and it really amazed me to see how fast they fired.

When we went out there, we saw the plant where they make the Ajax guided missiles. The plant is the first place the Russians would bomb if they attacked. San Diego is the #1 target on the West Coast. That’s a pleasant thought.

You should have seen the physical the Navy gave us. I had one in Denver and one after I got here. They were the most complete physicals I have ever had. They tested us for everything.

I’ll bet you do real well on your report card. Your letters sound very intelligent. We had our picture taken and I will send you one as soon as we get them. When we came in front of the camera, the man told us to say whiskey. We should have some pretty big smiles.

Today the first thing we did was take our 5th week test. I did not do very well. Out of a possible 50, I got 44. I know where I goofed though. They projected the question on a screen and when everyone was on #30, I was on #29. If I had been awake, I would have done better.

Are you taking any math? That was my favorite subject. I got straight A’s in it. I always had fun in math.

We went aboard the big model ship they have here. It’s almost full size. They showed us how to moor and cast off. We did real well. Our instructor said we did better than any other company had in months. It made us feel pretty good.

I might get stationed on the East Coast for my next duty. I hope I do because the Navy will pay my home and I could stop in Cincinnati. That’s all for now.

Love,

Alan

November 24, 1960 San Diego CA to Cincinnati OH

Dear Margaret:

I’m sorry you’re not feeling well. I can get some GI gin for you if you want. All I have to do is go to sick bay because I’ve still got a cough.

Guess what! We got to go to a movie today. I was terribly expensive. A whole ten cents! The one I went to was Distant Drums with Gary Cooper. It wasn’t too good but it was a change. There was a cartoon too. It was about a lonely, lovesick skunk in the Foreign Legion. It was pretty good.

I only saw the Last Hurrah six times. I thought it was pretty good. I used to be the operator at a theatre. I wish I was still doing that.

We had a nice surprise today. We had a big Thanksgiving dinner – and it was real good for a change. We had everything. They even gave us a bag of nuts and candy.

We were Color Company the other day. That means we marched down to the flagpole and stood at present arms while the flag was raised. Then at night we changed into blues and we did the same thing. The man that inspected us – an ensign – said my shoes were looking real good. How about that!

It seems like I can’t find anything to write about. This morning I could have written two of three more pages. It really makes me disgusted with myself.

I got your card today. It surprised me. I really appreciate it. I didn’t even mid if it wasn’t a fancy red Thanksgiving card.

Thanksgiving was a nice day. It was just like late spring then it became so foggy we couldn’t see the barracks across the street. You could feel the fog soaking into your clothes. It got a little cold too.

I got a letter from my folks today and they are sending me some cookies. My aunt is going to bake me some fudge. I ought to be eating pretty good for five minutes. You get a package here and before you get it open, 15 or 20 vultures are hanging around waiting to grab some as soon as you open it. It’s getting pretty bad. Your friends can’t even get any.

Well, that’s all I can squeeze out now.

Love,

Alan

December 4, 1960 San Diego CA to Cincinnati OH

Dear Margaret:

I’m sorry but I don’t know any way of getting rid of bumps on fingers except amputation. I don’t think you would go for that though.

I’m sure you play the fiddle (I thought all artists said they played violins) much better than you say you do. Ed says that you play very well.

We got those pictures I told you they were taking of us. Mine was so horrible that I’m not even going to keep them. Except for the one that I’ll be sending to my folks, I’ll throw them all away.

I have a couple others of me that I’ll send you. I didn’t think they were very good but they are better than the others. I guess I don’t take bad pictures, I just look that way.

The picture that shows all of me was taken in Mesa Verde. You probably haven’t heard of Mesa Verde so I’ll tell you about it. It will take up space and make it look like I’m writing a long letter.

Mesa Verde is a rugged mesa in Southwestern Colorado. It has big canyons all around the rim. All over it are the most interesting Indian dwellings you’ve even seen. Most spectacular are the cliff dwellings. They are built of handmade mud bricks and are located under the cliff overhangs. They also have a big museum of Indian artifacts. They even have some mummies. These are really interesting. They were not embalmed but just due to the dryness of the air took all the moisture out of their bodies. They were preserved real well.

