Letter, Irene Conole to her parents

[page 1]
11 March 1953
Dear Mom and Dad,
Here is the billfold picture for James.
I am sending the others tomorrow. I like
the 8×10 colored one that I had made for
you and from a distance it really looks
good. The two 5×7 are for the boys. I
don’t exactly care for the print job on
them. The one that isn’t colored is for
your scrapbook. The fellow that took my
picture is just learning the photography
business and he’s not too hot on the coloring.
I like the way my hair turned out and
it didn’t require any touching up.
Yesterday I received a letter from Henry
and he sent the colored pictures. Boy did
I like them! I loved the one where I’m
looking at Mike and he’s smiling. That was
a good one and I showed everyone at the
club. Mike looks like a little doll. I’m
sending the pictures back to Henry and I
would like a set of them. If you have a
set made, send me the one where I’m looking
at Mike, not the one where I’m holding
him on my lap. A fellow remarked, after he

[page 2]
2. saw the picture of the boys and I, that we
looked like triplets.
Jay, the fellow from New York, came
down last weekend. We had a nice time
but there isn’t too much to do. Saturday
we went riding outside the gate and saw
Point Lookout and Scotland Beach and
then went to dinner. That night we went
into Washington and visited the Lotus Club.
It’s a beautiful place with all Chinese
waiters and quite expensive. We had supper
there, which consisted of swordfish, and
it was delicious. Later the floor show came
on and it was pretty good. We left there
and visited a few other places. As we
were walking down the street we saw
the M.P.’s and S.P.’s escorting a soldier down
to the office. He was slightly drunk and
the M.P. was carrying a full liquor bottle
which belong to the soldier. No one is
allowed to carry a bottle on them. It was
real cold in Washington and I wore my
light brown suit with a rose at my neck
and of course my fur coat. There were
quite a few wearing their fur coats but
none like mine. Quite a few women stared
at me when Jay and I were walking down the
street, even Jay noticed it. We went up
to a cop and asked directions on how to
get on route 5. The cop was real nice and
we talked to him for fifteen minutes.

[page 3]
3. Sunday I took Jay up to the club and
introduced him to the fellows and the new
manager, my boss. He left at 5:00pm and
I came back to the barracks and took a
nap.
My new boss is terrific and we get
along good. He is the one from Niagara
Falls and the one I rode to and from
home the last time with. He has started
some new changes which the club needs.
Then last night we have a new fellow who
is Master at Arms with me. He use to be
on Security but he was transferred
permanently to the club. It seems nice to
work with someone who is strictly Navy.
We help one another out on keeping an
eye on the sailors and Waves. I’ve got
my badge now and boy no one gives me
a hard time. I get quite a few raggings for
it but I explained to them that they are
the ones that cause me to have to wear one.
A couple of days ago the Chief Master at Arms
in the barracks asked me if I would like
to work for her in the barracks. I refused and
if anyone tries to take my job at the E club
away from me is going to have a fight on
their hands.
For the past week I have had a
miserable cold. I think it’s due to the
change in the weather. Three days ago
we had a real snowstorm and it’s just
going away now. Few of the fellows and

[page 4]
4. some of the Waves including me, had a
good snowball fight.
I plan on saving $25 every payday/ That
will give me $50 a month and I’ll send it
home by money order.
I got my new uniform and it fits
perfect but the skirt was too long. So I
took it to the tailors to be altered.
I hope I don’t have to pay that much
out for tax next year.
You can tell Aunt Mayme that it’s
not my wedding ring that was in her
cup.
I don’t believe we’ll have a St. Patrick’s
dance for it falls on the night we have
bingo. We’ve been having a dance every
Saturday now but I don’t know how long
that will last.
Well I have to take a shower and
get ready to go to chow so I will close
for now.

Love and Kisses
Irene