Dearest Darling, Letters from World War II: A Memoir of Anthony Libro Porto, Navy Aerial Photographer

By Catherine Emerson Porto

Dearest Darling tells the true story of the WWII romance and marriage of Anthony (Tony) Porto of New York, a Navy aerial photographer aboard the USS Saginaw Bay, and Bernice Hardey of Texas. From a box of letters stored for decades, their daughter-in-law recounts their inspiring life together.

Key to the story are Bernice's late-in-life recollections of the letters Tony wrote to her while he was aboard ship in the Pacific during the final battles of WWII. The letters were a lifeline, as Bernice listened to news feeds from Tokyo Rose about supposed Japanese triumphs and worried about Tony's safety amidst the heavy fighting. When Tony died in 2011, Bernice disclosed to the family their lifelong secret, recalling how happy she was the day she finally received the long-awaited letter from Tony disclosing in code that he was finally coming home.

Code? What code was she talking about? The code, which neither Tony nor Bernice had ever mentioned before, was his way of letting her know his ever-changing location in the Pacific without arousing suspicion from the Navy censor, who read all outgoing mail.

Unraveling the code and reading Tony's elegant letters brings to life Bernice and Tony's deepening love amidst the backdrop of war. The letters chronicle his journey from aerial-photography training to pre-invasion surveillance to photographing the invasion of Iwo Jima.

Dearest Darling is more than a classic WWII love story. Bernice's and Tony's postwar lives are inspiring examples of devotion to something bigger than oneself: in their case, faith, family, community, country, and--above all--each other.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685267285

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1 Tony

2 Bernice

3 Wartime Romance

4 Navy School of Photography, Pensacola, Florida

5 Letters from Pensacola

6 Bands of Marriage

7 Navy Motion Picture School, Anacostia, DC

8 US Navy Pacific Fleet Training—San Diego, California

9 Letters from San Diego

10 The Trial Sea Run

11 First Letters from the USS Saginaw Bay

12 Texas Rendezvous

13 More Letters from San Diego

14 Tony's New Home—the USS Saginaw Bay

15 Letters from Saginaw Bay

16 The Patiently Waiting Bride

17 Letters from the Pacific

18 Brief War History—Saginaw Bay

19 The Happy Couple—Reunited

20 And Life Goes On

21 Los Alamos, New Mexico

22 Deacon Tony Porto

Addendum—A Bit of Family History

Epilogue

About the Author

cover.jpg

Dearest Darling, Letters from World War II

A Memoir of Anthony Libro Porto, Navy Aerial Photographer

Catherine Emerson Porto

ISBN 978-1-68526-727-8 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68526-728-5 (Digital)

Copyright © 2022 Catherine Emerson Porto

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

To Nancy Porto Hand, 1949–2015

Dearest Darling, Letters from World War II, is dedicated in loving memory of Nancy Porto Hand, oldest daughter of Anthony L. (Tony) and Bernice Porto. Thank you, Nancy, for saving the box of letters, thus passing on the ingredients needed to create and share this beautiful love story. We miss you, Nancy, your unique laugh, wonderful conversations, and your sincere advice. You are forever present in our hearts and minds. Peace be with you always!

Acknowledgments

Deciphering embedded codes from Tony's letters unlocked specific island names where Tony's ship sailed. Because Tony always dated his letters, putting the islands in order was easy and made it possible to determine the ship's path. But I needed a World War II history book to decipher the ship's mission. The perfect book, The Little Giants, US Escort Carriers Against Japan, by William T. Y'Blood once part of Tony's home library, now part of our home library, assisted me in aligning history and specific battles to Tony's coded locations in his letters. As I took the book down from the shelf, I noticed a small yellow sticky note marking a page in the book. Tony's handwriting on the note marked a picture on page 335 titled "The Bismark Sea Explodes as Seen from the Saginaw Bay (National Archives)." I quickly realized it was highly likely this was one picture Tony captured while living aboard Saginaw Bay.

Y'Blood's historical accounting of the locations of Saginaw Bay match with embedded codes in Tony's letters. Knowing where the ship traveled and her participation in specific battles gives the book, Dearest Darling, Letters from WWII, another dimension—there was a massive war going on, and nothing was more important to morale on the ship than mail call! The beauty and wisdom in Tony's letters to his Dearest Darling speaks to thousands of servicemen who knew they might never make it home, humanizing the extent of the war effort.