The other picture was taken on the ferry from Vancouver, British Columbia to Malibu. Malibu is s real nice place out in the wilds of B. C. It is sort of a church camp. Young Life (the organization that runs it) is a non-denominational religious organization. We had a lot of fun up there & learned to water-ski.

I don’t mind your messy letters as long as you write soon and I can still read it.

We only have 16 more days left until we go home. I am waiting for that day.

We got our first liberty Saturday. We went to the zoo first. They had every kind of animal you can think of. Most of them were in their natural settings. They had one real big cage with birds in it that you could walk through and see the birds up close. If I go on our next liberty, I will spend all my time there. There was a lot that I didn’t get to see.

Love

Alan

December 11, 1960 San Diego CA to Cincinnati OH

Dear Margaret:

Only 9 more days!!! I can hardly wait. It seems so near. I will be glad to go home. Sometime this week we should get our orders as to where we are going to be stationed next. I’m still hoping real hard for Norfolk, Virginia. If they send me there, I will get $175 and five days to travel there.

We got our second issue of clothes Thursday. They gave us our sea bag, gloves, flat hat, a set of undress blues, and a pea-coat. They didn’t give me a coat though. They did not have any left in my size. They will give me $23.50 instead. Maybe I can burn the money to keep warm.

If you can’t read this, it’s because we just got up and it’s 5:30 AM. I can hardly see. Ed and I went to the movie last night. We saw Under the Flags. It was a good show. I liked it especially because it was about naval action during WW II.

We marched in the graduation parade Friday. It was kind of fun and we were the best company on the field. When we want to, we can be good.

All over the hillside overlooking the base you can see houses decorated for Christmas. It seems kind of funny to have no snow on the ground and to have Christmas decorations all over the place.

I can’t think of anything else to say. I’ll be darned if I can. Since that’s the situation, there’s only one thing to do – sign off. Maybe I will have more to say next time.

Love

Alan

January 6, 1961 San Francisco CA to Cincinnati OH

Dear Margaret:

I guess it’s been a while since I wrote you but that will change. I’m back in my old routine and have more time for writing. All the time I was home, I did so much that I had little time for writing.

I start my school Monday. I didn’t expect to start so soon. This is really different from boot camp. We have all sorts of recreation – TV, pool, bowling, movies every night, all the sports and everything. We get more liberty than money. Right now, we have a 72 hour but no money so here I sit in the barracks – writing letters. It’s probably a good thing though! I would probably get lost in San Francisco.

Will you be sure to give Ellie my address so she can send it to Ed? I would appreciate it.

What is really surprising here is that the food is good. I like it and we don’t have to march to chow. They allow us a lot more freedom, responsibility and choice. We even have washing machines.

I bought myself a good transistor radio. It’s small enough to keep in a locker but large enough to perform well. It cost plenty too.

My spelling and penmanship are getting so bad that I think I should quit.

Love

Alan

January 24, 1961 San Francisco CA to Cincinnati OH

Dear Margaret:

You’ll have to excuse this paper. I ran out and am too broke from buying my camera to buy anything. I’m unhappy with San Francisco’s weather. I bought $70 worth of camera (outside it would cost $125) and the sun hasn’t shined once on an off-duty day. Next weekend we get a 72 so maybe I can take some pictures then. I’ll go through Chinatown, Golden Gate Park and Muir Woods. That ought to keep me busy. I think I’ll visit the Hungary’s. I think that’s how it’s spelled.

I like to listen to the ships in the harbor on a foggy night. They make a lot of noise with their foghorns and ship’s bells but it sounds good to me. I drew my first night watch last Wednesday. It was from 12 - 2 (midnight). A real nice one and it was raining to boot.

They gave us a class in firefighting to prepare for the advancement to seaman. By the time I graduate from here I should be a bona-fide seaman. When I get out of this school, I’ll either be a raving maniac or a qualified electrician. They are really pushing the electricity to us. I’ve been doing pretty good so far but the book we have for next week looks pretty confusing to me. Every week we get a new book and by Wednesday we have finished it.

It’s raining now and I’ve got a watch tonight. I hope it stops by 10:30. Once nice thing about it, though, is that everything looks clean for a change. That’s all for now.

Love,

Alan

February 8, 1961 San Diego CA to Cincinnati OH

Dear Margaret:

I was surprised to get that second letter from you. I was just getting ready to write you. I didn’t get very far so I started over.

