DEAR BOSS

[Music] What the hood? Hey, [Music] hey, hey. [Music] Wait for anchor. Everybody loves [Music] May 28th. Dear boss, that was when she was a recruit at the Wave Training Center. June 19th, dear boss. July 26th. Dear boss, now this was the day from San Diego. Dear boss, indeed, I can't understand that girl. I cannot understand what she sees in the Navy in the waves. Why, she was perfectly happy here. Here in this friendly, cenial, refined office, right at that desk of yours. here in her own hometown. Friendly town. Hi, Mr. B Master. Hear from Patricia. Hello, Albert. Yeah, once in a while. A friendly town just 5 hours from Chicago by by train. Why she knew everybody in town and everybody knew her. Oh, Patricia, I saw you last night. Yes, I did. Having a soda down at Langden's with that Freddy Keller. Oh, you and that Keller boy. Well, Mrs. Kle, I didn't know that. Oh, you young people. You can't fool me. Believe me, Mrs. Kle, I wouldn't even try. [Music] Hi, Tommy. She saw a lot of that killer boy. Had a date with him once a week. Something tells me if she'd have played her cards right, he might ask her to marry him someday. Yeah, he was just like one of the family. Every Sunday on their front porch with their father and their mother and their little brother sitting. I thought we could all go for a nice drive. Oh jeez. Well, it would be about our best Sunday to see the autumn leaves. Jenny, you can stay home if you promise to stay right by the house. Okay. Freddy, why don't you call your folks and tell them you're coming along with us? Leaves all be in full color by now. Be mighty pretty ride. Yes, sir. Yes. They're always so pretty this time of year. She left that fine home and this friendly, congenial, refined office to join the Navy. Navy. Listen to what she says in this first letter. Dear boss, everything has happened so quickly. Yesterday or seems as if it were only yesterday. I was just anybody. How did it all happen? I'll tell you how it happened. She saw one of those Navy posters and one day she went to see the recruiter. Where? right here in our own post office. Oh, they make things easy for you. She had 35 minutes for lunch, just like you do. And you know what she did? She missed her lunch to talk to that recruiter. [Music] Hi, Patricia. Hello, Tommy. Slick, those recruiters. High pressure boys. This one certainly sold her a bill of goods. Yeah. Made all seem like fun. Painted a great picture of how things are. You're fully qualified for the waves. You see, when you're a wave, you're in the Navy just as much as I am, or as my bosses, or even the chief of naval operations. That's how he shanghied her right in our own post office. They sent her to their main recruiting station by train and she had some more of this interviewing stuff with a physical exam. And then to make a long story short, she went off to this wave training center on the train. Her folks are there to see her off. So was Freddy Keller. I didn't go, but I sent Albert down to give her a going away present. nice basket of flowers which she did not appreciate. Gave them to her mother. [Applause] Everything went right on moving quickly. Here I was about to become one of the women of the greatest Navy on earth. I looked around and decided that all the other women of the greatest navy knew exactly what they were doing and where they were going. But recruits have lots of questions. The Navy was something new for all of us. And I guess we were something new for the Navy. The training center is like a big suburban town. Everything is clean as a pin. Our quarters are tremendous and they're spotless. By now, I know why. We all have a hand in keeping them that way. I wish you could see my roommates. Or what's the Navy word? Shipmates. They're wonderful. Hello, I'm Patricia Jenkins. Welcome aboard the good ship quarter 610. My name is Joan Harris. Joan, this is Polly Johnson. Pauliey's from Iowa. Hi, Polly. Hello. Isn't it wonderful? Well, I hope so. There's one member still missing. We have a fourth bunk, a fourth locker. So, I assume we're going to have a fourth recruit. What happened to you? Are you laughing or crying? Are you hurt? Okay. Just inside this freaking zombie. Oh god. Did you call her? It's amazing how close I feel to these three after just a week here. Jones from Detroit. She's the oldest. She seems to know just everything. Does everything right the first time. Pauliey's the youngest. She's 18. She had to get her parents' permission to join the Navy. And Chub, you'd love Chub. She's just the opposite of Joan. It's no heavier than this one. They'll just have to get another big wardrobe cabinet or I won't be able to put away all my stuff. We marched. We marched even when we went to get our first issue of uniforms. It wasn't good, but it got us there. We welcome you recruits. We're never too busy to say hello. We're never too busy to say hello. We're never too busy to say hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. You should have seen us. Or no, I guess you shouldn't have when we got our first uniforms. There are uniforms for everything. Work, and I mean really work. Dungarees. And for dress up blues, navy blues of course, and white for summer. and play uniforms, too. Pass that. How's this? I think that's to put hat covers on. I don't think you wear it. That's good. Callie part of the uniform, of course, is the haircut. Oh, no. Right. Three boil. [Music] [Music] [Music] Next, we had the thoroughst physical examination you can imagine. The four of us all passed it and we're still being inoculated against all kinds of things. No crossing a line for you. Just a little O shot. What should you be excited about? It's just a little old shot in the arm. The marching has improved already. Joan was chosen recruit leader. It's really lots of fun. One last footnote. Nothing to do with church. Chub, my confused roommate, used to play the trumpet in high school. They've made her bugler. She starts tomorrow. Well, that's your first letter. Then a couple of weeks later, I got this. She says the training station in the morning is a very romantic place. Just at sunrise and before the great naval station is awake. The streets are all so quiet. Just the birds and the occasional sound of a jeep on patrol. And then from each barracks, the clear notes of reing. [Music] You ever hear anything? [Music] We marked her at 8:00 in the morning. Hall stance B mustering petty officers report 260 all present or accounted for Miss Carver. Platoon 261 all present or accounted for Miss Carver. [Music] Platoon 262 all present are accounted for. Miss Carver [Music] then classes