Tony's letters contain examples of his inherent counseling skills—skills that apply to a marriage partnership and other relationships and encounters for lifelong growth and happiness. One of my favorite counseling tips was written in his letter to Bernice on September 5, 1943; Just remember to do what you believe is right. Never be afraid to admit that you have wronged whenever you make a mistake. And treat all others with courtesy whether they deserve it or not. This tip, along with others Tony expressed in his letters, are just as important to remember in today's hyper-partisan society as they were in 1943. Tony was a man ahead of his time; his insight into humankind, relations, and situational awareness was far beyond his years as a young man aboard Saginaw Bay, his faith ever-present.

*****

Thank you, William Greenleaf, Greenleaf Literary Services, for a thorough critique and positive words of encouragement. My original plan was to learn where my father-in-law traveled aboard Saginaw Bay by deciphering an embedded code, not to write my first novel from a box of letters and a bit of family history. The writing process has been an enjoyable learning process.

*****

Special Thanks

Tony and Bernice Porto, thank you for sharing your lives. You touched the lives of hundreds of people in your lifetime. Those of us who married into the family often joked about being the outlaws, but you always extended the family umbrella and enriched our lives, including us as part of the family. The highest compliment extended was letting me know I was not just a daughter-in-law but a friend and a member of the family. Thank you for introducing me to your son, Andy, my husband of forty-five years. Andy, thanks for your patience and endless support cooking and cleaning these past three years as I buried myself in transcribing letters and creating this story.

Special thanks to those who read Tony's letters and early portions of the manuscript, searched for family photos, and provided encouragement and constructive input to keep me progressing with this story, specifically my husband, Andy, Patty Porto Schmidt, Brian Porto, Rodney and Denise Herrington, Elizabeth Kahn, and Terri Hall. Thank you, Madelyn Horn Noble, for your formatting expertise, and thank you, Alethea Martinez, for reading the manuscript cover-to-cover prior to publication, giving me your honest opinion and insight. Dan Porto, thank you for reading the completed manuscript and sharing your insightful critique, fact-checking, and detailed suggestions to improve the narrative flow. And a special thanks to Michael Ristau for cementing a seed of curiosity in my mind to uncover the embedded code in Tony's letters and trace his path through the Pacific.

Fred Kramer, thank you for remembering the special US Navy trident missile project you and Tony worked on at LANL. What an interesting story addition. You and Marcella were among the special friends of the Portos during their years in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Father John Carney, thank you for sharing the homilies you wrote for Tony's and Bernice's funerals and for letting me quote your words. Tony and Bernice loved working alongside you at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, although I am quite sure they did not consider their service work! They both loved the church and the people they served. God bless you and the Catholic community.

Introduction

For two weeks, all who visited knew the end was near for Anthony Libro (Tony) Porto. Immediate family and friends stopped by to show their love and respect for a truly special member of our family and a member of the Greatest Generation. At age ninety-four, Tony had lived a good, full life. His strong Catholic faith and Italian upbringing were the backbone at each turn in his life and throughout his diverse yet not surprising careers. Most memorable was Tony's lifelong cheerful outlook toward life through all stages.

Some people knew Tony as a retired mechanical engineer employed from 1956–1981 by the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL), now known as Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and often referred to as the birthplace of the atomic bomb. Other people knew Tony through his work as one of the first ordained deacons in the Catholic Church in the state of New Mexico, a volunteer service role he enjoyed for more than thirty years from 1974 through 2004.

People who really knew Tony knew that he served his country as an aerial photographer for the United States Navy during the final year of World War II, shooting recognizant and live-action photos from the tail of a bomber. Tony first saw action during the invasion of the Palau Islands in September 1944 as a photographer aboard the USS Saginaw Bay. More invasions followed, up to and including the battle of Iwo Jima in February 1945 and the invasion of Okinawa in April 1945.