That fancy weekend of mine didn’t work out so well. In the first place, the Chinese decided to have their new year on the 18th. Then when I went to the Golden Gate Park, I forgot my camera at the hotel. And when I made it to the Hungay they would not let us sit at the bar and the show cost $3.

We were walking around town we went through North Beach and saw all kinds of bearded characters in sweatshirts and sneakers.

The 17th through the 22nd I’m going to Oakland for the Oakland Roadster Show. I’m certain I won’t be disappointed at that. They will have all of the best custom cars from the West Coast.

I won’t be having any more watches. Yesterday they came out with a nice announcement. Anyone who has a 90 average through their 5th week doesn’t have to stand watch or be on the fire hill. I’ve got a 97 average and this is my 5th week. All I have to do is pass this next test.

The weather was real nice for the weekend. The sun shined (shone?) anyway the sun was out and it was real warm. I was a civilian again. I got tired of wearing my uniform so I bought some civilian clothes. It made me feel better.

I took a cruise around the bay and saw the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and the waterfront from up close. While we were out the USS Midway came in. It’s an aircraft carrier. One of the biggest. I got 3 or 4 pictures of it.

By the way I like your stationary. I guess your sister is having quite a time in Germany. I’m glad I’m not there. It’s hard enough to try to save money here. I’d be broke all the time.

I guess this letter sounds as if there is no continuity. I’m writing it during my break and I keep thinking of different things to say.

I shouldn’t have bought 36 picture film. It’s taken me forever to expose a film of roll (roll of film). I’m all mixed this morning. I’ve got Kodachrome slide film and really hope they turn out.

You should have sent me those cookies. I’d have eaten them and even if they weren’t good, I’m polite enough to say I like them.

It looks as if my pen is running out of ink. I had better stop now.

Love,

Alan

February 22, 1961 San Francisco CA to Cincinnati OH

Dear Margaret:

Happy Washington’s Birthday. It was nice for him to have his birthday on a national holiday. We get a day off from school and if we didn’t have the duty, I’d be in town now. But as it is all I’m doing is catching up on my correspondence, doing some homework, listening to my radio and lying in my rack. Thanks for sending me that valentine. After I got yours, I wished I had sent you a nicer one. It made me feel kind of ashamed of myself.

Last Sunday I went to Oakland and saw the roadster show. They had all kinds of hotrods, custom cars, dragsters, motorcycles and dream cars. It was really something.

I got my first roll of film developed finally. Out of the 36 exposures, only 3 turned out good. I was surprised to find I had done that well.

I hope you have fun with your biology project. It sounds like a whole lot of fun, maybe. I don’t mind worms but cutting them up doesn’t sound like recreation.

All this homework is beginning to get me down. I’d like to first leave it alone but that wouldn’t help my grades very much so I just force myself to do it. I’ve got to keep my average up. I just got a letter from home and my folks say they are glad I’m doing good.

Will you send me Ed’s address? He hasn’t written me yet and I would like to write him, do you know what he is doing?

I just read this letter over and I’m afraid you are getting the wrong idea about me. From my penmanship you must think I’m a spastic and from what I say about you must think I’m an idiot. I’m really not and I shall try to write more intelligent letters from now on.

Love,

Alan

March 8, 1961 San Francisco CA to Cincinnati OH

Dear Margaret:

Thanks for sending me Ed’s address. He said he was going to write me but he hadn’t. I guess that means I will have to write him.

I would have written you sooner but the ignorant saps in the post office wouldn’t give it to me until yesterday. I did real goo yesterday. I got two letters! In one day even!

I saw Ben-Hur last spring while we were taking our senior trip. We had several reserve seats and everything. It had just come out and they charged $2.50 apiece. It didn’t bother me too much because the class paid for it.

About a week ago I went to a night club to hear George Shearing and his quintet. They were really good. If I could do half as good as he can I’d get a band and make a million dollars – about anyway. It was a lot better than listening to his record. There is something about him playing in person that records can’t catch. Pretty soon Andre Previn will be here and I’ll have to see that, really like that kind of jazz.

Sunday, I saw Pepe. It was really a good show. Cantinflas is just a good actor. All of the other stars kind of helped too.

I’m glad you did so well on your worms and I your ankle gets better quick.

