On the ship back to USA

On the ship back to USA

310.280.1-9.2017

United States--Armed Forces--Military Life

Wilsey, David B., MD

The Wilsey Collection

The Holocaust Center for Humanity

310.280.1-9.2017 Transcription

22 Nov. 45

Thanksgiving Day

(the Armys Thkgvg Day)

USA HS[1] Fran. Y. Slanger

Oh, my dearest,

This should be it! After

setting on board this ship in

the harbor we a for 3⁺ days we

are finally sailing. P.S. Remember

how, in my last letter on land, I “hunched”

that we’d not sail upon boarding ship?!

Soooo, when I say should

be it (above), it is 99% certain—

the balance of 1% is bad motors,

storms, undeactivated mines, etc.

P.S. The motors are stinky; the crew

keeps beating its gums each trip for 5

round trips now since the Slanger was

commissioned because of stinky motors.

Its a huge diesel-electric (I saw it) but

they say the Dagos didn’t make ‘em right.

Which brings up:— this

Slanger is not the Rex (Italian) as

[2]

was “grape-vined” back in Paris.

It was the former Saturnia (Italian).

They spent 11 million dollars to

reconvert it to a hosp. ship (it was

one of those cost-plus war contracts & they

really strung out the work—shamefully).

Anyhooo, it is the largest U.S.A.H.S.,

& was expressedly intended to

float off the shores of Japan as

not only a hosp ship but as a

“Base-Hospital.” As you

probably know, it was named

after Army Nurse Frances Y.

Slanger who “got-it” on D⁺²

at Normandy beach-head.

The hosp-train (NATCHERLY!)

was slow, pokie, behind time,

& all around “French-style.” (Though British built).

However, this time I didnt have

to sleep on an end ledge-table

(like the hosp train from Reims to Paris), but

had one of the 3 tier cot-bunks.

Ill write a page a day—you threatened (he! he!)

me that I’d BETTER write envoyage. GOONITE, AML[2], Dave

[3]

2^nd Day Nov 23^rd:—

Howdy, m’love,

To elaborate on a point

[while lying down—Im getting’ kinda sea-

sick AND I ADMIT IT][3]:—I cant

remember exactly what it was

you “threatened” to do to me if

I didnt write while enroute

(“envoyage” per Wili[t]zskinary[4]) but it

musta been sumpin’ awrrful

so Ill write a page a day, huh?

That is, a page on each side.

It may seem stingy but,

honest!, there isnt an awful

lot to write that’s interesting.

When it was still barely

day light last evening I saw

England. Its that southwest-

ern most part which is

[4]

Cornwall; the bleakest/“lastest”

part is called Lands End.

The lastest island-like part (Sicilly Isld)

has a powerful swinging

beacon light on it. This

experience [outgoing][5] is like

my European ingoing——

I saw Africa, except I saw

much more of it & closer; almost

close enough to spit on as one

looked through glasses.

Anyhoooo, if you want to

see England (→Hans’[6] Holland→ Paris)

someday dearest, we will go.

BUT—we sure ‘n Hell

will fly on Hans’ K-L-M Dutch

Royal Airlines. None of this

damn rockin’ swayin’

ocean voyaging. Its been

getting worse & worse; infact

a real storm is imminent

(‘n Im getting’ sicker—see!)

Bye now, AML Dave

[5]

3^rd Day Nov 24^th:—

Phewww, darlin’:—

And some people pay for this!—

even use up good vacation

time for this. Yas! ——I

mean use up time & pay for

OCEAN VOYAGING! Phewww!

Natcherly, I iz sicker.

Period. Period. Period.

4^th Day Nov 25^th:—

Howdie, you [grand][7] datter of a Missouri Steamboat Captain,

You ‘n

yor Gran’pappy can keep all

yor (damn) steam-‘n-otherwise

boats—SEEEE!