With family present on December 4, 2011, Tony peacefully passed from this earthly world. All present in the room with Bernice Hardey Porto, Tony's wife of sixty-seven years, were about to witness something that would linger in our minds for years to come. Within moments of Tony taking his last breath, Bernice, age ninety-two and sharp as a tack, assumed the leading role of animated storyteller, spilling out story after story for more than two hours.

The Hardey family members were known for their superb storytelling. Bernice learned this skill from her mother, Mary Magdalen Hornischer Hardey, better known to everyone in the family as Mema, the matriarch storyteller. Mema taught the serious yet also the humorous side of life to her six children, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren. That Hardey generation was fun-loving yet seriously devoted to family, to country, and to God.

Of the stories Bernice shared that day, many were new to those present—stories of their early years together and the fun times she and Tony had in Washington, D.C. during the 1940s. We laughed, we cried, and we felt the beautiful life they lived together with each story she told.

Bernice sat in her recliner, surrounded by family, her blue eyes romantically distant as she was transported back in time to their early marriage, waiting for her beloved Tony to return from the Pacific.

Bernice continued, While Tony was overseas, I was working for the Joint Target Intelligence at the Pentagon. One of my responsibilities was listening to the propaganda heard daily from Tokyo Rose, broadcasting the number of planes shot down and the number of ships destroyed by the Japanese. Each day, Tony's ship was nearing Japan. Hearing all the Japanese propaganda was really getting on my nerves. Over time, I felt I could no longer listen to all that propaganda. So I went to see the Navy doctor.

The doctor asked, Bernice, don't you have a home to go to? Why don't you go?

Bernice continued, "This was just before I got Tony's letter letting me know in code that he was finally headed home."

Code? What was she talking about? Tony faithfully wrote to his Dearest Darling at every opportunity when separated from his new bride, but none of us had ever heard anything about a code embedded in Tony's letters to Bernice.

Then, very matter of fact and as if we all knew about Tony's use of a code, with heightened excitement, Bernice continued, "Tony had been away in the Pacific for almost a year when I received a letter from him that really stumped me. The code spelled out H-O-M-E. I searched and searched maps available to me at the Pentagon, but I could not find an island referred to as the Home Island."

Out of desperation and despair, Bernice shyly approached a coworker. Could you show me where the Home Island is located on this map of the Pacific?

Shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders, the coworker responded, I'm not sure what you are talking about. There is no Home Island in the Pacific.

Almost jumping out of her recliner, Bernice snapped upright, Oh, my! Tony is telling me he is coming home! I could hardly contain myself—or my secret! I was so excited! Tony was finally coming home!

The code had been their secret, never spoken about or divulged to anyone until Tony's death. Even this day, their secret was only divulged through her animated storytelling as she relived the exact moment of joy and excitement she felt in 1945 when she learned Tony was finally heading home. The code passed muster of the censor reading all outgoing mail as he stamped the envelopes Passed by Naval Censor prior to the letters leaving the ship.

Bernice had access to maps of the Pacific Islands. Using the embedded code, Tony was able to communicate his general location to Bernice, giving her a way to follow his path and track his ship. This supplied a measure of comfort for Bernice to manage the massive, devastating Japanese propaganda coming from Tokyo Rose.

As Bernice recounted this specific story, I froze! The letters Tony had written to Bernice during World War II were in a box in my garage. While cleaning out the garage in the family home in 2010, Nancy Porto Hand found the neatly bundled stacks of letters, tied in various types and colors of ribbon, in a box along with Tony's Navy uniform. Nancy did not know what to do with them, but she could not throw them away. She transferred the box to our house, the home of Anthony J. (Andy) and Catherine Porto for the next phase of storage.

A decade later, the code in Tony's letters to Bernice became the topic of conversation during a business dinner. The discussion began with an executive at our table, Mike Ristau, asking my husband and me how long we had been married and how we met. We shared that we recently celebrated our forty-first wedding anniversary and that we met in 1976 in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Andy grew up in Los Alamos and had returned to his hometown to start a career in machine trades at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL), the same place his father worked for twenty-five years. I moved from Texas to Los Alamos after completing my bachelor of science degree in health information management to accept a new role as the Director of Medical Records at the Los Alamos Medical Center. We met through the master of all matchmakers, Tony and Bernice Porto.