The weather here is really something. In the morning it is real cold, and then about noon it is nice as it can be and in the evening it’s liable to rain. California is all fouled up. That’s all there is to it. The more I see of it, the more I wish I was someplace else.

I bet you like your new school. All the time I was going to school I just missed out on the new buildings. As soon as I got into the 5th grade the 1st to 4th grades got a new building. Then when I was a freshman the junior high got one and when I was a senior I moved to another town and the high school got one. I guess I’m jinxed. Born to lose.

I just heard some bad news. In fact, it’s horrible. They are going to put the guys with 90 averages back on watches. There has been too much stealing. In fact, last month $4,500 was stolen. There goes my sleep.

After I get out of here, I imagine they will put me on a ship and send me out on the ocean. That prospect does not please me much.

Last week I went aboard a heavy cruiser the USS Los Angeles. I saw all the boys chipping paint and swabbing the deck and all that. They didn’t look at all happy. But they said the radarman didn’t have to do too much of that so maybe I didn’t do too bad. I would like them to send me to the airbase at Phoenix Arizona. I’ve got an uncle that works there as a civilian.

I think I will quit going on liberty so much and start saving some money. I’ve started a bank account and have got $30 in the bank. I am on my way to my first million. When I get it, I’ll give you an Imperial. I was going to give you a Cadillac but wasn’t sure how to spell it.

(No closing for this letter)

March 14, 1961 San Francisco to Cincinnati OH

Dear Margaret:

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! I hope you find a leprechaun – anyways a little green man and get his pot of gold. I won’t be able to find any because all of the Marines have scared them away. You know we should thank the Irish for many things. They have contributed many things to our society and most important of all, I think – their whisky. To celebrate this wondrous day, I shall go out and get green in the gutter drunk. Not really though but wouldn’t it be a wonderful show of sentiment?

I won’t be standing watches for a while yet. They haven’t put the intellectuals back on watch. But when I do start them, I will be standing fire and security watches. That is, for two or three hours, I will walk around the barracks looking for signs of fire or stealing. That gets awfully boring at 1 or 2 in the morning.

From now on I will be more prompt in answering your letters. The captain of the base is conducting an investigation on why the post office holds up the mail so long. Sometimes the mail would be in the post office a week before they would hand it out to us.

I finally fixed my radio. I’ve got a real nice transistor except that it sounds tinny like all transistors. The speaker is too small. But no more am I troubled by that. I went to the exchange and bought a big speaker that plugs into the radio where the earphones plug in. It really is an improvement. I get the bass sounds much better now and I can get the more volume now too.

There’s no more boot camp in the Navy. They send them all to RD A school. They’re really clamping down on us. We march to chow in the morning, do exercises and they are planning to get us up at 5 AM and no liberty call until 6 PM. It’s a big mess.

I don’t watch TV too much so I missed Andre Previn on TV. I couldn’t have seen it anyway. The TV in the lounge plays what the majority want to watch and most of the guys like the westerns.

I’ll bet you look good with your new hair. I guess it’s an absence of hair really. I like short hair on girls. I don’t like to see a girl with hair down to her waist. You can count on me to give you an honest opinion. After all I’m 2,000 miles away from you and you can’t hit me or anything. The worst thing you can do is quit writing. I feel fairly safe.

I’m ashamed of the way I write my letters. Here I started this letter the 14th and already it’s the 18th and I still haven’t finished it. It seems that I always get sidetracked and don’t get to the letter for a few days. But I will persevere. I guess that’s the word and finish it this time.

I went downtown last night and bought a book on basic electronics to use in place of taking notes. I’m just too lazy to take notes and a book does have more information than I would put into my notes. But on the other hand, it would be cheaper to take notes. The book cost $15.45.

I feel pretty good. I weighed myself and found that I gained 10 pounds since I came here.

I guess that is all for now. I’m anxious to get that picture of your new hairdo. I’ll bet you look pretty good but you couldn’t improve too much. I mean from the picture you sent me you couldn’t look much better.

