VII

second night out and explained to him our eating dilemma; it seems that several other men did the same thing with the result that our hours of eating were change to eight in the morning and four in the afternoon.

Knock on wood, I haven’t had a sick moment aboard ship, although many of the fellows became sea-sick the minute we hit the high seas. The second day out we hit quite a tremendous storm, which brought the blight of seasickness to all but the most hardy..a good part of the fellows in our hold were violently sick with little means of helping them except to try and get them on deck. However, from my now acquired experience with sea-sickness, I find that it breeds almost uncontrolable stubborness in the victim, in that he just wants to lie in his bunk and suffer.  I coaxed a few of my more intimate friends on deck, and the fresh air helped them immensely.  Only one chap suffered any ill-effects, and he layed in his bunk for three days and nights, refusing to eat or drink, so that on the fourth morning he was delirious, and his body was completely dehidrated. He is in a straight-jacket in the sick bay now, and will return to the states with the ship.

The voyage has been really very uneventful up to now, the day passing slowly between eating, sleeping, reading and gambling a little. I have written these first seven pages in one tremendous spirt and will continue the letter from her in at various intervals until the trip is over.

December 20, 1942 (4:10 P.M.) (Officer’s Wardroom)

Just finished wiping innumerable dishes and silverware, but I find it well worth the trouble

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