Letter from
Martha Lee Young to Olive Kathryne Bluett written December 13, 1941 from Pearl Harbor
describing the events of December 7, 1941. Martha was 8 months pregnant at this time of
this letter.
|
Text
of Letter
Sat. Dec. 13
Dear Ollie.
Will try to get a letter to you, to let you know how we are. We
are all right, but have had a busy bad week. Philip was an unfortunate
one, got hit in the leg with a machine gun bullet which came through the ceiling of his
room. I did not hear of anyone else anywhere near here getting hit. I was beside him at
the time, dressing him, at 8 a.m. He did not cry. I carried him down to the front door,
and a man immediately applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding and we were rushed to the
Navy Yard Hospital. They were very busy there. He was bandaged and sent home and I was
told to bring him back the next day. He was x-rayed then and his leg put in a cast. The
bullet entered the front of his bone, about 2 inches above the ankle but did not go
through, so the bone is not out of line at all. I was sure worried at first, but he is
well, it doesn't seem to hurt him. He stays in the crib which was brought downstairs, and
plays with his blocks and other small toys, most of the time he's very happy. A nurse has
been to see him twice this week, and is coming again. Dorothy and her family have stayed
with us all the time since Monday. There in lots of things to be done, but the Nurse says
to look out or I will be the patient, so I'm trying to take it easy and not have more
trouble. I should be all right for another five weeks now and Philip by then should be
nearly well. I have not heard from George this week, but am quite sure his location is one
of the safest. I can be glad that Philip was not hit any higher, very glad of that. I
certainly never suspected what was going on. We received your letter, I sent it to George:
Many thanks for the gift for Philip. He will get something for it at the first
opportunity. Don't know when that can reach you, hope you have not been worrying too much.
I'm not myself.
With Love, Martha |
