Wartime Love Letters

Johnny (July 7, 1944)

Friday July 7, 44

Dearest Sweetheart Ella Mae:

Here is my new address from now on. Please send all my mail by this address

Johnny Kristofferson S 2/C

U.S.S. Silverstein D.E. 534

c/o Fleet Post Office

New York City, N.Y.

Give this address to all the rest of them will you honey. We leave here definitely on Tuesday. We have received our orders when to leave. The ship will be commissioned on Friday afternoon around 2 o'clock. The party is going to be on Saturday night. We don't know whether you want to leave on Thursday to be there for Thursday night and to the commissioning on Friday or leave Friday morning and be there for the party. Darling Mrs. Keagle is going to call you at Moms at 6 o'clock or as soon as she can get ou after 6 o'clock on Wednesday night July 12th to find out if your going and tell you what time she'll be in Albany and also what day. You and her can figure your own way between you as to how to tell each other and know how to pick each other out. Keagles wife has your picture as I loaned it to her to hep pick you out. Oh darling if you come I'll be so glad to see you and quite sure I can be with you nights as our exec. will most likely give us overnight passes. He did that down here with the fellows. I'll also try to call you on Wednesday night if my 24 hour restriction is over so I can. I'll no doubt be able to meet you when you arrive in Boston if Keagle and I will have to try and locate a place for us to stay while you are there.

Well darling we were out on D.E. 586 today. We have been darn busy tonight cleaning and gbetting ready for our short arm and also captians inspection in whites tomorrow. By short arm I mean we have a physical tomorrow before we leave for Boston.

Well darlking I can't think of more tonight and its 5 minutes till lights out. Goodnight darling and remember I love you so much and hope I'll be seeing and loving you in Boston.

A million kisses Darling

Johnny

(Unfortunately at this point there are no more letters from Johnny – not sure if I miss placed them or they have been missing from the get-go) I'm going to keep searching for them. In the mean time I will write what I do have)  

Here's part of a letter that was floating around with no front page so no date- but he mentions soemthing that happened recently in the last few letters on this (random – loose) page.

Well darling if you don't believe I'm turning black from the sun down here just take particulr notice of my forehead. The picture doesn't exadurate the shade any.

I don't believe I told you in my letter about the Captians inspection yesterdy afternoon we had Master at Arms. That's rifle manuvures I think you know what it's like. I never had any training in Boot Camp with rifles so I had to learn it darn quick. I did O.K. too. Then the Captain gave us personal inspections and I needed a haircut. As he looked at the back of my head the wind blew my collar up in the back of my head and he didn't notice it. Boy, did I heave a sigh of relief.

Well sweetheart I love you as musch and don't mean maybe. I can't wait to see you again. Be good darling. I don't need to tell you to be good because I know you will be darling and I'm thinking of you.

A million kisses

Johnny