Life with George

[JWBear]

George went to Great Lakes Naval Station for Boot camp, from there to Wentworth Institute in Boston for 20 weeks. One weekend he hitchhiked home, a distance of over 300 miles, people were very happy to pick up servicemen then, but it took him most of his leave to get home and back to Boston. It was written up in the Somerset Lighthouse, I still have the paper. (He wasn’t supposed to go more than 20 miles from Boston).

He talked me into coming to Boston. I left Eileen with my parents and took a train. I had to go to New York, and then take another train to Boston. I had to sit on my suitcase or stand for the second half of the trip because it was so crowded. I rented a one room apt. a few blocks from the Somerset Hotel, where they were billeted. I got a job serving breakfast and dinner on the chow line at the hotel. They would march out in the morning to Wentworth Institute. for classes. They had lunch there and then marched back again at night.

I had to be at the hotel at 4:30 in the morning. There was a blackout, so no streetlights were allowed or headlights. In January it was pitch black out. I walked down the middle of the streets until I saw the guard at the back door of the hotel, what a welcome sight. I had to go through the kitchen and got to know the cooks. I remember one cook especially as he had a glass of orange juice for me every morning when I had a cold. I learned to love Boston Baked Beans and crab cakes as they were on the menu every day. There was a day old bakery nearby and we bought a Boston cream pie when we had the money to spare.

When George got a weekend off we took trips, one was to New York where we went to an automat. Big thrill for a couple of small town kids.

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