The business dinner conversation progressed from how Andy and I met to how Andy's parents met and how they ended up in Los Alamos. With keen interest from the business colleagues at our table, we shared the story of how Tony and Bernice met during World War II in Washington DC. The story naturally progressed to Tony's life in the Navy as an aerial photographer during the war. Not only was there great interest in Tony's particular job in the Navy aboard the USS Saginaw Bay, but there was keen interest in the code Tony created and used in his letters to Bernice. Mike, a World War II enthusiast at the dinner table, kept the story going, commenting, I see a movie opportunity here! We all laughed. But seeds of curiosity were planted.

One day, I would untie the neatly bundled letters and decipher the hidden code. What treasures would I find hidden in the letters? Would I be able to decipher the code? Where did Tony travel? What was his role as a Navy aerial photographer? What role did he and his ship play in the war? What kept him going day-in and day-out during periods of separation from his new bride and his family?

Everyday life finally presented me the opportune time in 2019 to untie the letters and begin to piece together Tony's life during World War II aboard the USS Saginaw Bay. A fascinating story unraveled over the next few months as I transcribed hundreds of letters. Excitement grew as I began to uncover clues and get a glimpse of life in the Navy and life aboard ship. Slowly, I began to uncover the path taken by my father-in-law, Tony, during his time in the Pacific Theatre. The code embedded in Tony's letters to communicate his location to Bernice was not just a code; it was a map through the Pacific invasions leading Tony home to his patiently waiting bride.

Tony's letters, masterfully written, provide a window into a beautiful World War II love story, a story of two people from diverse backgrounds, far from home, doing their part for a cause much larger than themselves. The letters unlock the foundations of who Tony and Bernice were as individuals and as a couple. More importantly, the letters reveal relational building blocks that culminated in a lifetime of love, faith, and service to each other, to humankind, to country, and to God.

1

Tony

Anthony Libro Tony Porto was born on November 1, 1917, in Yonkers, New York, the fourth and youngest child of Italian Catholic immigrants. His parents called him Sonny or Santino, meaning little saint in the Italian community, his birthday being November 1, celebrated annually as All Saints Day in the Catholic Church.

Tony's father, Dominick Joseph Porto, was born July 13, 1881, in Domanico, Italy. He grew up in Mendocino near Rossano, Italy. In 1902, at the age of twenty-one, Dominick immigrated to New York with his three single brothers and his widowed mother, Celeste Marchese, who died a year later. The family settled in the Bronx, New York.

Tony's mother, Immaculata De Paola, was born February 3, 1889, and lived in the southern town of Corigliano, Italy. She immigrated to the United States in 1907 at the age of eighteen with her younger brother, Pasquale. They lived in the Bronx with an older married brother, Francesco, who arrived in New York around 1902. Francesco was a barber by profession. He had his own barbershop and hired his younger brother, Pasquale, who was also a barber.

Tony's parents, Dominick and Immaculata, met in the Bronx. They married on Saturday, February 3, 1910, at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in Yonkers, New York. Shortly after their marriage, they moved from the Bronx to Yonkers, where Dominick was employed as a weaver for the Alexander Smith and Sons Carpet Company until his retirement in the 1950s. Dominick and Immaculata had four children, all born in Yonkers: Louis J., born November 15, 1910; Rose Agnes, born in 1912; Celeste Immaculata, born September 6, 1913, and Anthony Libro, the youngest, born November 1, 1917.

The Porto family lived in the same dwelling the majority of their lives. Their home was contained on the second and third stories of a building which housed a business on the first floor. The apartment home was next door to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church. One of Tony's favorite stories in his adult life was growing up next door to the church and never being on time for mass! The Porto family were faithful Catholic parishioners.

Dominick Joseph Porto family, 1920; Tony, the youngest

Along with young men of this era, Tony attended Citizens' Military Training Camp in Plattsburg, New York, prior to his final year in high school. He graduated from Yonkers High School in 1935, completing all mathematical and science courses available during his school years. After graduation, he completed a one-year course in radio theory and servicing, covering broadcast, reception, and television theory at the Yonkers Radio Institute in Yonkers, New York.

