Monday, October 18, 1943

When you have a roommate, or in my case roommates, you get your first peek into what married life could be like.  You learn a person's quirks and you adapt to each other.  You learn how to be part of someone's life like you've been there all along.  Grandma's roommate, Marvel, is moving out and moving onto Officer's training.

"Marvel left this morning for Northampton where she will enter Officer's Training.  I can tell you we've been going in high gear."

She wished to enter into Officer's training with Marvel, but Marvel got her papers in before her and Grandma is still waiting.  Grandma's true emotions finally come through her letter.  

"I would like very much  to make Officer's Training though and I am hoping and praying for it now.  Please keep the right thought for me. I will better myself so much if I can make it. ... I will have some schooling and so I am hoping that I will make it.  Don't say anything to anyone about this.  I don't want to tell them why I didn't make it. ... Let's just hope real hard that I will be able to go."

Grandma covets the life of a Naval Officer.  If she doesn't rise in rank, she feels she shouldn't have to explain it over and over again to people she loves.  Who wants to remember that humiliation? Who prays for something they don't get and wants to talk about it?  She yearns for the respect and prestige that comes with this life.  She journeyed across the country to move beyond her possibilities in Montana, and she is striving for that everyday she is in the WAVES. Yet, she cannot move on with the person who helped fashion this new life from her old one.  Marvel was Grandma's touchstone, and one of her few connections back to Montana.  Marvel was also born and raised there.  So, Marvel was the perfect amalgam of Grandma's old and new lives.

"This morning Marvel was so excited but she hated to leave me.  We could hardly keep from crying.  We have gotten to be great friends.  It seems so awful not to have one Montana person with me.  At least we could talk over familiar streets and acquaintances."

It's the uncertainty that finally undoes us all.  The biding of time; and my Grandmother was never a patient woman.  She despised waiting for information.  It's evident in her letters when she scolds her parents for not writing often enough.  She craved information and loved being a source of knowledge.  She was our family's google.  You asked her about a specific person or event and she would roll through her files.  She required immediate data and she never bided her time. It must have broken her heart to witness one of her good friends move on into a life of certainty and for her to be left in the dark.

Grandma and Marvel in The Missoulian when they enlisted

On this day in WWII history

Thursday, October 14, 1943

Surprisingly, my Grandmother receives leave form her duties from December 20, 1943 - January 6, 1944.  I'm floored that they even gave her that much leave.

"If everything pans out the way I want it to I will leave here the 20th of December and be home until the 3rd of January. ... I certainly hope now that everything turns out all right.  I won't know until the first of December for sure.  Let's just hope and pray."

I hope she gets leave to go see her family over the holidays.  She hasn't seen her family since that first letter from boot camp in January.  Can you imagine seeing someone every day of your life then poof! you don't see them for a year.  You receive a weekly letter and you are allotted an occasional phone call.  That does not always go through! It must be exceedingly lonely.

It seems she runs from her loneliness and fills it with dates and outings with sailors and Ensigns.  

"Marvel and I went out with a couple of sailors friends of ours the other night.  We went dancing and had a good time.  Tonight they are renting a car and taking us to dinner and dancing.  I hope we have a good time but the one that I have to go with bores me to no end."

She probably wanted to tear her hair out by the end of the evening!  I cannot wait until she meets my Grandfather.  She probably crucifies him and then finds he's up to the crucification.  They're a WWII Beatrice and Benedict love story.

Grandma still doesn't know about her Officer's commission.  It makes me antsy.  She's anxious as well, but she also wants to see her family.  

"I haven't heard about my commission but if that goes thru I don't know when I'll be able to come home."

She avoids talking about her commission in her letter, but I know she wants to continue on so badly.  I already know how this ends, and I'm still cheering for her.  Grandma's time in the WAVES is a huge part of my family's legend.  I know the facts and what's going to happen.  I know when she meets my Grandfather and how their lives were together.  She passes in June of 2001, months before 9/11.  9/11 would have broken her heart.  It's shocking to know how her entire life changes ten years from these letters.  This is a woman I never knew.  It's beautiful and devastating to witness her contagious hope.

They looked Thrilled

On this day in WWII history

Monday, October 11, 1943

My Grandmother's letter reflects the gloomy weather that they had in Miami in October of 1943.

"It has been raining a lot so it kind of bawls everything up for you.  When it rains down here it really rains.  It doesn't last long but it will rain a number of times during the day, and boy, does it ever come down."

My Great-Grandfather is not doing well and my Grandmother warns my Great-Grandmother to not overdo it.  (There were a great deal of grands in that sentence)  In the same paragraph though, she complains about receiving only one letter from them a week.

"It is kind of hard to get used to only one letter a week but I guess that I will just have to get  used to it.  How is Daddy now?  Is he still following the doctor's orders?  You must take care of yourself, Mother, and not get sick or overdo."

