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On Holidays,
daily work was suspended, lunch meals were special, and the men
hung out with their buddies. The print shop often created beautiful
souvenir menus or ship Christmas cards. Men received cards, letters,
and packages from home. The men put on "smokers" consisting
of skits, comedians, boxing matches, singers, dancers, etc. During
the war, they did not decorate, but after the war, Paul Wieser remembers
that they decorated a tree and hung it from the yardarm (the metal
extension that holds signal flags).
"Holiday chow aboard one of these ships was unbelievable. There
is nothing nearer and dearer to a sailor's heart than plenty to
eat. Good food, pumpkin pie, roast turkey, ham, steaks, mashed potatoes
and gravy. Everybody complained about the food, but it was fairly
good. They ate plenty of it. Anyway, here comes our big Thanksgiving
chow. About 5:00, they started serving. At 5:15, we got contact
on the radar, "Hostile planes approaching." Sounded air
defense. Everybody jumped up and left their beautiful chow sitting
in front of them to go to battle stations. The cooks have to secure
their area. All the food went in the garbage. A half-hour later
we secured from general quarters, the plane didn't come in. They
got ready to serve chow again. More enemy planes coming in. They
threw it out the second time. We stayed at general quarters until
just short of 10:00 that night. Finally, we opened enough doors
so that the mess cooks could get through the galley and prepare
battle ration. Battle rations were buckets with a piece of bread,
lunchmeat, bread. Bread, lunch meat, bread. Bread, lunch meat, bread."
- Donald R.Wickham
"Here
it is December 25, 1942 and we are all a long way from home, some
of us feel a bit low but otherwise we are all okay and having a
good time. Everyone is having a field day and fiesta on the fantail
this afternoon because a little show was put on for the crew by
the crew for all to enjoy and have a swell time. They had music,
jokes, funny costumes, and very good acting. We all had a ball.
As for the chow, it was great and more than we expected, it was
everything from soup to nuts and lots of it. This day put me thinking
about some one I missed and long to be with more than any thing
else, and that was my girlfriend (Italia). Yes, she is sweet and
I love her very much and hope that some day she'll be all mine."
- Louis
M. "Frenchie" Favereaux |
