WW II Letters home, September 8, 1940

~ ValarieC

First letter post dated September 9, 1940

Kenney Rhoades
Co 53 U.S.N.T.S.
Great Lakes, Ill

Mr. & Mrs. K.W. Rhoades & Family
4011 North 30th St
Omaha Nebr.

September 8

Dear Folks

Well here it is Sunday first a little over 2 weeks and I will be home for a while. Well mom Happy Birthday I have a present for you as soon as they Get them In stock again at the canteen. My pencil is in the bottom of my sea bag so Im using a pen, hope you can read it all right. I got Esters candy O.K. and it sure was good I am sorry I didn’t write thanks for it sooner. They had a big dance up here last night the first of the season they brought 200 girls from Chi1 down by bus, the only trouble was that there was about 6 sailors for every girl2 just as soon as you cut in on one and got her turned around some one would cut in on you I got discusted after an hour of 1/2 minutes dances and came back and went to bed. I want you to keep all pictures and post cards I send home as I want to start a scrap book3 and there is ant any place to keep one here. How is Dick and the car making out it will be up to him and Dad to furnish me with transportation when I get home so keep the cars running (Ha Ha) Well there is ant much more to say so will close for now.
your loving Son
Kenney


Second letter post dated September 9, 1940

Mr. K.W. Rhoades
203 Patterson Bldg
Omaha Nebr
Written over the address is “Answered 9/11/40”

Sunday

Dear Dad

I got your letter Wend & Fri. boy it made me feel good to get two from you in one week I guess mayby I rate after all (Ha Ha) Thanks for getting the check for me. How did your winer roast turn out. Well the pen ran out of ink so here I am back with pencil I started this letter at 9 AM and it is now 7PM. I got caught doing something wrong today for the first time. I skipped church formation with about two hundred others out of all the companies was lying out on the grass writing my letters. Today of all days they decided to check up. They rounded all of us up and made us go to late church at 10AM and next Saturday after-noon before taking any libertys we have to drill for three hours with a rifel (Ha Ha) boy they make you learn one way or another up here I bet I never skip church again. Well I must close & get my washing doneWrite soon
Love Kenney

Naval personnel at a dance.  Demonstrates Kenney’s reference of “6 sailors for every girl”.  Downloaded from the Nova Scotia Archives. 
Another example I found of barracks life for Navy recruits.  Kenney did state he didn’t have to sleep in one of these, but I just found the hammock height fascinating.  I couldn’t get into that, even when I was 20. Note the planks running along the right side of the photo near the ceiling.  Was this for walking to their bunks from some stairs? Downloaded from Pinterest.

1 Chicago, Illinois
2 Another photo representative of the time can be found at this web site. I had a hard time finding images that were not copyrighted.
3 The scrapbook is still in the possession of the family.  If memory serves, there are even some of Kenney at some dances (though not this one). Inquire at Grandma’s.

Published by ValarieC