Love,

Alan

March 22, 1961 San Francisco CA to Cincinnati OH

Dear Margaret:

I don’t know if the boot camps are as rough as that TV program showed because I haven’t seen it but I imagine they exaggerated just a little bit. There are times when it gets a little rough but it’s really not too bad. We don’t have sergeants in the Navy, we have chiefs and first class and they were about as hateful as they can be. Most of them just didn’t have a nice thing to say to the recruits and would go out of their way to make life more unbearable for the poor boots

Last night I did two hours of extra work. It seems that one day I left it out (my pea-coat) and it was taken to the lucky bag. They were extremely nice about it and said if I would do some little dirty job for two hours I could have it back. So last night I did 15 minutes of work and 1 hour and 45 minutes of goldbricking. I made a point of doing as little work as possible.

I finally got my income tax back. It really came at the right time. I was down to my last 50 cents and payday was a week and a half away.

This week in school we are studying the super heterodyne receiver (radio). I used to think they were terribly complicated but now they are pretty simple. All you need is 3 months of specialized school.

If you think you have beautiful teeth, you should see my bicuspids. I have had scenes of wildlife in the forest inlaid in silver and gold. Really works of art.

I have pitifully little to say this time. I’ve completely run down.

Love,

Alan

March 27, 1961 San Francisco CA to Cincinnati OH

Dear Margaret:

I really was surprised when I got my mail today. Not only did I get a letter from you but I got four others to go with it. A real red-letter day for me!

I hope you don’t mind this paper too much. I keep planning on buying some stationary but I keep putting it off. Besides, I can’t find any as pretty as yours.

I finally got around to seeing the Misfits. I thought it was real good. Even Marilyn Monroe did some acting. It was different from what I expected.

I wish I could go to the concert too. Even if I didn’t like music anything would be better than this. I’m beginning to be unhappy with the Navy again. I hope I can stand it for 3 ½ more years. I’m certainly not going to reenlist.

I’ve been thinking about what happens if Russia tries to take over America too. To tell the truth it scares me. When I was about 10 or 11, I used to think that war was just a game but now that I might actually be in one, it scares me. I suppose I’d fight as much as anybody but certainly am not looking forward to it. All this business in Laos just might be the start of the next war too!

That book you are reading Hurricane is a real good book if I remember, isn’t it written by Nordoff and Hall? I think that’s the one about the guy that was put in prison and escaped and hid on an island until a hurricane came up and he saved a village. I used to read all of Nordoff’s + Hall’s books. I really liked them.

I’ve got to disagree with you about you not having anything to say that interesting. I’m interested in anything you say.

Ed hasn’t written me yet. Maybe he didn’t get my letter in time.

I’m getting a good birthday present from the Navy. I’ve got a birthday coming up and I’ve got to hold a field day instead of celebrating it properly. I’ll get a payday before the weekend after my birthday and a 72 hour leave so I’ll be able to tear the town apart celebrating though. For a rip-roaring celebration I think I’ll go downtown, have a coke or two, go to a movie, and maybe go to the allout extreme of going to North Beach and looking at the barracks. No, I’ll probably end up staying on the base and saving money. I’m going to need all I can save to go to college.

You are by best correspondent. You write even better than my folks. The guy that gives me my mail always tells me I have a letter from Margaret when he sees a blue envelope. I guess that’s enough for now.

Love,

Alan

April 1, 1961 San Francisco CA to Cincinnati OH

Dear Margaret:

You’ve been writing letters faster than I can answer them but don’t slow down. I enjoy hearing from you and you seem to have more to say than I do anyway.

I’m going to have to send this letter by regular mail because I only have one stamp left and the post office does not sell stamps on Saturday and Sunday.

Thanks for sending me that palm. I do not know much about that stuff though since I’m not catholic. What does it mean? I guess that shows my ignorance but you don’t learn if you don’t ask questions. Thanks again for the palm. I know you were thinking about me. I have it taped to my locker door.

I got my correspondence course in college algebra. It looks pretty easy. I always like algebra. It’s my favorite subject.

So, you saw a guy that looked like Ed. I’m not sure if that is good or bad. I guess it’s good.

You must be busy with all these rehearsals. That cathedral you told me about sounds as if it’s real nice.

You had better send me that picture. I had a guy take a picture of me with my camera. I’ll send it to you because the ones I sent you weren’t good. Maybe it’s me that makes the picture bad.

If you do want my advice on whether to go to college or not, don’t even have to think about it. Go to college of course. There are many things that a college education does for you. It’s almost a must for a man to go to college now but it’s almost as important for girls. Even if you didn’t go into business afterwards you benefit greatly from college. A