Wow! This letter begins with two stories about justice (and injustice) in the Navy, and ends with a fine discussion on what Dart believes he’s fighting for.

First, the tale of injustice – a wrong which was righted through the efforts of our young hero, the valiant Dart. Since coming aboard the Haggard, Dart and his fellow new arrivals had been told there were no lockers available in which they could stow their belongings. As a consequence, they had all been forced to lug the things from place to place and store them in public areas. Recently, rumors began to circulate that this ship had been built with ample storage for all hands to access. Further investigation revealed that several guys had actually appropriated multiple lockers while the newbies remained “lockerless.” Dart and a buddy took it upon themselves to approach the Master-at-arms, a “redheaded New Jerseyite” and tell him that they knew several of his boys were occupying lockers that rightfully belonged to the newest sailors on the ship. They even threatened to go to the executive officer and spill all their grievances. By the end of the day, they all had lockers to call their own!

The tale of justice also features our man Dart. He was sentenced to 10 hours of extra duty for neglecting to wear a life jacket for a general quarters drill. As he explains it, when he heard the alarm, he dashed to the large storage area where he and all the other lockerless men sometimes threw their gear. When he saw the mountain of stuff piled on top of his belongings, he knew that taking the time to dig through it all to get to his life jacket would delay his whole battle station from being manned and ready. He opted instead to report to duty without the required life jacket. Unfortunately, he got caught by the executive officer and sentenced to the extra hours of duty. “I was in the wrong, my reason is not strong, and I must take the consequences.”

Still, with some residual bitterness, he talks about the disillusion he feels after two and a half years in the Navy. He feels that although he has always tried to follow the rules and play fair, his toes have been stepped on quite a lot. He hopes he doesn’t become sour, or lose his sense of right and wrong by spending so much time under the Navy’s influence.  Even though some of his thoughts and actions are changing by being in the Navy’s environment, there are some things which he knows will remain steadfast.

“You and I know what they are. We want a home. We want to be happily married and successful in life. We want to live our lives in freedom – freedom from debt; freedom from the bonds of a conqueror; freedom from the seamy side of existence, or at least as much of it as possible; and, above all, freedom from the thought that our successful existence has been due to the fact that somebody else was wronged in our struggle; that is, freedom derived from our own minds and senses of decency and honesty. Speaking of honesty, I love you — honest!”

And I love that a value he holds most dear is to not achieve his hoped-for success by abusing or mistreating someone else. That kind and conscientious perspective was a driving force for Dart throughout his life.