Dart explains his lack of letters when he writes this one from a westbound train.  Although  this letter doesn’t go  into detail, he is finished with the engineering program at Case and is being assigned for active duty. First stop, Great Lakes naval base near Chicago.

We see in this letter his first reference to one of the great loves of his life – trains.  He mentions having to pack up his model railroad layout from his university housing before leaving town, and he talks about being distracted from letter-writing because he wants to see everything he can out the train window.

One of my favorite passages of this letter is “It seems the Navy works fastest when a fellow would like to see his girl and say good-bye to her. I tried to get some of the leave which is due to me, mainly so I could get out to see you Saturday, but the Skipper seemed to think the Navy was more important. Dag-gone his hide.”

This paragraph seems so poignant when put in the context of a young man with a new love interest who is being sent off to war. Think of the questions that must have nagged at him:  Where am I going and how long will I be gone? Will she write? Will I see her again? Will I be coming home?

I have to smile at his use of the name Dorothy in the salutation. I believe the only time Dot ever tolerated being called that was when she had no choice.  Perhaps she associated it with being in trouble with a parent or teacher.  How long will it be before she tells him to cease and desist?

Dart gets a little wistful at the end and boldly signs his name “Yours with love, Dart.” I think the young sailor is smitten.

To read the letter in Dart’s own hand, just click on the images below. Most computers will allow you to magnify the images which is a handy tool on this letter – written in pencil on a moving train.

Also, thanks to my sister Nancy who sent me a great photo of the young couple. See it on the Photographs page of this blog.