Even so, I love ya all to

a million, seeeee, despite

yor water in yar veins

P.S. aint we all got 78% H₂O in {veins & body.[8]

[5]

Anyhoooo, to make a

long story into a short summary,

I SURE DO PICK ‘EM !卐!«!Ü

Namely, ocean storms. On the

Mariposa out of NY we caught

a 9 day “hurricane” that broke the

rudder; crippled the automatic

steering gear; smashed port

holes open; threw people out

of bed; left us sittin’-dead-

ducks in the Atlantic for

1½ days; started us back to NY

(but things were patched & we finally

limped on across); pitched the

ship 3º beyond the maximum

of its pitch-meter; AND

gave one Wilitzski about the

worst Welcome/initiation/in-

doctrination to the (pleasures)

of OCEAN VOYAGING any guy

could get. Thus you’d say

Im sorta kinda “predisposed”

[7]

to sea sickness. Well, last

night’s (maximum) storm

according to these Slanger-its=

“the worst this ship has

experienced.” [Hell! they shoulda wuz

on a certain said Mariposa once!][9].

Anyhooo this is the current

claim:—Pitch beyond the

maximum of the pitch-meter;

the Hosp C.O. thrown out of bed;

thousands of dishes broken (outa

(throw-proof racks); a whole

pharmacy wrecked; etc etc +

Wilitzski plenteeeee sick but

still not as bad as the

Mariposa deal. Anyhoooo, it

has abated (the storm & seasickness)

pretty well now so Im

happier. Oh yes, I forgot to

[8]

mention that once you whip

this “biznezz” you’re pretty well

set for the rest of the trip—

no matter how rough it gets,

subsiquently. (See page #16 for proof).

One ramification of this

seasickness is the “denial” of

cow’s milk—yup!, they have

frozen cow’s milk on this ship

& the past 36 hours I havent

been able to to do “Wisconsinly”

right by it. however, it doesnt

taste exactly like HOME—

it lacks 1% or 2%--but I

aint kickin’, see! We also

have lettuce & tomatoes (n’ 1000

Island dressing) for the first time

in over a year. So far the

Slanger’s food hasnt had that

seaship-staleness that the

Mariposa’s food had. (Its a peculiar

taste all its own—indescribable)

So long till tomorrow’s, darlin’

AML, Dave

[9]

TITLE?—“THE DEATH OF THE CHICKEN-shit” (my title—there wasnt any)

When bugles sound their final note & bombs explode no more,

When we return to what we did before we went to war,

The sudden shift in status, in the ladder of success,

May make some worth gentlemen feel like an awful mess.

Just think of some poor Captain minus his silver bars,

Standing behind a counter selling candy & cigars,

And think of all the Majors c̅[10]  their oak leaves far behind,

And the uniforms they’re wearing are the Western Union kind.

Shed a tear for some poor Colonel if he doesnt feel himself,

Jerking sodas isnt easy when your “eagle’s” on the shelf.

Tis a bitter pill to swollow tis a matter of despair,

Being messengers & clerks again’s a mighty cross to bear.

So be kind to working people that you meet where’er you go,

For the guy that’s waiting tables may be your old C.O.

HOW TRUE! HOW TRUE! HOW DELIGHTFULLY TRUE! Whoopieee

[10]

5^th Day Nov. 26^th:—   

Hi, darlin,

Well, the ocean has behaved

itself fairly well today; the sun

shown part of the time; & I ate

good meals-full 3 times. Also

by 12 noon we had gone 1717 miles

c̅ only 1547 to go——sooo, all

in all the “victories” are

nautical, “gastronomical,” & lineal.

I met a fellow today up

on deck who was born & raised

in my same Oconomowoc

vintage. He’s P.F.C.-Geo Meyers,

the son (& nephew) of dentist

brothers who practiced in

Oconomowoc for years. We

had 2 different gab-sessions

today & I was surely

brought-to-date on no less

than 150 people. He has been

a medical dept. techn. all

[11]

along. They are Z-Iing[11] him for

hypertension; its familial & no

one in his family has ever lived

to 60 yrs of age because of it.

They’ve had movies on

shipboard every night but I

had either seen them or wuz sea sick.

But, tonight I’m going to the

foreward mess hall to see what

is playing.

We are rumored to the effect

that short passes may be possible

upon arrival in the NY area.

I hope so because Id like about

3 hrs to get a plain flat statement

one way or the other about what

the Anesth. Board has decided

about me.

