Dart observed his lonely Christmas by writing a long letter to Dot.
The letter is full of news about how he has spent his days recently. Today he is spiffed up in his dress uniform so he can attend a church service at 9:30 in the morning. He tells of carols playing on the radio and the “up-patients” either helping the guys who are in bed, or just resting quietly. Their ward is barren of decorations except for the scrawny tree he has mentioned before. The next ward over has bows and wreaths all over the place.
He talks about the guys spending the day reflecting on how well they have fared this year, in spite of being in the hospital. I guess by this time, the war has gone on long enough that they know there are worse places to be spending the holidays than a hospital in Chicago, USA. Most of the patients in his ward are searching for boxes so they can ship extra belongings home when they return to active duty soon.
He describes his work on the small galley crew, helping to serve meals to the guys in the beds. The small, well-equipped galley is also a quiet place to eat and write letters.
Thursday evening, Dart attended a fabulous Christmas party at the hospital. There were several acts, including some Chicago radio personalities, magicians, piano players, etc. I love that radio personalities were such big deals then, before television emerged. Anyway, there was a huge feast for all, and Santa paid a visit.
Several weeks before, the Chicago Tribune had run a special campaign to find gifts for the military men in the hospital. Dart had received a letter asking what he wanted for Christmas. He’d asked for a particular model railroad car construction kit that was no longer on the market. The one he received was not exactly what he requested, but gratifying nonetheless, and he had already put it half together. He ran through a list of the other gifts he had received, including his favorite – a leather wallet from his folks containing photos of his mom and dad.
He tells Dot he had put three hours aside on Friday to write to her, but instead spent the whole night trying to comfort a fellow patient who was in great pain. Eventually, that man was transferred to surgery to stop some horrible internal bleeding. Dart would much rather he’d spent the time in a “meager substitute for conversation with my family and with you.”
He envisions Dot having a wonderful holiday, surrounded by her entire family. He mentions that one of the Waves who comes to his ward is from Greenwich and went to school with Dot’s brother. Small world!
The letter has taken him all day to complete, in part because he was on escort duty taking visitors up to the wards. He also received a visitor of his own when a guy from Cleveland who was in Dart’s Navy company came to see him. While Dart has been in the hospital, his company has completed basic training and are headed home on leave. Dart is no closer to a leave than when he first arrived.
