Never had I felt so helpless, so sad and depressed. We were in San Francisco to take on troops and then to invade the Japanese mainland. But first, leaves were to be granted, either 6 days or 12 days, depending upon several factors including distance. I had been informed that I would be among a few who would not get even six days of leave. The division officer had the authority to grant me a leave but he said I did not qualify for l2 days and could not make it home and back in 6 days. I begged that I get the 6 days, promising that I wanted to go home even if I saw my family for just an hour.
From the time I entered the navy, I never had a leave, not when I finished boot camp because I went to radar school; not after radar school because I was in the hospital, and not after that because I joined the ship's crew. We of the Pickens were to be in the first military unit to invade Japan where the navy expected 50 per cent casualties, and I couldn't see my family first. I had been hospitalized with meningitis, and I had fallen and thought I would never walk again, but nothing compared to the frustration and unhappiness I felt when I was not permitted to go home.
From the time I entered the navy, I never had a leave, not when I finished boot camp because I went to radar school; not after radar school because I was in the hospital, and not after that because I joined the ship's crew. We of the Pickens were to be in the first military unit to invade Japan where the navy expected 50 per cent casualties, and I couldn't see my family first. I had been hospitalized with meningitis, and I had fallen and thought I would never walk again, but nothing compared to the frustration and unhappiness I felt when I was not permitted to go home.
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