Loyola University Maryland - Evergreen / Green and Gray Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

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the quartermaster handing up the colors. This is done at 8 o’clock every morning. After “colors” come s “quarters,” when we are in- spected, clean our clothes and rifles, shave and so on. During “quarters” e o m e s physical drill, under arms, and also double time for about ten minutes. Then come other drills until noon. Censorship makes it impos- sible to describe these drills. Then dinner, which is al- ways a good meal. We have meat, potatoes and other vegetables, either ice cream or pie and coffee. Needless to say our ship is the best feeding ship in the Navy. The afternoon is gener- ally devoted to “corking off” - — sleeping, or sometimes we write letters. The hand plays three times a day — after each meal. At 5:30 we have sui)i)er, and after that “evening colors” (sunset), and we present arms as the colors are lowered. Then at 6:30 comes “hammocks”; we stand by them and they are piped down. We then swing them on our billets, two hooks about 8 feet above the deck and 15 feet apart. Each man has a billet. We are then privileged to turn in and go to sleep or go to the movies on the quarterdeck. We have movies nearly every night. My post is Time Orderly. I strike ship hells every half hour and report different things to the officer of the deck. The Marines have a whale boat crew, and have won several races and a cup. At present we hold the General Efficiency Cup of the Atlantic Elect. The Marines also man several 5-inch guns and can handle them very well. My position on a gun is sight setter. I could go on for hours with interesting hits about shi])-lifc, hut naturally, censorshii) forbids. I am sending you under se])aratc cover a few pictures of life aboard ship. I would like to know when the Annual comes out, because I want to get hold of a copy. 19 George T. Bullen.

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And iidirn yon cross the little pond ond ' (all in ' at the Front, Yon kin stand the gas and guns and shells, and ' dodgin ' bayonet ' slant ' Fanse yah know the old Red, While and Bine ain ' t just the kind of blnjf That Kaiser Willie thought it was — it ' s backed up by fighting sliiff. Bat here ' s the secret, bnddie; what hits yon mighty hard It ' s when the pals yah left behind fergit to drop a card; Or the folks back home don ' t think yon care to hear the old-town news. And the one best girl don ' t write yah, an ' your heart ' s down in your shoes: It ' s then the goin ' s pretty tough — you ' re down an’ oat — aw well. Tins fella Sherman had the dope — he ' s right — war sure is hell. Hen Scanlan. P. S. — Sorry I have no snap-sliots to send you, but there is so inueh red ta])e to taking pictures here that few of us bother with them. I am enclosing a few cartoons from Trench and Camp, which may interest you. H. S. On Board U. S. S. Pennsylvania. Your interesting letter was mighty welcome. It does a fellow good to know ' that he is being remembered. In reply to your request I w ill endeavor to tell you the “Diary of a Marine aboard a U. S. S. Battleship.” First, you w’ill have to picture the crewv sw inging in their hammocks, sleej)ing soundly, then at 5:30 A. M. the bugles sound reveille, d he crew ' get up, lash their hammocks with a long piece of rope and then stow ' them in bins provided for the purpose. Then we have hot coffee and toast before we turn to on bright work that is, the marines. The sailors scrub decks. The marines take care of their own quarters only. Every morning I get some brass j)olish and shine an inch w ide strip of brass on a hatch 3 x 6, w hich takes about five minutes. Then I take my bucket and go to the w ' ash-room w here I get a bucket of fresh w ater and, if I want a hath, there are eight fresh w ' ater show ers available. Then I go helow ' to our quarters to clean my rifle for inspection, bianco my w hite belt and polish my buttons and cap ornaments. By this time Mess Gear sounds and w e clear the mess decks for breakfast at 7:30. Pipe down, mess goes and we eat. Breakfast usually consists of fruit, cereal, fried potatoes, of which there seems to he no scarcity in the Navy, liver and bacon, or navy beans (which are very good), or eggs and coffee. After breakfast, if I am on the guard of the day — Tm on every other day — I get ready to ])arade colors, w hich means a guard of marines pre- senting arms, and the hand playing The Star-Spangled Banner, and 18

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Camp McCi ellan, A la. A rather belated answer to your letter of Marcli 7, l3ut I hope not too late for its j)iirpose. There are nearly thirty former Loyola students in our battalion and we all are ever glad to hear from our old college. We often get together and talk of old times, and the fact that so many of us are in the same battalion keeps the memory of our college days eonstantly before us. 1 am writing this letter in (jiie of the big well-lighted buildings of the Knights of Columbus wliich are a great source of pleasure and comfort to us. We often come here to write letters and read. A good library with most of the latest periodicals in it is at our disposal and you can just bet we take every advantage of it. Mass is said every Sunday morning in the building, and is always crowded to the doors, for our religion is never neglected in our efforts to become etticient soldiers of Uncle Sam. We have been here for over seven months and think it is high time we were going across, but as yet the powers-that-be have deemed other- wise. We are all former members of the old Fifth Maryland Infantry, and it chafes us exceedingly to think that drafted men are being sent over ahead of us. Still we can only hope for the best, as we have been doing for tbe past four months, and I su])pose our time will come soon. The boys send their best regards and hope to hear from you soon again. Jaaies S. Fenwick. I want to thank you for your letter with reference to our Alma Mater and the boys. Surely it was cbeering to bear all tbe news and to know that Loyola, as usual, is in the fight. I have been in tbe “Naval Reserves” since November 30, and bave been stationed at various plants throughout New Jersey. Our work lias to deal with Cost Inspection, which l rietly means that we take care of the exiienditures of Navy money on contracts let on the “cost ])lus” basis. It would be tiring, indeed, if I were to burden you with a discussion of our cost accounting ])roccsscs, but I can assure you that the work is a very necessary one. Man} dollars will be saved tbe Government liy the vigilance of our insjjectors. For in these days when everybody is after the money, and when the labor situation is so unsettled, it is necessary not only to audit figures sulimitted to us, but to forestall unjust charges before they are made. You realize, tlierefore, that (T)sl Inspeclion would not make read- able matter for the Annual, but if you say so, I will try to tell a little 20