Working in radio maintenance on a private basis and as a hobby, he went on to graduate in 1938 from Drake Secretarial College, in New York City, New York. Following graduation, he became the private secretary to the director and later assumed the position of chief office clerk for Drake Schools.

Growing up and living his entire life thus far in New York, Tony was ready to get out of New York and do something different. He responded to an advertisement in a New York newspaper seeking secretaries to move to Washington, DC. Following federal civil service testing, Tony recalled receiving a letter that simply said, If you are interested, show up at this time.

In June 1942, at the age of twenty-four, Tony assumed his new position as statistical secretary to Major Page of the Army Air Corps, working in temporary buildings known as Gravely Point. According to Tony, These temporary buildings had been around since World War I. Huge cranes were still in place as new buildings were being completed in DC when I arrived.

Today, those buildings are long gone, the area now part of the National Park Service's George Washington Memorial Parkway in Arlington County, Virginia, on the west side of the Potomac River and north of the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Tony's older brother, Lou, had preceded Tony to DC, taking a job with the Internal Revenue Service. Tony used Lou's contacts to find a place to live.

During his early years in DC, Tony recalled, I was somewhere around seventh from the bottom on the draft list. My older brother, Lou, was somewhere around seventh from the top of the draft list. Needless to say, Lou drafted into the army. I did not particularly want to go into the army, and it just so happened the Navy was taking applications for people with my background. These positions were in the photo division. Laughing, he continued, So I found myself a position as a photo mate, and I didn't know one end of the camera from another.

Tony, Dominick, and Lou Porto, 1940s

2

Bernice

Bernice Elizabeth Hardey was born April 29, 1919, in El Campo, Texas, the oldest of six children born to Rodney Joseph Hardey and Mary Magdalen Hornischer. Bernice's father, Rodney, was born January 22, 1895, in Church Point, Louisiana; he died November 22, 1971, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Bernice's mother, Mary, was born June 28, 1893, in Carneiro, Kansas, and died September 28, 1988, in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Rodney Hardey and Mary Hornischer were married April 18, 1918, in Hillje, Texas. Bernice's brothers and sisters included: Mildred Agnes (Mildred), born May 30, 1920, in El Campo, Texas; Rodney Joseph Jr. (RJ) born September 24, 1921, in Victoria, Texas; Rose Mary, born January 23, 1924, in El Campo, Texas; Frances DeSales (Frank) born January 10, 1927, in Kendleton, Texas; and John Alfred (Al), born May 10, 1928, in Kendleton, Texas.

Born and raised in East Texas, Bernice was a 1937 graduate of Ursuline Academy, an independent all-girls Catholic college preparatory school in Dallas, Texas.

Following graduation, Bernice headed to Dallas to seek employment. While in Dallas, she replied to an advertisement in the newspaper seeking individuals to take the federal civil service test for secretarial jobs in Washington DC.

Days later, Bernice's mother called. Bernice, there is a real important letter here. Can you come home and see it?

Bernice headed home to see the letter. Bernice recalled the letter simply read, If you are interested in this job, report in two weeks.

Bernice continued, Mother had been in the hospital, and Daddy had broken his ankle from a fall off an oil tank. I informed Mom that I couldn't leave them right now.

Bernice's mother replied, This is the time in your life when you are to do what you want.

Bernice Elizabeth Hardey

Bernice thought about her mother's response. My younger sister, Rose Mary, left home first. She was slender, quiet, an attractive young woman with brown hair and hazel eyes, and stood taller than me. She had an ambition to attend college, but funds were not available. So, Rose Mary and her girlfriend, Nell, joined thousands of other young men and women and headed to Washington DC to work in the new civil service jobs.

Rose Mary Hardey

Rose Mary had not been in DC any time at all when she phoned Bernice. Nell and I have a beautiful new apartment. We know you will love living in DC. Why don't you join us?

Bernice thought, Well, we have never had much in common, but why not give it a try? It could be fun, and I haven't found a job in Dallas.

Preparation began with Bernice gathering up all her material and sewing, one dress after another, until it was time to pack up and leave for DC on the train.

Bernice recalled, "I was so excited, and Rose Mary was excited!"

