World War II Family Letters

Price Kent, Seaman 1st Class

October 6, 1944

To Mrs. Oma Kent

Rt. 1, Leighton, Alabama

From Price Kent, Seaman 1^st Class

U.S.S. Escalante

Fleet Post Office, New York City, N.Y.

Dear Wife,

I thought I would write you all a few lines to let you hear from me, let you all know I am well and hope you all are well. You all not worry about me. Say I got a bunch of letters from you. I got one letter from Burnice (his brother). Maybe it won't be so long til I will be back. Say, did you get that two dollar bill that I sent you? Say, if little Price Kent am growing? He soon be big as I am won't he. Well, I like all right so far. I hope it won't be so long til the war is over. Say, tell the baby's I would like to see them. Say you should get a bond this month. You write and tell me when you get it. Say, I got your telegram you sent me. I will close this time with lots of love. I will write as often as I can answer soon. Price with lots of love, so long.

April 29, 1945

In Port

Dear Wife and Kids,

How are you both, just fine I hope. I'm well and hope you all are. I sure wold like to see you all but I don't know when that will be. I guess by now you have received the money I sent you. One of the places we have been is Siapan. I made a few liberty's there. So you see I'm pretty far away from home. I almost forgot I received your letter dated April 15 and sure was glad to hear from you. Please write and let me know what the kids buy with the money I sent them. I'd love to write more but I don't know what to say. May God bless you all. Love Price.

July 1, 1945

Hello darling,

Today I will answer your letter which I got yesterday. I sure was glad to hear from you and the children and I am glad to know that you and the children are well as this leaves me well. Say darling I got a letter from Alzonia (his sister) yesterday and she was well. Say the children must having good luck with their chickens. Say they ought go into the chicken business. Say darling Burnice (his brother serving in the Pacific also) and I are also clse together and can't get to see each other. I sure would like to see him. Well, darling, it sure is hot here. How are the weather at home, fine I hope. Say darling, you got Jess (her brother) to see what Sherman would take for that house when I come home I might want to buy it if he not to high. Well, darling, I don't know much to write I will close for now. Answer soon with a long lovely letter. From your husband Price with lots love wife and children. XXXXXXXXXX

July 26, 1945, Thursday

Hello darling,

To night I will try and answer your letters which I received a few days ago. I sure was glad to hear from you all and to know that you and the children are well as this leaves me well. Well, we had a long busy day fueling to day. Say, darling, tell Martha (his daughter) and Laverne (his daughter) to be good and I hope Martha likes school and learns fast. Say, darling, tell the children when I come home I will fix them a place and they can raise chickens. Darling, I sure was sorry about Dean getting killed. Say, darling, don't put too much money in bonds, keep plenty for using. Price Kent, Seaman First Class.

September 10, 1945, Monday

Hello darling,

To night I will answer your letters which I receive yesterday. You don't know how glad I was to hear from you and the children and to know that you all are well as this leaves me well and getting along fine. Well, darling, I am hoping I will be in the states by Christmas, but I am not sure most of the men thinks we will. Well, they are having beer party, maybe I get to go tomorrow, there are lots of soldiers and sailors and lots of coconuts. Say darling, how much money do you have in the bank. Say, is those bonds you got yours and mine. Say, how many have you from me? Say, darling, I have two hundred and thrity dollars on the books. Say, if I have enough money when I come home we will try to put up a little store. Say, darling, I got sixteen letters in all and thirteen of them are from you. Say, I guess it will be about the first of the year before I get out of service. Say, darling, tell the children I sure would like to se them. Say, when you don't hear from me for awhile don't worry for when we go out to sea I can't mail any letters I will write as often as I can. Say, you said Bama (her sister) didn't look like herself, why doesn't she? Well, I don't know anything to write, I will close. I write again before we go out to sea. So answer soon with a long lovely letter and all the news. Price Kent, Seaman, First Class. Love to all wife and children good night. I hope it isn't too long til I can see you all with lots hugs and kisses, so long.

September 12, 1945, Wednesday

Hello,

To day I will try and write you a few lines to let you know that I am well and hope these few lines find you all the same. I thought I would answer your letter which I received a few days ago. Well, I sure would like to see you all but I guess it will be a while yet. Maybe it won't be later than Christmas. Say, we are celebrating a two day today. Say, I am making the children a locket a piece today. I didn't have anything else to do. Say, I guess lots of the boys are in the states are getting discharges. If I were in the states I probably get a discharge and I think I seen enough of the world. About all grows over here is coconuts. Well, I am going to tell some of the places I been if I haven't told you. I spent one hour in Marshall Islands and then to Alithi (?) and this is our home base and we went to Saipan and to the Phillipines and Leyte and out off Iwo Jima and Okinawa in a operation and was in a operation off Tokyo and maybe I will get to go to Japan in a feew days, but I am not sure. We are going out to sea in a few days. I am at Alithi (?) now. That where we will leave out from. Well, their ain't much out here to write nor to do only go to movie every night so I will close for now. Answer soon with a long lovely letter and all the news. Price Kent, Seaman First Class. Love to all, so long.

