The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1917-12-13
LETTER FROM COVINGTONIAN
IN UNITED STATES NAVY

Editor Leader:-I don't want to
lose out completely with you, so am
writing you just short letter of un-
important facts.
Seven months ago yesterday
landed in the st. Helena station in
Norfolk. If / look back over this
time in the way of work I've done it
seems as if / had been here only a
few days, but to look back on the
other hand to see how long since |
left old Covington, it seems as if it
has been centuries.
Our feed is lots better down here
at the Naval Base than it was back
at st. Helena. 1t is cooked somewhat
better and a variety of foods are
given us each and every week. l
stand in pretty we'll with the cooks
and | go in the galley and they will
cook me eggs, steak, ham, porkchops.
beef and other "eats" not served so
often. / also get lots of fruit from
them. | really have what would
call a "cinch." / am fattening, too;
weigh 1856 pounds.
was over at the Naval Hospital a
few days ago to see friend of mine
from Garland. He had a boil in his
ear and it burst his ear drum, MAX
ing him deaf in that ear. They won't
allow a man with poor hearing in the
Navy, so he is going to get a med
ical serve out. That is just the same
as an honorable discharge.
/ got a letter yesterday from my
old chum, Langston Miller. He is
on the u. S. S. President Lincoln,
as signal boy. He informs me Of
having just returned from "some-
where in France" Had delightful
trip and saw no submarines, as pa
pers state.
Langston Miller and both had
hopes of coming home in December,
but he wa stransferred and has got
to wait while my commanding Off
Ger will issue no more furloughs
until after January l. His was prom
Used him, and so was mine, but prom
Uses are no good in this old Navy.
/ had an appointment for the
Naval Academy if / would take a
preparatory school course of 5 months
and pass the entrance examinations
to be held in April, but l was inform
ed yesterday that they could not hold
the school at the station on account
of the scarcity of officers for teach
ers. The executive officer told me
to 90 ahead and go to sea, and ]
would probably hit a battleship where
there was a school, and to then ask
for the chance again.
Our captain Commanding officer)
issued the Seaman Guard Command
er orders to send all men who had
been in the Guards five months to
sea. 1t included IA men--and the
best ID have been with since |
joined the navy. So we IA men
packed our sea (clothes) bag. lashed
our hammocks and then dashed the
bag to it and reported to the drill
officer and he put us in the deten-
ton camp to stay nearly three weeks
or more, and then go to sea. So we
are now ready to go to sea and get
sea-sick, scrub decks, act as mess
cooks, load stores, coal ship, peel
spuds," and hundreds of other chores
Of each sailors daily life. AS ! have
to go, l am glad | can be with this
bunch of fellows. They stick togeth-
err like glue.
read the Leaders report Of the
basket ball game between Coving-
toms grammar school and Ripley's.
and it made me feel real good. !
hope these two small teams will
stick together and show what Cow
ington can do. I am for them.
| don't think Covington people
could do a better thing than to push
the wheel they are now pushing on
to get their Y. M. C. A. fund to the
top notch, and also the sending of
handy kits for the enlisted men.
No one knows how much some little
thing from home or friends does
cheer a soldier and a sailor until one
gets into their place in Uncle Sans
big rifles to be poured into the Huns.
While I was out on the drill
grounds this morning ! counted the
companies of sailors there waiting