I start with a timeline of my father’s naval training in 1942-1943, before he was assigned to a ship in October 1943. His correspondence was sporadic at this time (since he had his family with him part of the time), so the timeline helps keep track of where he was stationed, when, and for how long.
PART I: TRAINING, 1942-1943
U.S.A.
Timeline:
December 1942: Dad takes train to Chicago, where he visits Horace & Barbara Phillips.
Dad leaves Chicago by train to N.Y.
Arrives at training school at Columbia University campus.
December 29, 1942: Dad and his cohorts sworn in as midshipmen, that is, they take the Navy oath.
January (before Jan. 20), 1943: Mother & (my oldest sister) Judy go to N.Y. They stay in a hotel for a few weeks, then transfer to apartment that Dad has rented.
March 31, 1943: Dad & his class graduated Midshipmen’s school and are commissioned as ensigns.
April 1943: Dad has a couple of weeks leave.
April (?) 1943: Dad goes to Miami, FL for further training at a sub-chaser school.
June 21, 1943: First day of school in Key West.
July 9, 1943: Dad arrives in Philadelphia by train. Navy yard where he is stationed is in Camden, NJ
The first letter I found in his correspondence to his wife after he was commissioned as ensign is dated June 23, from Key West, Florida:
June 23, 1943
(On U.S. Navy letterhead)
My darling –
There is not a lot to say, and I am not sure you will receive this before you leave – but here goes anyway.
.
I reserved a room for us at the La Concha from Friday until Tuesday – when you arrive, if I do not meet you, go there and ask for the room reserved in my name. Since we have no time off next Wednesday, I figure it is not worth the expense for you to stay past Tuesday, although I shall hate to see you go.
.
Have been dopey & groggy since I got here, due to lack of rest & an inexplicable state of constipation. But I have had two good nights of sleep & a laxative, and now I feel much better.
.
It doesn’t seem as hot here as in Miami, except in the direct sun in the afternoon. There is more constant breeze, and we have had some rain – it was actually cool this morning.
We are getting lots of time on the attack teacher – voluntarily worked an hour extra between class & supper yesterday. We also had a demonstration of mousetrap firing yesterday and a fine lecture by a British officer today – those are highlights so far. Now am relaxing & enjoying afternoon off. May go to movie tonight – read & retired early last nite.
I haven’t received your letter yet but may before the day’s over. The post office is closed now.
.
When you come, bring your navy certificate with you – you may need it to get into the swimming pool at the base, etc.
.
The food here is good, we can have beer in the wardroom whenever we want it, and there are good showers – so I am comfortable! Since it costs me nothing, I am not going to give up this room while you are here – I can keep things in it & use it for headquarters during the day.
.
Tell Joe & Jimmy that, if they have a car, they can get fair living facilities not near the base & eat any meals they wish in BOQ. Otherwise, it is hopeless for them to bring their wives.
I can hardly wait to see you, dear. Give my love to Judy.
.
Love, Bob.
Ens. R. C. Lovejoy, U.S.N.R.
~~~~~~~~~~
Dad’s next letter is dated after his arrival in Camden, NJ:
July 9, 1943
9 p.m.
(On letterhead of The Walt Whitman Hotel, Camden, NJ)
My darling –
I love you more than anything in the universe forever & ever.
.
Much to tell – the rest of the train trip was uneventful – read most of the time – train less crowded after Jacksonville. Slept better than I expected – about eight hours, and woke up only once during the night. Went thru one state I had never been in before – South Carolina – have been “in” every state east of the Mississippi except Rhode Island!
.
Arrived in Philadelphia at 10:30 this morning. Checked my bags at 30th St. station and came on out to Jersey. Reported in with the Supervisor of Shipbldg. here in Camden and went on to Gloucester. It took me a long time to find the yard, but I finally did – it is new & small. (Ours is the second oldest of four SC’s under construction there.)
.
No officers were there, it being 12:15 – so I went & got a sandwich at a hash house and came back at 1:00. The officers from one of the other ships were there and said that Burger had gone to Phila. & would probably not be back. So I took a little tub of a boat, used by Phila. navy yard workers, & ferried over to the Navy Yard. It is tremendous, said to be the largest in the world. Among other ships being built there is the battleship Wisconsin.
I reported in with the Commandant of the 4th Naval District’s office there in the Yard. While I was there, Burger came in, and the officer with whom I was dealing knew him – so we met. He is a former enlisted man, promoted to ensign nearly a year ago (just missed the last promotion), since which time he has spent 6 mos. on a PC and taught seamanship at S.C.T.C. – I think I had him in one lecture. He seems capable, and agreeable, too. We left the yard and rode part way on the trolley together.
.
He came back here, and I went back to the station, got my bags (including my checked suitcase) and took a taxi over here to the Walt Whitman in Camden. It was then 5 p.m. and too late to look for a place to live. It is a modern, comfortable hotel – good showers, radio in every room, etc. – & not expensive. I cleaned up, got some dinner, walked about a bit, and went to see The More the Merrier, which is very amusing and in spots riotously funny.
.
I think I can find a room tomorrow. I have several leads. There is very little in Gloucester, but I have one lead there. However, if it doesn’t pan out, I can live here in Camden, which is only a short bus ride from our yard. I also think there is a fair chance of finding a small apt. here, if & when you come.
.
Living in Philadelphia is impractical – … – it is a bus ride of at least 30 min. from downtown Philly, and any living accommodations would be on the other side of downtown. The officers who are at the yard live in Gloucester or Camden except one who has a car, which is the only feasible way to commute from Philly. But Camden does not seem so bad to live in. I expect to find a place tomorrow.
.