September 14, 1945, Friday

Hello darling,

To night I will write you all a few lines to let you and the children know that I am well and I hope these few lines finds you and the children in the best of health. Darling, it has been raining here about all day and it rains about every night. Say, darling, I have you and the children a neckless about made. Say, do you want me to send them home or wait til I come home and bring them. Well, I like about three points having enough to get out. Maybe I can get them before so long and I could be home by Christmas. Well, we are still here at alithi (?) and we might go out to sea anytime, so if you don't hear from me very often I am out to sea and can't mail a letter, nor can't get one til we get in port. Say, darling, tell Roman I would fast. Say, I guess I will get to go to Tokyo this time I hope so and I hate to stay out here this long and then not get to see Tokyo. Well, darling, I don't know anything else to write it so easy to run out of anything to write out here. So I guess I better close for now. I sure would like to see you and the children maybe it want be long til I will get to come home to stay. Anyway, I hope so answer soon with a long lovely letter and all the news, Price Kent, Seaman First Class, love to all. Wife and children good night with lots of kisses. XXXXXXXXX 

A Not Civil War Blog About My Grandfather in World War II

Price Kent

       My last living grandparent was Price Kent, my dad's dad. I was 13 years old at the time of his death. He was born on September 21, 1907 (ironically my mom's dad was born on September 21, 1904 and my birthday is September 25, 1968) in Colbert County, Alabama. His mother died on April 14, 1915, he was seven years old, the oldest of four. 

        The two oldest children, my grandfather and his brother Uncle Herman lived with their dad who worked for T.V.A. His father was Clarence Hartwell Kent who helped work on Wilson Dam which was began in 1918 and completed in 1924. The two youngest children, my uncle Burnice and Aunt Elsie were sent to Clarence's in-laws and raised by his deceased wife's mother and father, John Alexander Osborn and Mary Elizabeth Keenum Osborn. 

John Osborn (standing at right) and Mary Keenum (standing next to John)

       He would join the navy in 1944 at the age 37. He told a funny story about how he got in the navy. He said he stood in line with everyone that had been drafted. Everyone of them was eighteen years old and everyone of them asked for the navy. Not a one of them got the navy. When asked what he wanted, he replied, "It don't matter to me." The sergeant looked at him and said, "You volunteered didn't you?" Price replied, "Yes I did." The sergeant started marking on his paper and said, "You're in the navy."

       At the age of 37, my grandfather became a seaman although he couldn't swim, he could dog paddle a little and entered World War II. He was assigned duty aboard the U.S.S. Escalante. This ship was a tanker that fueled other ships at sea. My grandfather would join her for her second cruise to the Pacific Ocean. They passed through the Panama Canal and on toward Pearl Harbor. They saw action at Luzon, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and entered Tokyo Bay during the surrender ceremonies. 

AO-70 U.S.S. Escalante on June 26, 1944. My dad was 18 days old when this photo was taken.

       He told me that the Escalante fueled a lot of ships, but one he remembers in particular was the U.S.S. Alabama. I searched the records and found that they actually fueled the Alabama on August 21, 1945. He often told me that his job when at battle stations was to load one of the weapons, but never fired the weapon himself. Fortunately they never saw any action because a tanker is no place to be in combat. The United States only lost six tankers to enemy action in World War II. Paw Paw Kent as I called him said that he remembered a Japanese Kamikaze crash his plane into an island nearby because he thought it was a ship. Another scare came when they happened up on a dead whale floating in the water at night and thought it was a mine. 

Damage to the U.S.S. Thornton caused by the Escalante late in the war. My grandfather never mentioned a collision to me.

       He told me another great story about life aboard the ship. He said on Sunday's the enlisted men had the day off. He was always a hard working farmer and was walking around the ship bored on Sunday afternoon. He came up on an officer working on something on the deck. Paw Kent had nothing better to do, so he helped the young officer fix whatever it was he was working on. He said, "After that day, I had it made. That officer took good care of me. I went around the ship greasing door hatches and things like that." He'd had no idea that his kind act would benefit him in any way. He taught me how they fueled other ships. He said they would get withing a hundred feet and shoot a line to the other ship. That ship would attach cables or ropes to that line and they would pull those back to the tanker. They would then attach the fuel hoses to those lines and the ship would drag the hoses back and place them in the tanks. The tanker would then pump fuel through the hoses and refuel the ship.

AO-53 fueling a ship at sea. This picture helps you to understand how they fueled another warship.

       My dad says that not long after returning from the war, my grandfather began to have blood in his urine. This went on from about 1947 until the mid-seventies. He finally went to the V.A. hospital in Memphis, Tennessee (I still remember my dad and I taking him there). I still remember us seeing a hawk fighting several crows in a field along side the road and us pulling the car to the roadside to watch. I was about six or seven at the time, but remember it like it was yesterday. I had no idea what cancer was at that time. I had lost my mom's dad at age 5 and her mom at age 7. Dad's mom had bone cancer and died when I was 10. My grandfather finally died of bladder cancer on March 11, 1979. I was 13. My Uncle Lawrence used to tell me he believed that he got that cancer in Japan. He said my grandfather had told him they'd sent him ashore to help clean up the atomic bomb damage and that's where he would receive his death sentence. I have yet to verify this part of the story because the building in St. Louis that housed the navy records burned. I would like to know what medals he was due and receive those also. I have the flag that draped his casket in my dining room on top of my wife's piano. 

       I've told my oldest son Chase, who is now 13, he needs to ask all the questions he can think of to his grandparents because once they are gone, there will be no one left to answer them. I can think of a million questions I should have asked now, but it's too late now.