Attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941

This letter is undated, but it must have been written not long after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Sailors were encouraged to write a brief note home to reassure their families that they were OK. My father was on the USS MONAGHAN which, in response to a miniature submarine sighting, was underway at the time of the attack and not in "battleship row". This action may have saved his and my life.

On Christmas Eve, a year later, he wrote his only direct reference to that day: "I sure remember last December 7th, we had a fine fried chicken dinner, with Ice Cream, cigars etc. and what not. As the ice cream was melting and everyone on my station, was too busy to eat any, except me, as a talker ate over a quart by myself." Imagine. Eating ice cream with bombs going off all around.

MONAGHAN

Dear Mom:

Just a little note to let you know I'm well.

My, but I wish I could visit with you for a while. So many things I could tell you to make you feel good and let you know that we still got the best navy afloat.

Do you want to come out at Xmas and have Christmas dinner in Tokyo? And it won't be rice and fish-heads.

The old song "A Million Miles From Nowhere" seems to be running through my head these last few weeks, but really we are some-where.

Do I get homesick? No, just excepting in the mornings at Reveille, I get to thinking about how nice it would be to lay in bed till 7 or 8 & especially on Sundays when I could maybe sleep till 9 or 10.
Remember I used to complain about not being able to sleep during the day. Don't have that trouble now. I can sleep with a 100 watt light glowing in my face, a card game not 5' from me & the radio going full blast.

In fact when I get paid off and into civilian life I'll move by a blasting outfit, sleep in salt soaked dungarees, have some one rock the bed, squirt a fire hose on the windows & have to be woke up every half hour before I'm comfortable.

Well mom I must sign off for now.

Lots of Love

Jim

U.S.S. MONAGHAN,
C/O FLEET P.M., S.F. CALIF.
J.H.LYON, SKIC, U.S.N.

November 10, 1941

Jim regularly sent money home to his mom. Little Don is his nephew.

November 10, 1941

Dear Mom:

This won't be much of a letter as I haven't time to write much & I always think a money order speaks for itself.

Give Lucille the stamp & postmark. I was going to let my money "ride" on the books, but too many guys do & you know me. I think everyone on the ship knows me and I'm friends with everyone.

Put this to good use. Either for the trip to Memphis, or buy little Don's tonsils from him. I think if I paid to have Don's tonsils out that it would about square accounts with us, don't you?

Nothing sarcastic, you know, but I thought the poor kid had had them out long ago.

If you do send the money to him I'll send you another money order the first of June.

Lots of love,

Jimmy.

P.S.: Write & tell me if this doesn't get there. Ha Ha.

October 30, 1941

James H Lyon 1913-1978

     It's the eve of Veteran's day 2011. These are a series of letters that my father James H. Lyon wrote while in the Navy beginning in 1936 up through 1943. He wrote most of them to his Mother, Laura Shay Lyon back home in Wichita KS.
     I'm beginning these with a letter he wrote from Pearl Harbor, October 31, 1941--just over 70 years ago. I plan to post them on the 70th anniversary of his writing them. He enlisted in January 1936, and his 6-year hitch is up January 1941, a fact he makes several references to--including in this letter. Of course December comes before January--December 7 to be exact. And it made all the difference for him and his career. He survived the attack, and went on to remain in the Navy until his retirement in 1957.
     I've avoided cleaning up the spelling & punctuation. Nor have I tried to make it politically correct for modern sensibilities (however right they may be). Enjoy.

USS Monaghan

Postmark: October 31, 1941

USS MONAGHAN

63 Days To Do

Dear Mom:

This has been an almost perfect trip. Too bad it couldn't be my last one. It won't though. The way I figure it I'll probably have 7 or 8 more of them. Not that many, I guess maybe only four.

I don't mind the going out to sea much though. Its those stays in the navy yard that is enough to drive me bats. All that hammering and banging of the yards is enough to drive anyone nuts. The smell and stink. The chinks and japs overrun the yards and its distasteful to us that don't like them. -they stink too.

But like I said before this is a fine trip at sea this time, no one has been busy or anything. The sea has been swell, just like waving fields of wheat. The moon has been exceptionally bright until you can read at night almost, not quite as bright as those back home but almost. The stars too seem so close. That's the weather that I like for sailing. Just enough breeze to keep the ship well ventilated and everyone happy.

The fellows have a game of horseshoes out on the deck and we enjoy ourselves. You can make a set yourself. We use rope about the size of your thumb, and make a circle 6" in diameter, and then two pegs that you can move at anytime you want. It has been bright enough to play by moonlight. Last night I took the radio out and we had some swing from the states, just on the batteries and the built in aerial. Using the ship's aerial I can get most anyplace. Dallas, Tijuana, Salt Lake, Denver, Philly, St. Louis, L.A. and all the west coast stations.

No matter how big an aerial you have though its very hard to get state side while the sun is shining. The best reception at about 4 am when the stations here are not yet on the air to cause interference.

I've been busy today building shelves. I guess I am pretty lucky. They both are good fits. Working with sheet metal and nothing but two hammers, a drill, and pair of snips, is lots different than using all the modern tools that were available on the DIXIE.

Mentioning the DIXIE, I've not heard from them yet, I got a letter from one of the fellows but that was when they first arrived in the states razzing me because I'm still out here.

Lots of love for now, Jim