Tuesday November 29, 2011

We had all kinds of winter storm warnings up this morning. However, I took a chance and rode my bike to the MAC. It was cold and windy but no rain or snow. I increased my swimming distance from 750 yards to 900 yards. After the MAC I headed to the Kava House and still no rain/snow. After lunch I took a quick nap and then worked on the computer for several hours. At 1700 Nancy and I headed downtown. We are attending Les Miserables at DeVos Performance Hall. Before the play with are having dinner with the Horlings at the Bull's Head. It was good we had reservations because the place was full at 1730. We had a great meal at the reasonable price. The play started at 2130. The play was sold out and the only seats we could get were in the balcony. The play lasted 3 hour. Nancy really liked the play. We got home at 2300 and I watched the late evening news. The areas south and east of GR got 3"+ of snow. We did not get any snow.

November 29, 1961: On this day 50 years ago I wrote my first letter to my mother from Midway Island. It cost $0.04 to send a letter from Midway to Alpena. I had alway thought that I had Thanksgiving dinner, 1961, at the Officer's Club, Pearl Harbor. However, the letter indicates that I had dinner at the Officer' Club at Treasure Island. Treasure Island is located in SF Bay between SF and Oakland. I left for Hawaii on Saturday Nov 25. The plane left for Hawaii from Travis AFB. Travis is located NE of TI and is in Solano County. I arrived on Sunday. I spent 1 day at the BOQ, Pearl Harbor. I did take a bus to Waikiki Beach and walked around. On Monday I got was called a Log Flight to Midway. Log flights to Midway are on Monday and Friday. Before the flight I was paged and given a 45 pistol and a packet containing classified documents. Would you trust important documents to a greenhorn?I had to make sure these documents got to the Island safely. They made it.

I left Hawaii at 1000 and got to Midway at 1400. I told my mother that although Midway was small the streets are so crooked and winding that it appear larger. There are 3000 people on Midway. I commented on the Gooney birds. They were numerous and everywhere.

Midway is part of the Dew Line and its main mission is to support Early Warning Planes. These planes leave Midway and head to Alaska looking for the bad guys, Soviets. There are planes in the air 24/7.

I told Mom it was hot and humid but I had not been swimming. They were playing Christmas carols and I thought it was seemed out of place in a hot climate.

There are no single girls on the island but the Officer's Club has dances and the young single officers are invited to attend and watch. Big deal. Married officers and senior enlisted men can bring their wives to Midway. However, they must spend 18 months instead of 12 months.

I was asssigned to the Public Works Dept and given the job as Transportation Officier. There are 30 sailors in my Division. In addition we have 10 civilians. The civilians are assigned to Midway from Pearl Harbor on a 60 day rotation.

Every morning I am in charge of muster. The sailors line up in formation and are read the "Plan of the Day". I am also suppose to hold an inspection, weekly.

I wrote the letter in pencil. I noted several spelling errors. I also told mom I had read "A Nation of Sheep".