Grandma wants to come home for Christmas but it looks like other girls have already been denied leave.  So, in an effort to alleviate her disappointment, she suggests to them what she would like for Christmas.  The gifts she suggests gave me that jolt of war time.

"You know, for Xmas I would like an identification bracelet or some kind of luggage.  Just a suggestion not a hint."

The request for an identification bracelet as a gift caused my heart to race and my hands to clench.  If there is an accident, and somehow her body is found, then the authorities will be able to identify her.  It is a practical gift, but one that thankfully my Grandmother never had any use for.  I wonder if the ID bracelet was a fashion statement in the 40s or if it was a solemn reminder of the War.

Tourist season started in Miami and my Grandmother is resigned to it.

"The tourists are beginning to pour in down here now.  You would think with a war on they would stay home.  This town is plenty crowded but now it will be overflowing.  Oh, well, I like things to be moving right along and they will be."

America was unique that most of WWII, if not all, was not fought on our shores.  Let us not forget the devastating and atrocious attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and what our Navy did for us in our oceans. However our mainland was not a victim of the Blitz, nor did the Desert Fox ever come to our shores.  Our citizens were still able to go on vacation for cripes sake!  Many are thankful for that.  America and its people were able to provide a land where refugees could escape the devastation of their home countries during and after the war.  They managed to create new lives in a country where the horrors of their old lives could not haunt them.

On this day in WWII history

Monday, September 27, 1943

World War II technology shocks me.  World War II creates the need for all of these advances, but it was so easily wonkified.  (Yes, that is a word)  My Grandmother mentions two things that are unacceptable now but were par for the course back then.

"I haven't heard from you since a week ago Friday.  What is the matter... Maybe the mail isn't getting through as well as it should."

AND

"Yesterday Beverly Bent, the girl from Boston, got a telegram that her mother was very ill so we all went into action and helped her get an emergency leave.  She got the plane out of here last night at 9:30.  She was given priority too so she should have landed in Boston this morning at 10 AM."

Flights used to take 10 and half hours to to go form Miami to Boston?  What the heck?!  Well, I'm guessing commercial airlines are going to have huge technological advancements in the 50s thanks to Lt. Joy Bright Hancock and her wonderful WAVES in the Naval Aeronautics division.  (I apologize if I got the Naval terminology completely wrong).  

Grandma talks about her Marylin in away that makes me finally relate to Marylin.

"What do you hear from Marylin?  As yet she hasn't written to me.  I suppose the poor kid is plenty busy.  Do you know whether she is going to work or just what she is planning to do?"

I can relate to Marylin in the fact that she seems not to understand what it is she is doing with her life.  I am in that stage of my life (again) where I've just recently graduated and I'm questioning my life choices.  What is my life meant to be?  What am I doing with my life?  I guess this blog is my response  those major questions.  I am taking a chance writing this blog and I'm not sure where this is leading me.  But, like so man members of my generation we are moving forward into the unknown.  Some of us not as gracefully as others, but we need to remember that we'll come out the other side.

This next paragraph made me understand just how peculiar I am sometimes.

"Saturday night I saw something very interesting.  A blimp was out over the bay demonstrating what it could do.  It would throw life preservers and provisions from the blimp to supposedly stranded people on the ocean.  It was very interesting."

So when Grandma said life preservers I thought she meant those little inner tubes that keep you afloat. Like you know "donuts."  So I thought "oh hey! donuts."  Then I thought about this giant blimp tossing donuts out to stranded survivors as forms of sustenance.  Then my brain went "Oh you know who likes donuts? Homer Simpson."  Then this picture formed of a giant Homer Simpson shaped Blimp tossing donuts to people in the water and him drooling into the sea over the donuts.  Ya, I think I'll leave you with that.

Grandma and Marylin

On this day in WWII history

Thursday, September 23, 1943

Grandma is sending some pictures home for her folks to see what her life is like in Miami.  She's not satisfied with how they turned out though.

"My other pictures will be ready today so you can expect them anyday.  They aren't as good as I had hoped but I think that I think that I am cuter than I am."

I always believe that if you think that you are cuter than you are, then that means you have great self-confidence.  Now this can go horribly wrong, but a non-flattering photo is always a wonderful reality check.  Although, I did show y'all the photo of her in her Navy whites and I believe she wears them very well.  Grandma disagrees, but I wish I looked that good in a white suit.  

"The one of me in my whites isn't very good.  My suit was wrinkled and it looks kind of ratty I think." 

My Grandmother might as well have been the social director for the Miami WAVES.  She knows every hot club in Miami and enjoys attending said clubs with friends and dates alike.

