March 11, 1943

Dear Mom and Dad,

How do you like this trickey stationary. Cute huh! I got it at the ship’s store for only 94¢ and there’s an awful lot of it too.

Today we had gym first period. We did exercises, ran some obstacle races and a folk dance. You should have heard the girls grunting while doing the exercises, they are in bad shape, but they were soup to me. I find I’m in very good condition. I guess the gym classes I attended did help. From 10:00 to 12:00 noon we had tests. Spelling, arithmetic (oy) opinions on teaching and the navy mechanical aptitude test. The last one was a laugh. We had to match up parts of tools that belonged together, of course none of us, or at least not many, knew beans about such things. The officer said a good way to answer the questions would be to say what is your address and put a circle around the first number or say your boy friends name is John so you circle letter J. We just had to guess at them because most of the tools I had never seen before. However there were certain parts of same test which were most interesting such as working out diagrams and some questions on barnyard physics. I enjoyed all the tests except of course the math, but I answered all the ones I knew how to do. There were some that required algebra, etc. to solve. I think we will have several more tests.

They haven’t finished our physicals yet but I hope they do soon. I’d like to get my shots over-with.

The girls in my room and myself are all walking around with our chests out today as Miss Bosier our Company Commander gave us a “smart, shipshape and seamanlike” rating on the appearance of our room. That’s the best you can get. I love their expressions, once one of the girls left her wallet on the table so they left us a note there was a “wallet adrift” another time there was “water running in the galley”. They tell us to “pipe down” and muster “on the double,” which means come quickly. We are getting swell training. I never throw my coat or purse down on the bed any more. Everything is immediately hung in the closet because an officer might walk in any moment.

1815 [6:15 PM]

Just returned from dinner. We sure do have a lot of ham. Breakfast, lunch & dinner several times a week, also lots of butter, sugar, and coffee. Coffee is all they server to drink so I drink water except for breakfast they give us milk for our cereals. You should see the breakfast I stow away, fruit, eggs and ham, hot cereal, (today we had corn meal mush) several slices of bread and jam, doughnuts, etc. Boy do I have an appetite now.

The first regiment have received their uniforms and the surely do look swell marching around the campus. We will be next. Helen is going to be measured Saturday for hers. I went to a show that the Coast Guard fellows from Long Island put on for us last night, with Helen. It’s the first time since I’ve been here that I have gone out with Helen. We usually march everyplace in a platoon (35 girls) and she’s in a different company from me.

Must study my lessons now so goodnight. Tell me all the news and say hello to the neighbors for me. That picture of me in the news-press was pretty vile wasn’t it?

With Love,

Lorraine