In high spirits and on top of the world, Bernice boarded the train and proudly found a seat on the train next to an older pleasant-looking woman. The woman asked, Where are you headed?

In a smug manner with a huge smile on her face, Bernice replied, Washington, DC. Then reality hit. She was really leaving home. There was no stopping the flood of tears running down her face.

But when she arrived in DC, it was good vibes the whole time. She found a taxi driver to take her to the apartment, which was through Rock Creek Park to Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Four young single women became roommates—Bernice, Rose Mary, Nell, and Ruth—exploring all that Washington DC had to offer. They shared an all-new apartment that had one huge bedroom with twin beds, a big kitchen, and a living room with a couch that opened to a bed.

Bernice commented, Our apartment building had a rooftop deck where we could sit and sunbathe or enjoy quiet evenings. I am not sure how we managed, all living in a one-bedroom apartment, but we did. And we had lots of fun.

5429 Connecticut NW, Apt. #307, Washington 15, DC

Bernice worked first as a secretary in the retirement section for the War Department and later as secretary for a Dutch commander at the Pentagon. The Dutch commander had been a prisoner of war and Bernice transcribed his notes. But before transcribing, her first daily responsibility was to read all the Japanese propaganda that came in each morning.

Bernice recalled, Tokyo Rose was the radio gal giving out propaganda from the Japanese perspective, revealing how many US aircraft carriers were bombed by Japan, how many planes destroyed, and so forth.

Rose Mary was secretary to General Albert Wedemeyer at the Pentagon. Ruth worked in a civil service job for the War Department. Nell worked nights in the main message center at the Pentagon.

Bernice recalled, Nell slept in the daytime, which helped with the living and sleeping arrangements!

Roommates: Rose Mary, Nell, Bernice, and Ruth

3

Wartime Romance

The US Navy played a fairly passive role in World War II until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. In the summer of 1942, the US Navy defeated the Japanese during the invasion at Midway Atoll, a battle people believed to be a decisive turning point of World War II. Japanese and American naval powers were now roughly equal.

Young men began to enlist in military service by the hundreds of thousands. Single young men and women poured into Washington DC to fill exploding needs for clerical help as the political capital mobilized for war. Tony and Bernice were among the young headed to DC arriving within months of each other, each recruited through advertisements in local newspapers in Yonkers, New York, and Dallas, Texas, respectively. Like so many young people moving to DC in the 1940s, they were from dramatically diverse backgrounds, far from home, serving their country, yet united in the war effort.

Another sign that the US Navy forces were ramping up was the beginning of the Navy Women's Reserve known as the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). The WAVES was established July 21, 1942, by the US Congress and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on July 30, 1942. This law authorized the US Navy to accept women into the Naval Reserve as commissioned officers, effective for the duration of the war plus six months. The purpose of this new law was to release officers and men for sea duty and replace them with women in shore establishments.

Tony recalled, My secretarial job was one of those at risk. It would not be long before I would be called into active duty and consumed into the massive military buildup.

Clerical staff in DC shared large office spaces, their desks lined up in rows. Staff also shared coffee break space, so it was common for the single young men to seek out good-looking girls to talk to during coffee breaks.

Tony recalled, I often visited Vada, a gal from Oklahoma. This gave me a chance to also check out new office recruits, such as a little Texan named Bernice, who was quite the talk amongst the young men, all betting who would be the first to get her phone number.

Bernice became astute watching office politics from afar, noting men who often visited the women near her workspace. She played it cool, going about her work, while secretly catching a glimpse of a particular young man leaning on Vada's desk. The young man was Tony, a short, handsome man, about five feet and four inches tall, muscular build, with a dark complexion and brown eyes. He was always well-dressed and very well-mannered. His short stature was not a concern. She was four feet, ten inches tall, and around one hundred pounds. She said to herself, I'll keep my eye on this one.

It was not long until Vada informed all the office gals that she was returning home to Oklahoma to decide which of her three suiters she was going to marry. Perhaps now I would get an invitation from Tony to accompany him on a coffee break, Bernice thought.

In September 1942, Tony received an official letter from the US Navy Recruiting Station in Washington DC, ordering him to report to the Commanding Officer, Naval Training Station, Norfolk,