We knew it was coming. Dart writes the hardest letter he’s ever had to write, to say that by the time Dot reads this, he will be gone from Shoemaker. This morning he initialed his name on a roster of 6,000 which leaves the camp on December 26.

He has made the decision not to call either his parents or Dot before he ships out. He’s decided there would be too much sadness to bear. He expects to be at sea by January 1, possibly en route to Pearl Harbor or Australia. “Only the Lord and the US Navy know where we’re going. And they can’t tell you for security reasons.”

He warns Dot that his letters for several days may  be short, sketchy or non-existent. Who knows what to expect.

Last night he had an unbelievable liberty. After getting a free meal at Hospitality House, he and his buddies went to the Southern Pacific Station to bum another free dinner from the USO. He and Lefty got to talking to an engineer who invited them into the cab of the engine. After the train left, the switch tower operator invited them all up to tour the tower. The four buddies then went to the operating night of the model railroad club until the other guys went out “beering.” Dart stayed until the club event ended.

He has 10 million things to do on his final liberty before he goes, including shopping, letter writing and the endless laundry.

A recent letter from Dot was signed “your own,” a term they both use frequently. This time it struck Dart how much those two words mean to him. He hopes that as they get farther apart geographically, those words will pull them closer together.

He urges her not to cry because he didn’t call or because he’s gone. “It’s not forever.”

A rushed but happy letter from Dot informs Dart that she and El have spent the day decorating their huge house for Christmas. She wishes he could see how beautiful it looks. Her brother-in-law, George, will take some photographs on Christmas Day and she’ll send him some if they turn out. It’s hard to imagine what Christmas pictures would look like in black and white, but I think that’s all that was available in 1944.

She tells Dart the tree is ten feet tall and four feet wide about half the way up. She hopes her last work day before the holiday goes as quickly as today went.

She misses him and sends all her love to the “most wonderful boy in the world.”