"I have been having quite a busy week.  (Monday night) We went dancing to the Royal Center.  Tuesday night I went out with an Ensign who is a friend of Marie Carey's boyfriend... We went out dancing and had a swell time.  (Last night) We went dancing out to the Sky Club and again I had a good time."

She really does love going out and being social.  Well, when the World's at war, life is uncertain.

  

Unfortunately for the Sailors on the Cruiser Memphis and the destroyer that docked in Miami, my Grandmother doesn't think life is that uncertain.

"Yesterday the cruiser Memphis and a destroyer docked in here and the streets are swarming with sailors.  They stop you on the street and beg you to go out with them.  They come over to the barracks and ask for dates... The boys are lonesome and have been to sea for a long time and want to go out dancing but I just don't like to go with them."

I'm not entirely certain why she writes this, but I do have an idea why she questions their motives.

My Grandmother's positivity and the calm demeanor in which she portrays her life in the Navy makes me forget that she is writing during World War II.  Then she writes a sentence that brings everything back to the forefront.

"Oh yes, I got the papers.  That was certainly terrible about Stan Hillman.  It seemed like there was a lot of news about a lot of the kids I know.  I am sure they will all be married or dead when I get home."

She sounds nonchalant about it, but that's the truth that millions of people were living everyday with. So, you can either deny your truth or, as my Grandmother does, accept your truth, but either way you always have to move forward.

WAVES big wigs from the 1 year anniversary parade

On this day in WWII history

Sunday, August 29, 1943

Grandma passed her Yeoman 2nd Class test!  Unfortunately, she won't be able to become 2nd Class until October because she hasn't been 3rd Class for 6 months.  The Navy would give her a waiver if her quarterly grade in proficiency rates 3.8 or higher.  She had a 3.7!  Her Commanding Officer tried to speed the process along.

"He could have railroaded me thru but I said no because 1 month isn't a long time and I'd make enemies of other girls.  He told me he was glad I had said that and he said when I try for Ensign that if I meet all the qualifications that they won't turn down his request for my commission."

I am proud that my Grandmother decided to wait rather than pull strings.  Since she covets the rank of Ensign, I think she made the correct decision.  Also, I think her Commanding Officer might have been sweet on her.

On Wednesday, August 25, Grandma and 35 other WAVES were invited to the Rod and Reel Club for Dinner.  She says it is a very exclusive club.

"Very wealthy men belong.  We were the first women in there after 6 o'clock.  Not even the men's wives can go after 6."

I wonder if clubs like that still exist?  I know Gentlemen's clubs still exist in London, but are they in Atlanta or Miami?  While at the Reel and Rod club, she met Mr. Mahoney who invited my Grandmother and fellow WAVE Beverly Bent, to go deep sea fishing on his boat next Sunday.  Mr. Mahoney's wife will bring the lunch and they just need to bring themselves.  By the way, doesn't the name Beverly Bent remind you of some 1960s superhero's love interest?

This next part of Grandma's letter frustrates the bejesus out of me!

"I also met a famous ballplayer who was the White Sox best shortstop, in fact he's known as one of the best.  I forgot his name tho."

She can remember meeting Eustace Adams, a reporter for Red Book, Cosmopolitan, and Good Housekeeping, but she cannot remember meeting Vern Stephens or Luke Appling?  I'm pretty sure it was Luke Appling because he mainly played for the White Sox whereas Vern Stephens played for several clubs.  But seriously, C'MON! To her credit, all Grandma really has to say about Eustace Adams is, "He's very interesting to talk to but he looks like a typical author."

And the number one reason that I know I am truly my Grandmother's granddaughter is this statement:

"Please pardon the pencil but I'm too lazy to fill my pen."

On this day in WWII history

Thursday, August 19, 1943

Dancing is always the time in my life where I feel that I am truly myself.  Grandma and I shared this trait because she has been out dancing every night since her last letter on Monday.

One of my favorite memories of our time together involves her love for Elvis.  I host my annual Blue Christmas Party, but my Grandmother had everyone of Elvis' records on vinyl.  We were in her living room in St. Louis, when (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear came on.  I was about 4 years old, but my favorite thing in this moment was to dance to this song.  I made my Grandmother play it over and over again.  What really got me Grandma rolling though was my Elvis lip.  I can do a perfect impersonation of Elvis giving his "Uh Huh" gyrating lip.  I think that went on for at least 20 minutes or until my 4 year old self got tired of the attention.  I will never forget that even though it is a fleeting memory.

