Another nice thing was that I would type out letters home for the admiral's stewards. They would then feed me the same food the admiral ate.
Chicago's buoy was a couple of hundred yards astern of Arizona, and I was saddened to look at her.
You could tell that America was gearing up for war.
Lexington did launch its air group when a Japanese carrier was reported.
On December 5, 1941, Chicago led a task force built around the carrier Lexington to Midway Island, at the western end of the Hawaiian Islands, about 1,000 miles from Pearl Harbor.
After the Battle of Midway there was a week in a rest camp at Pearl Harbor.
The Japanese invaded Tulagi, in the Solomon Islands, on May 4.
In basic training we had been told to watch out for Japanese spies.
Our task force put to sea in early January 1942, to attack the Japanese in the Marshall and Gilbert islands, but the mission was called off on the eve of the attack.
My assignment was in the communications office, where I typed out dispatches.
I passed a typing test and became a member of the staff of Rear Adm. Newton.
