In his first sentence Dart admits to feeling unimaginative and incapable of anything but sleeping and dreaming. He apologizes in advance for the poor letter and hopes he hasn’t run out of words by the time he writes to Dot’s mother, Ruth. Actually, he makes a pretty good stab at the letter, although you can sense his energy and enthusiasm are on the wane.

He wants to hear more details about the hurricane, saying this doing things by candlelight sounds rather primitive to him. He’s never talked to anyone who’s been through a hurricane. How strange that such a large storm was never mentioned in the west coast media! Can we even imagine such an oversight happening in current times?

He tells Dot that it sounds as though Mrs. Miller does none of the work around her house, leaving it all to Dot. Does she still like her job at Franklin-Simons? Does she enjoy caring for Chris and Eric?

In an effort to write more than responses to Dot’s latest letters, he turns to talk of the weather. The temperature, smells, and gentle breezes he’s experiencing on Treasure Island these days remind him of spring or early fall in Ohio. He says the air is so clear that the Bay cities look very close. He then describes watching some dive bombers practicing their maneuvers over the Bay today. How can he even make something like that sound poetic? “They fly across the baby-blue sky in beautiful formation; then, one-by-one, they swing a wing up, turn aside and dive into a long, roaring bombing run. Then suddenly, they’re all back in formation again, flying the other direction, the sun glinting off their silvery sides.”

He reports that his cold is a little better today. This is the first he’s mentioned that he’s never completely lost the cough that developed during his bout with pneumonia several months ago. It gets worse when he has a cold and a little better as the cold retreats. His daily swimming lessons aren’t helping his lungs much.

Yesterday brought a three-page letter from Fred who’s still awaiting his permanent assignment. He says “our boys” are scattered all over the world. The only location Dart knows of where these boys are not is the China-Burma-India theater. I’m not sure if “our boys” means buddies from high school, or Americans, in general.

He tells of one of the Shaw classmates who rose to the rank of Captain in the Army Air Corps as a fighter pilot with 40 missions over Africa. He got himself into trouble and was busted down to “Second Looey.” “Still,” Dart writes, “he made the grade which none of us thought that he’d make, and which so many of us tried for ourselves.”

Not surprisingly, the guys’ talk today turned to girls. The general agreement among them was that ‘Frisco girls were not the type these guys would want to be seen with. Still, one enlightened young man suggested that even in ‘Frisco “you could find a nice girl if you tried and knew how.” Dart is grateful he’s already found his nice girl.

He wraps up by saying, “And so, I leave you for tonight. I hope that after this is all over, we’ll never have to leave each other, by letter or otherwise, again.”

Dot writes a sweet, romantic and charming letter today, in recognition of the first anniversary of meeting her beloved Dart.

In her own words, “It was a night just like this, one year ago when I first met you. How well I remember…the thoughts that went through my head as we sat in the living room waiting for Lois. …How I wished you were to be my ‘date’ instead of Lois’s.

I’m going to tell you what I did that night after you boys went home. I went to the recreation room in the 3rd floor after everyone was asleep and had the longest cry I’ve ever had. I thought I’d never see you again and the thought tortured me. …I kept praying I’d see you again. The day that prayer was answered, I began thanking God and haven’t stopped yet. I think I fell in love with you that first night.

The day Betty got that letter from Johnny in which you asked if you could take me to the dance, there wasn’t a happier girl in the world; nor has there been since. In spite of all the tough breaks you’ve had, I think we’re both mighty lucky. When I think of all the girls who aren’t fortunate enough to know you and love you as I do, my heart aches for them.”

Dot moves on to other matters, like what to send Gordon for Christmas. Packages to sailors must be mailed by Oct. 15 and she’s looking for ideas of what her brother might like.

She relates a cute story about three-year old Chuck Pecsok. His mother reports that the other day he picked up a fashion magazine with a woman’s face on the front. “Hello, Dot,” he said to the model. Then he planted a big kiss on the picture. Dot warns Dart that he has some competition from a much younger man.

She assumes there’s still no chance of him getting leave before being shipped out. She says if he can get as far as Ohio, she thinks she’d be able to meet him there. “Ask the Admiral. Maybe he’d think it was a swell idea.”

It’s chilly tonight in her apartment at the Miller’s house. They suggested she have a fire in the fireplace, so she built a blazing one. It warms the room, but makes her lonesome for Dart. She tries to pretend he’s curled up on the sofa with her, enjoying the fire.

She ends the letter with “Thank you for what you are, what you stand for, and most of all, what you’ve done for me.”