That Fred Judson is pretty brave given that the Mosquito fleet was also - perhaps only after the war - the Suicide Fleet. According to Wikipedia, the Mosquito fleet was:
A fleet of converted yachts used by the US Navy during World War I off the Atlantic Coast of France to patrol for U-boats and provide support for convoys into Brest, France.
Friday Noon (May 4, 1917)
Dear Mother,
I have put in my application, been examined and have sworn to serve the government when needed, to report at Plattsburgh when and if ordered, and to accept whatever commission may be offered me. On or before next Tuesday I will receive word whether or not I am to report at Plattsburgh. Camp is expected to be opened May 14. I got by the physical very nicely. I am just the minimum weight (135 pounds for five feet 10 inches) but the doctor said that was all right because I am well built. When he examined my teeth he called in three other doctors to admire the work the dentist did. He said he had never seen better. The dentist told me that that swelling wasn’t due to my tooth. It’s all disappeared now and that tooth which I thought might have caused it is filled now anyway.
Don’t worry Mother. I couldn’t do anything else, you know. A year from now you’ll be glad to think I did volunteer rather than wait to be drafted.
Fred Judson is accepted for the mosquito fleet and expects to be called in two or three weeks for service.
Love to all,
Herbert
No comments:
Post a Comment