She goes on to talk about her Yeoman 2nd class testing, and I finally understand where she is coming from.  It's that uncertainty of what your life is going to be like.  Is she going to move upward in the Navy? Where is she going to end up?  These are very practical questions in the WWII world.  These questions are also very relevant today.  Our economy is improving but our job market is still recovering.  People are more educated, but they are still working minimum wage jobs or don't have a job at all.  I won't question her anxiety over this testing again.  My current state of mind and the uncertainty of this world mirrors the worries my Grandmother had in this letter.  I can only hope that my life leads me to a place where my future Granddaughter can perfectly demonstrate Elvis' gyrating lip for me.  I think then my life will have come full circle.

On this day in WWII history

Monday, August 16, 1943

Grandma opens this letter by requesting more correspondence from my Aunt Peg and my Great-Grandma Shannon.  She says she nearly fell out of her chair when she received a letter from her best friend Marilyn.  Mom says Marilyn was always kind of an interesting character.  She and Grandma would be getting along fine then Marilyn would hit one of her moods and wouldn't talk to Grandma for months.  So, I can see why she is shocked about the letter even though it is her best friend.

She also thanks them for finally sending her driver's license, but she says Peggy obviously can keep the other dollar as her tip.  They also sent her letters of recommendation for the Yeoman 2nd Class test.  She must have a plan in place now because she sounds resolute about the situation.  It looks like she is going to take her test on August 24, 1943.  So cross your fingers again and we'll see what the Doctor can do about getting those well wishes to her in 1943.

Grandma Robinson gives us another taste of the nightlife in 1943.  She talks about the Coral Gables Country Club.  "The club is a beautiful place with the dance floor in the open and you dance under the stars and the beautiful Miami moon."  I can see her swirling around the dance floor in her Navy blues on the dimly lit dance floor.  Enjoying a drink, the live orchestra, and a few laughs.  Listening to the brass hum to her across the dance floor.  She really did love to go out and dance.  She found herself back at the Clover Club with a fellow WAVE and two Army Lieutenants.  She didn't sound very impressed, because she wrote more about when she got back than when she was out.  Yet another WAVE went out and got some hotdogs and sodas, and they had a picnic in Grandma and Marvel's room.  Sorry, the other WAVE bought pop.  Grandma drinks an onomatopoeia.

Grandma Robinson was going to close the letter, but then a Navy cruiser from the south Atlantic or the Pacific docks in the harbor.  The WAVES get to tour the cruiser, but she's anxious about the trip because, "When you go onboard you have to salute the Ensign (flag) and then turn and salute the Commanding Officer.  More than likely I will fall flat on my face or something."  She is so nervous about maintaining Navy protocol that it's comical.  She had another slip up with a WAVE officer, but the officer just laughed.  I still have my moments like that, but I finally realized that everybody else is way too busy worrying about themselves.  Her concern about her Naval reputation is commendable however because it shows how important this is to her.  The WAVES changed her entire life.

On this day in WWII history

Special thanks to http://www.historicalflorida.com/ for this one!

Monday, August 9, 1943: A Letter to the Folks

My Grandmother starts this letter off with some attitude.  Her personality comes through these letters more and more as we make our way through them.  She explains to my Great-Grandmother that she needs her Montana driver's license so she won't have to retake the driving test.  Also, she wants it so that she can rent a private car for the day and not have to wear her Navy uniform to the beach.  She would just go in her bathing suit or a cover up. I still have her Navy issue trench coat and I cannot imagine going to the stifling beach in fabric like that!  She assures her mother that she is following the rules, but she is totally giving her mom guff.  "I stick to rules and regulations even though it is hard to sometimes and gets boring.  The only reason I want the driver's license from home is that I won't have to take a driver's text.  Now please get it and don't ask them any more questions about it."  My Mom says I sound like Grandma Robinson all the time!

She also asks Aunt Peg or her mother to run to the University of Montana in Missoula, to get her transcript so she can apply for Yeoman 2nd Class.  Grandma is so nervous that she is requesting her family not say anything about it until she is accepted.  She keeps preparing everyone for the worst. That is also a family trait.  My Grandma Robinson passed when I was 14 so, I really didn't get to know her as an adult.  I'm starting to believe that my anxiety comes form both sides of my family and not just my father's side.  Grandma is talking out every aspect of the situation and it makes her feel better just as it does for me.  She lightens the mood by teasing her sister.  "I know Peggy has a hard time to keep her mouth shut, but this time she must.  (Ha Ha)  Don't get mad at me Peggy, but I know that I have 3,142 miles between us so you can't take a slug at me."

She making me nervous for her!  I can't stand it and I want to read ahead to see if she made it!  Her bunkmate Marvel is a shoe in apparently, and I am wondering what is the major difference between my Grandmother and her.  Is my Grandmother's transcript bad or is she just not ready for this change in responsibility?  Well, all we can do is send her the well wishes she requests.  "Well wish me luck anyway and pray for me or something."  Do well wishes work retroactively in time? I guess I will leave that up to the Doctor.

On this day in WWII history