This letter of Dart’s is very difficult to read. It’s written in pencil on cheap lined tablet paper that has not stood up to the passage of time like his finer stationary has. The paper has darkened and the pencil has faded so that they are almost the same shade.

He begins writing this letter during the class time allotted for an electricity test. He was the second one finished and still has 45 minutes left while the rest of the classes catches up. True to his generally modest nature, Dart takes no particular pride in the ease with which he’s sailing through this class. “I really pity the fellows who haven’t had this work before, and who haven’t learned to think things out for themselves in a more or less orderly manner. They’re having a rough time, every bit as rough as when I was taking it for the first time. …I may look brighter than some of them, but I really had to work as hard as they and get grades as low as theirs in order to be that way. Circumstances have made things easier for me.”

He talks about the challenge of the math test coming up next period. He knows the calculations, but his execution is sometimes sloppy. He’ll add 9 plus 15 and write down 21; then in his haste during the checking portion, he misses his own silly error.

He pauses to rest his eyes before the next test and resumes when his math class is over. After chatting with his instructors, he believes he’ll get about a 90 or 95 on his electricity test and an 80 or 85 in math.

The next exam coming up is his air craft recognition test. What an intriguing set of skills these guys must develop! They must be able to identify 15 types of planes, from any angle, under any circumstances, in a tenth of a second flash. They then have 45 seconds to write down the plane’s symbol, name and wingspan.

I love to see the range of letters Dart writes. Some of them are focused nearly exclusively on his feelings for Dot. Others, like this one, scarcely mention the emotional stuff. I can tell that he enjoys the mental stimulation of engaging his mind on complex, practical problems and the learning of new skills. His letters do a wonderful job of showcasing all the facets of this young sailor; witty, serious, mature, playful, intelligent, loving, curious, stable, thoughtful , honest, romantic and practical. Is it any wonder Dot has recognized what a good man he is?

He tells her he may not be able to write for a day or so because he has liberty coming up.