U.S.S. WEEHAWKEN
c/o Fleet Post Office
New York, N. Y.

6 November 1943

The Bryant Service Club
Bryant College
Hope Street
Providence, R.I.

Gentlemen:

Thank you very much for the kind and generous gift I received from you.

I received a box of candy on November 2. It so happened that I received it in the States. I’ve been overseas and landed in the States several days previous.

While overseas I served in the Mediterranean Sea and was in on the invasion of Sicily. We also visited many foreign ports, including Oran, Algiers, Bizerte, Tunisia and many other places in Africa and the Mediterranean.

We were on our way to Salerno for the invasion of Italy, when we heard, by radio, of the Italian capitulation. It was a grand sight to see the Italian Fleet surrender to the Allies.

Many are the things I’ve seen and done, but time does not permit my writing about them at this time. However, I will probably drop in at the college while on my leave, if I have that much time.

The gift sent to me last Christmas was not received until February, 1943, at which time I arrived in the States from Casablanca. I was in Casablanca from the fall of 1942.

I know it brings a lot of happiness to those of us in the service realizing that we are still remembered by the college through its Service Club.

Again let me express my sincere thanks to all of you in the service Club who are making it possible for us in the services to receive such gifts.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and a continued success in your splendid work in making all Bryant Alumni, in the armed forces, happy they went to Bryant.

An Alumnus
S. Benjamin Spinella
S. Benjamin Spinella, Ylc

[Transcription ends]

U. S. S. WEEHAWKEN

% postmaster, N.Y.

February 16, 1943

Bryant Servicemens’ Club
Bryant College
Providence, R. I.

To all concerned:

Thank you all very much for the box of candy sent to me for Christmas.

At Christmas time, I was out in the war zone, many miles away from the states. I came back to the states on February 7th, and on February 8th, we, the crew, received our first mail in many months. I was indeed surprised to receive the package from the Bryant Servicemens’ Club. It was in very good condition and I, together with my shipmates, enjoyed our Hallowe’en [sic], Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years on the day of our arrival in the states.

I’m a yeoman second class, aboard one of the Navy’s largest minelayers. The duty aboard this type of ship is very dangerous, especially when one considers the fact that we carry tons of TNT. One hit by and enemy ship on almost any part of our ship will blow us to bits.

I was in Africa, at Casablanca, where I saw service and action. We mined the coast of certain places, places which I cannot mention. Also was in the Mediterranean, Gibralter [sic] and other places.

Casablanca, I would say, is a fair city. It has some beautiful buildings and parks. The fig, orange, and tangerine trees add greatly to the beauty of this place.

Besides the French; Italians and Spanish live here. There are many tribes of Arabs and Moslems here. They just loiter on the streets in groups selling their wares. They are very dangerous at times and have to be dealt with.

We had air-raids here, one of which occurred on or about Christmas Eve. This one lasted about five hours. The flashes of the guns and the wakes of the tracers in the sky lit up the night like a Christmas tree.

The sun rises about 8:30 a.m., which made the days very short.

Gibralter [sic] is a nice place and will be very difficult to the Axis to overpower. Can’t say much about this place.

Well, I guess I’ll stop for now for I’ll be here all day just writing.

Again, let me thank all of you who made it possible for me and also others in the same position, to receive this gift. I appreciate it very much and will remember it always.

You know when a sailor is on watch out at sea, he had plenty to think about and you know the way it is, one’s mind just begins to wander on and on and knowing that someone thought of him makes him feel very happy and thankful.

During action my battle station is in the Fire Control. This is the place from which the range and angles and scales are given to the gunners and also the word to fire.

Thank you all very much I’ll write you again and will try to drop in when I get some leave.

Sincerely

S. Benjamin Spinella
Y 2/c [Transcription ends]