I did not see the ship today, but Burger tells me that it is coming along pretty well. It should be launched some time next week and commissioned about the end of the month. It is to be fitted out where it is (and not in Philadelphia) – we hope to have her out of here by mid-August. The rest of this paragraph is for your information only and is to be repeated to absolutely no one except Mother, unless I tell you later that it is all right. These SC’s are to be commissioned, fitted out, & shaken down by us. At that time, in Miami, they will be turned over to the Russians, who want to have them & get them to Murmansk before the ice sets in. Naturally, that makes us a little mad and impairs our incentive to whip the ship into shape, but I guess the prospect of shakedown will furnish that. And we have no idea what will happen to us when they take the ship!
.
There is a helluva lot of work for us to do here. Burger has been here only three days and has already met numerous obstacles. Among other things, he has been unable to find any members of our crew at the receiving station yet – and we need some of them badly to help us prepare for commissioning only three weeks away. Another blow is that the third officer, whose name is J.P. Van Kirk (!), is in the hospital – he reported late in June, almost immediately contracted mumps and will be confined until July 27. Neither of us has met him yet, but we need him badly – and they tell us that, so long as he is out before commissioning, we aren’t likely to get a replacement! Our “office” consists of a large box rigged up into a desk in an empty building at the yard, but it is already piled high with stuff to be worked on!
.
It is cool here, thank God, but they had one heat wave & expect another. We wear khakis, but must wear coats at all times when not in a naval station.
.
I miss you & Judy fiercely, and wonder how you got along on your trip, whether you made your connection at Chicago, and how things are at home. I wish you could be here with me right now, but I won’t let you come until you have completed your dentistry, etc. So hurry up – I need lovin’! Hope I hear from you tomorrow.
.
You should read Lippmann’s much-talked-of book on U.S. Foreign Policy, or at least the Reader’s Digest condensation of it. I read the latter and feel that it is full of good ideas, worth considering. The article on Bricker in the Post is good too, but I can get it from little real idea of the man.
.
I am going to bed now – figure I can finish & mail this tomorrow night, and you will still get it Mon. (Transcriber’s note: The 4th page ends here and there is no other.)
Tuesday, September 21, 1943
My darling Margot –
Much news. I was down at the pier late this a.m., and Leonard came in & said he had his orders. So I went up to Officer Detail to see if I could get mine. But they had not come in, because the Bureau did not want to order me to that ship. It seems that they gathered from the fitness report that there was some friction between us and want us separated and wanted to get a new slant on me (i.e. some other captain’s viewpoint). Len told them he would take me as third officer, but the office here is not sure the Bureau will do that and knows they won’t if I do not ask for it. So that left it up to me to choose between going along with him as third officer or taking my chances on whatever else the Bureau may give me. I have decided to do the latter. What I shall get, & how soon, I don’t know. I suppose it will be exec on an SC again, but I cannot tell. I may be able to find out more tomorrow and shall investigate the chance of getting leave too. I sure hate to think of sitting around here, esp. without you.
.
To all other people, except Mother, whom I shall now write, you may merely say that my orders were changed and I am standing by for something else.
.
J.C. got orders yesterday afternoon. He is going on a PC, in what capacity he does not know. It is not a new one. He goes to Key West the end of this week to get on it, will probably be there a short time, and then go off with the ship, probably overseas. Lil will go to Key West, stay until he leaves, & then go home. They seem somewhat disappointed, but are taking it well.
.
Joe has heard nothing yet. He & Carole are apt.-hunting, for they will have to move after the Dunns go. So will I, if I am still here. But you can keep writing me at———– until further notice.
.
I am staying here in our apt. until tomorrow, but am over there most of the time & eating there. Those friends of the Bingamans’ are going to be married next week, and they are taking over this apt. of ours.
…
That’s about all the news there is – we have done nothing else exciting except learned to play 2-handed & 3-handed pinochle correctly! I got my teeth cleaned, and the dentist found no cavities. Tomorrow I shall try to get paid, send something to Ackroyds, and get my blue pants.
.
Tomorrow I shall also pack & move out of here. It is so lonely without you – I miss you terrifically. I have thought much of you, how your trip is, whether you are comfortable & resting. Please write me when you have arrived safely in Wausau.
.
Say hello to everyone there for me. And have a good time. Don’t worry – more news when I have any to send you.
.
I love you more than anything in the universe –
Bob
I enclose a note for Mary & Peter. Please give it to them after the wedding or whenever they are receiving such messages. I have no small stationery, so I enclose a separate envelope for you to put it in.
.
It is still hot as hades here – hope you are not too cold.
.
Tues. nite – 11:30 p.m.
Didn’t go out tonight – so I didn’t get to mail this – will do so tomorrow a.m. Callases were over for dinner tonight, and then we played poker – I lost, as usual – J.C. did too, but Lil won about $2!
.
I love you – Bob
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following images are from First Congregational Church in Janesville, Wisconsin, which was my parents’ church. The first image is a photo of the names of the men and women from the church who had gone into military service during World War II. (Note that the beginning date is 1941, but the ending date is incomplete, being unknown at the time when the war would end.) The third column of names contains four Lovejoys, my father, his brother John, and two cousins, Allen Fraser and David Beaton.
The second image is from the service of honor held at the church, commemorating the church members in military service.
We Are Such Stuff IV 
I must admit I have more than a little envy for all the great information you have on your father. Great job putting it all together.
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I have my late mother to thank for this. I never talked to Dad about his war experiences, but my mother kept all the letters he wrote to her. (Unfortunately he apparently did NOT save the letters she wrote to him!). In hindsight, I wish I had talked to my dad about WWII but it didn’t occur to me then.
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