Well, darlin’ its show time so

sooo long c̅ soooo much love, Dave

[12]

6^th Day Nov 27^th:—

Greeetinks, m’Love,

I write all these

one-page-spurts while lying

down—just cuz it liesurely

like—so pleeez pardon the scrawl.

That show last night was

only a C⁺ class (maybe B-) but

it had an interesting quirk to

it; a blind detective c̅ a

very Rin-Tin-Tinish seeing-eye

dog. Ed. Arnold + Ann Harding

in “Eyes in the Night.”

Well, we are only 1114 miles

from NYC & we’ve put 2154

under out our belly (not belt).

We’ll probably arrive just late

enough Fri AM to hog the

whole day c̅ transferring &

paper red tape. However, it

looks like the keynote of Home-

Sometime-November will be

[13]

fullfilled by a squeeze ‘n grunt.

We went 417 miles (avg of 17.3 knots)

this past 25 hour day because

the ocean was/is unusually

decent for this time of year.

The 25 hour day is based on

the fact that we gain 1 hour

most every day at sea. Sooooo,

after having “lost” that 6 hours

outa my life 1⁺ yr ago, I am

finally “finding” those hours

again. My, aint that sumpin’!

A number of times I’ve

thought (both c̅ fear & c̅ a chuckle) how

confoozed our Son will be during

his process of learning to speak

because of my coining words

& screwball slang. My! My!

Anyhoooo, sunthin’ he, you, & I will

never confooze is—All Our Love, Dave

[14]

7^th Day Nov. 28^th:—

Hi, dearest,

Yasss! they spent 11 million

dollars in just reconverting

fixin’s on this ship & yet they

neglect (just “skip”) one of the most

physiologically = environmentally

important points—control

of ventilators. For 10 days I’ve

laid in a damn ventilator

draft. If ya close it you’re

inconsiderate of the others in

the room; if you make a

cardboard deflector other

guys claim they’re being

drafted into a coryza [sic]. Etc, etc

etc.

Ya know, dear, just to

get away from this overseas-et

al her[d]ing-quequing [sic] would

be such a relief—such

a glorious feeling. To get

[15]

away from A-L-W-A-Y-S doing

what one doesnt want to do

just so as to be fair/equal/

equitable/DOING-ONE’S-50:50 will

be such a relief—by this

I don’t mean fullfilling

selfish desires—just

fullfilling desires that

dont affect anyone else viz

such as laying in a draft

from a ventilator just to be

a good-guy/decent-guy/fair-

guy. In other words, the

wonderful American privelege

of, lets say, moving your bed

or going to another room, etc etc.

Dear, this general type of occurrence

happens at least 10,000 times in

an overseas soldiers life.

Sleep tight now, AML Dave

[16]

8^th Day Nov 29^th:—

Geee, dearest,

We pick up our pilot from

NY harbor in about 11 hours from

now & that means he will guide

us the last 6⁺ hours into the

BELOVED UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

[He’ll have himself [a time][12] climbing overside from

his fast delivering-boat as the sea is the

roughest of the whole trip—just gigantic

waves & terrific wind. P.S. I’m NOT seasick.][13]

In other words, it’s now our

last afternoon (WHOOPIE!) at sea;

we will pick the pilot up in

the wee morning hours; & we

are supposed to be tied fast

around 7AM at the latest. WHEEE!

This will be my last “edition,”

dearest—isnt it good, good, good

to know this will be my last

overseas letter. Ummm! from

here on we say—

ALL OUR LOVE, Dave

[1] Hospital Ship.

[2] All my love.

[3] Bracketed text is part of original.

[4] Wilitzski is Wilsey’s nickname for himself.

[5] Bracketed text is part of original.

[6] Hans Gerritsen, a Dutch paratrooper Wilsey became friends with while liberating Dachau.

[7] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.

[8] In original, “veins &” is written above “body.”

[9] Bracketed text is part of original.

[10] Medical abbreviation meaning “with.”

[11] Refers to being sent back to the Zone of the Interior (The United States).

[12] Bracketed text inserted into original with a caret.

[13] Bracketed text is part of original.