begin. These are wonderful classes. They're not easy, but they're so much more interesting than anything I ever had in school. Naval history is an adventure story. Really, it is. Ships and aircraft can't help being exciting. The two classes with the driest names of all are the ones nobody would miss a word of. Personnel and organization. Our futures are all wrapped up in those two. Besides studying, we exercise. I'm almost a perfect size 12 now if that means anything to you. That's a little bonus I hadn't hoped for. Boss, you should try a little of this. And swimming, too. We have a beautiful big pool and it's open every day. The whole day is fun. Even keeping the barracks spotless. Oh, I don't mean it would be fun for always, but for exactly what it is, recruit training. Housekeeping is essent when you organize it. I said to myself, it's just an old test. Anybody can pass an old test. I'll just go in there and pass it. Zip like that. Of course, if I don't pass it, then I'll probably have to go back to the next company. All right, here we go again. We'll finish this then we'll stuff your life with knowledge. Oh, thank you, Jen. Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you. Very touching. You might try studying more. Oh, I do. That's why I'm so grateful to you and Pat and Polly. Don't think I'll ever forget you. In years to come, in later life, the memory of you, dear shipmates, will always be with me. When the shouting dies and the smoke of battle clears the way. Oh, Joan, [Music] it isn't all work. Of course, we have area liberty within the limits of the wave recruit camp for several hours every evening. There are movies and dances. I like your evening gown. Why, thank you. It's a very popular number. Why? Why? I haven't even noticed. Oh, you danced diving, Miss Hoer. Do you really think so, Roert? Uh-huh. Well, let's go again. Last Sunday, mother, dad, and Junior drove up. And where would I find the wave recruit training area? Wave recruit training is straight ahead to the first cross street. Turn left and watch for the sign. Thank you very much. We had a wonderful visit and Jay, it was good to see them again. Now I'm sure they're really glad that I'm away now that they've seen the training center for themselves. It's kind of hard to explain to your folks sometimes the things that are closest to your heart. Well, today we had more qualification tests. We've learned a great deal about the Navy. And by now, the Navyy's learned a great deal about us. What we're good at and what we're not good at, what we like and what we don't like. We were interviewed on her preferences for duty when we leave here. I told her when she asked me what I wanted to do. First, I told her I'd like to be an air controlman and bring the giant bombers down safely out of the night. Then if I can't do that, I'd like to be in personnel. Well, that's about all of that one. I think it's perfectly plain she's miserable, but she keeps telling herself she's glad. She's not. This third one's short. Yeah, she's glad here, too. Keeps telling herself how glad she is. I've never made a better decision in my life. I know that what I'm going to do is important. That's a good enough reason in itself. And I'm getting better at it. We all are. Before much longer, we graduate from recruit training. Right. This afternoon, we got our orders. I'm going to a naval air station. Before long, I'll be a herographer. My first choice. Joan's going to Breton, Washington. She's going to be a yman. Pie's going to medical corman school and Chub, I just came down from there. She said to me, "Hover, sit down." So I sat down. She smiled. Hoverer, she said, "Your first choice was was to be an air controlman. And your second choice was personnel. Now you know as well as I, your abilities are in dealing with people. You like them, they like you. So for your good and for the safety of Navy flyers everywhere, we're putting you in personnel. Isn't it wonderful? I don't know. Anyway, that's that. And now after all this time, this letter that came today from uh let's see a naval air station in San Diego, California says here. Funny how attached you get to people and places. I was downright weepy that last day at the training center. I knew I'd miss Chub's bugle. Now she's really good at it. [Music] There was a big review at graduation and the honor recruit award and the American spirit medal winner were announced. Mary Ericson got the American spirit award. Congratulations, Miss Ericson. The honor wave of company 24 is Joan Harris. Congratulations, Miss Harris. And when the admiral presented the award and congratulated Joan, we were all so proud of her, especially Polly Chub and I. Joan deserved it. Because of each one of you who leaves here today for other duty, the Navy will be better able to perform its mission. Good luck to all of you. I'm sorry I didn't write while I was in agrapher school. And I'm sorry I didn't get to visit you longer while I was home on leave before that. There were so many people to see and so much to do. What do you mean? What does that mean? That means I'll pass my recruiting stage. You can even salute, too. Well, listen. I I've got to go now. I've got to meet some friends of my We'll see you later. Hello, Patricia. Hello, Tommy. [Music] Good boy. And now I'm on my way to becoming an arographer. If I thought before that the Navy was going to be exciting, I was still underestimating it a whole lot. The air station is beautiful. All big Navy stations are beautiful. Everything's beautiful. I've heard from everyone. Joan loves Breton. She's never been there before and everything is new to her. Polly is still in medical corman school. Chub finished personnel school and she's back at the training center in the personnel office. What were your hobbies? Well, I played in the high school band. What instrument did you play? The coronet. And that's it. I'm a full-fledged sailor. I belong to the Navy and in a way the Navy belongs to me. Tommy Rut, you know something? She wishes she was back here right now. You know how I know? Never mind. I just know. That's all. Yeah. Oh dear. She in closing she says I hope that you are well and that everything is running smoothly in that friendly congenial refined office. Yeah, thank you. But I got to get to work. Mr. Burkemeister. Mr. Burkemeister, I wonder if I might have an extra 15 minutes for lunchtime today. There's an errand I want to do, and it's really very important. Right. Well, I guess it'll be all right this once, but it can't happen often now. Don't worry, Mr. Burkemeister. It won't. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.