Frank Ruark

April 20, 1944

FRANK RUARK of Flagler Beach who is a pharmacist mate writes to the Sutherlands (at the beach) that he is with the navy and stationed in a hospital in the Pacific. He told of spending his liberty in Honolulu and Wakiki, and stated that he sure would love " to meet up with some of the home boys but hoped he would not have to meet any of them in "the hospital there.”

June 1, 1944

We received a letter Sunday from PhM/3C FRANK RUARK, stationed at a Navy base hospital in the Pacific saying: "There isn't much that I can write about but I can give you an idea of my work, anyway. I am stationed here at a base hospital and it is one of the best. I have ward duty at present and I like my work to a certain extent. I have been on night duty for a week and have three more before I go back on day duty. There is no man in the service who doesn't gripe occasionally but if asked about his branch of the service he will brag of it. I figure the hospital corps is one of the best and I'm proud of it and the grand work the fellows do. I read in The Tribune where Aubrey Sheffield is a PhM. and is stationed in England. I was glad to learn, this."

September 20, 1945

And here's a letter from another man who has been in and out of Pearl Harbor for many months. He writes:

Pre-Ind-Center, Hawaii. Sept. 8, 1945.

“Dear Mr. Fuller:

I should have written sooner to let you know that I have been receiving The Tribune regularly and thanks a million. I don't know what I would do without it. One time, for instance I knew nothing about the pier at Flagler Beach being wrecked until read something about it in the last copy of The Tribune, and it happened nearly a year ago. There are some things my friends forget to tell me but I am able to read about it in the paper. So I am thanking you again and I hope I have more of them soon.

There is not much news out here to tell you so I hope you will excuse the shortness of this letter. At the present I am in the Army pre-induction center but since the Navy has quit taking men into the service I will be going back to my base. I have been coming out here for the past four months and then returning to my base after each session, but we got orders to return to our regular station. There were only fifteen of us out here and its always good duty when there are just a few men. We were examining these "gooks" for the Army and Navy. Incidentally, I have never seen so many different races in one place as I have here. All Japs go into the Army because the government doesn't employ them. Any working for the Navy go into the Naval Reserve on inactive duty. The same happens if they are working for the Army. If they are unemployed, they go into the service immediately.

We also help with the Army separations. Fellows that live here in the islands are discharged here and go into defense work. So far we have been averaging about 30 a day.

I will have my two years in on the 18th of this month and hope to be coming home soon. One thing I am happy about is that I will have that two years in and, consequently do not believe I will have to come out here again. I surely hope not, anyway.

During the two years that I have been here I have not met any of the fellows from home. A lot of them were out here but I didn't know about it until I read in The Tribune that they were home on leaves.

Grandmother Raulerson wrote me that Jack Tidwell is out here but so far I haven't met him. I also heard that David Howell is on the U. S. S. Manila Bay so I should be seeing him before long because most of the carriers come in here at Pearl Harbor quite often. I wrote him that I was stationed at the Naval hospital up at Aiea Heights, which is six or seven miles from Pearl Harbor.

There is no letter censoring here any more but they pick out a letter occasionally and open it up so I don't know if this will get to you in one piece. Thanking you again I will close with the hope that this will find you and Mrs. Fuller in good health.

FRANK RUARK, Ph.M/3c

(And that, Frank, is also an excellent letter. If you don't get home right away, write again. All the fellows will be glad to read it. In the meantime take care of yourself).