1938
I'll start off this month by quoting parts of Fred Wagner's latest letter, from somewhere in the Pacific. "I don't want you to think that you are the only one who is meeting, pursuing and falling in love with wildly attractive women. It took me a long time, but I too have met a woman, and Cupid has been playing those immemorially seductive tunes for me too. You are the first man in the States, I should explain, who has learned of my Sarah (for Sarah is her name). Out here on this particular island it is fairly common talk, but I am quite sure the columnists do not have the news yet and that you are getting this scoop first. I am appending a picture of my Sarah, (ed: I am afraid that Sarah's picture will not bear printing in this sheet, but briefly, if you can be brief about such a figure of a woman, Sarah looks about 50, tips the scales at 220, coal black, with a head of hair that is the best looking mop I've seen, doublebreasted, clad in what may be best described as a pair of bloomers, and mounted on a bicycle).
"Having been out here about ten months my tastes may have changed a little, matured you might say, but I think you will agree that Sarah is a fine figure of a woman. I have been going steady with her for a number of months, whenever we are in this port, and I have already gotten so fond of her that it really pulls the old heart strings when we set sail and disappear off stage into the setting sun, knowing full well that it may be weeks before I see Sarah and her bicycle again (a Ranger Special with a bell, siren and English brakes). Sarah has something indefinable, something nebulous and ethereal, a je ne sais quoi that I have found in no other girl I have ever gone out with.(I forgot to say that the bike is the kind with a gear shift.) She has an extremely pleasant and lively personality, an elegant way of chewing betel nuts to which my words could not do justice, knows all the tunes on her drum, and she is simply splendid at unloading copra.
"I am finding my duty out here fairly interesting, and like the type of ship. A subchaser is small but crammed with interesting gear. Our duly is mainly convoy and we have really covered the South Pacific, having been in most of the ports of this area. I am the skipper of this particular SC, having served earlier as gunnery officer and then executive. About two months ago I relieved Chuck Moon '35 of the command. In the course of our jaunts I have run into quite a few Dartmouth men. Of late I haven t seen so many, but for awhi.e I couldn't walk into a tropical hotel or officers' club and get my foot firmly placed on the bar rail before I'd see someone from Hanover. Then I thought that the Green must be fighting this particular war darn near alone. I saw Chuck Wiggin, a captain in the AAF, quite a few times, and the ship is stronger by . one machine gun due to him. Also Dan Marshall, a captain in the Marines, Tommy Roberts, a jg. with a navy photographic outfit. Chuck and Dan apparently had nothing to do but entertain visiting firemen, and they did a superb job of it. I have seen Honest Dave Berliner, who was then exec on a minesweep. Saw Bud Roby and spent a pleasant evening aboard his ship. Bill Guyther, a jg., is most conveniently located at staff headquarters. Had some darn good times with Ross Borneman, who was then skipper of a YMS. Ross claimed he was going to remain single, and I foolishly bet a dollar with Chuck Moon that he would so remain, but a soft vague look that would come into his eye when he broke out the picture of a cute white girl gave the lie to his statement, and I have been setting aside ten cents a month to meet my obligation when I hear the bad news. He was out here so darn long that Mrs. Roosevelt could get him i£ she wanted to make the effort. Bruce Lemmon, a lieutenant in the navy medical corps had dinner with me when we were operating at his base. Also saw George Zeluff, who was then on the point of being transferred to an LST as a doctor, after having served on a land base for some time."
Ignatius Bielanowski is stationed at Fort Eustis, Va. with an AART Bn, after having completed the course at Combat Intelligence School. Nancy Jones writes that she and husband Roland, of peanut-slinging fame, were blessed last Nov. 13th with son David. Roily's at Camp Stewart, Ga. now. That baby I want to see. Harry Connor writes from the SOPAC, "I have a new job as Regimental Operations Officer, which, while it is a pretty nice one to have, seems to preclude possibilities of an early relief and duty back in the States." On the promotion side, we now have Lt. Col. Jim Seaver, Lt. Win Clarke, Lt. (jg) Smith Campbell, Capt. Bill Griffith, 2nd Lt. Bob Lang, and 2nd Lt. Ev Dearman. Eric Davidson is a Lt. in the Navy Medics, Paul Barber is with Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corp. in N. Y., Hook Schneider is in the Pacific with the Marines, Tow-Tow Tower is with Consolidated Vultee in San Diego, Don Guy is newsphoto editor with AP in Boston.
From Rufus Chaote comes news of brother Dave. "He volunteered in the Naval Reserve about two years ago, as a Seaman I/C. Late in '42 he made the long haul into the Southwest Pacific in a "Yippee," spending the next 13 months there. He went to Quartermaster 2/c, and last month the Navy brought him back with orders to a mid-west Deck School for indoctrination as an Ensign D-V (S). Whereupon lie proceeded to land in a Naval Hospital with pneumonia. Lew Parker went into the Coast Guard as an ensign before Pearl Harbor. He has seen plenty of action in the Solomons and elsewhere, and is now a full Lt."
Fred Sibley is back in England. He was on an LST (large standing target) in the landings at Gela and Salerno. Fred, an ensign, was vehicle control officer, responsible for loading and unloading mechanized cargo. Leonard and Catherine McChesney are living in Southern Pines. Mac is a captain now, and liaison officer between the paratroopers and the artillery at Ft. McCall.
Surprisingly enough, it's the amount of available space that's cutting the news short this month. Don't forget the Alumni Fund.
Secretary, 41 Fifth Ave., New York, N. Y. Treasurer, 1743 Q St., N. W., Washington, D. C.
