A Voice From the Past: Leland
Good & the Battleship Arizona
Transcribed by Laurie Selpien
 The
following are edited letters that were written by Leland Good, to his sister
Muriel JONES Bruce, while he was stationed on the Battleship Arizona from
December 1940 to December 1941. The letters paint a picture of the life of a
sailor before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Sunday Afternoon
December 23, 1940
Dear Sister & Family,
Received the card from the boys. Tell them thanks a lot
& I hope they had a Merry X-mas. Also give Bill my greetings. Say! Tell him to
build him a boat “He has the lumber now” & row out to see me. It’s just about
2900 miles. I didn’t send any cards this year, as I didn’t have any place to buy
them.
Went roller-skating last night. They have several places
for the sailors to spend their dough. Have a few ice rinks also. I spent most of
my dough this payday for things I needed. Got my clothes all cleaned & pressed,
haircut, wash bucket some “dungaree’s” (same as overall pants) to work in. We’re
painting the ship next week I didn’t want to get my blue uniforms full of paint.
Some of the fellows took their pay & celebrated X-mas, but not for me. Mine
comes to hard for that. (HA! HA!) and I hope I have more sense, I’ve gotten over
that crazy age.
Muriel, I wish you could
see some of the X-mas decorating out here. They don’t cut the trees. They just
rig them up as they stand. Some are trees 50-60 feet high. It’s sure pretty to
look off to a mountain Top and see a bunch all lighted up. The grass is green as
springtime. Doesn’t seem like December. It’s quite warm & rains quite often also
heavy fogs. Will Close Write soon. I’ll try my best to answer your Bro. (Bud)
Pearl Harbor
Hawaii
Mon 28, 1941
LELAND GOOD
U. S. S. ARIZONA
Dearest Muriel &
Family;
Will answer your
most welcome letter. Got it just as we’re going out to sea. So didn’t write for
a while as we’re always keeping plenty busy with“ sea watches” and maneuvers.
One of our most interesting happenings at sea this time was fueling destroyers
at the rate of 12 speed knots also saw a few whales & a lot of sharks. Fired
night battle but that’s happening very often now.
Got into port
yesterday. Was out to one of the big Army “Bases” today. Went out there as a
“Guest”. They sure treated us nice. They have a very beautiful place up in the
mountains. It was a very beautiful trip up there as all the vines & shrub-ivy
have blooms the year round also seen as much as 80 – 100 acres of pineapples.
It’s a funny thing. It rains as much as 4 times a day quite often they still
have to irrigate for cultivation. Maybe you don’t remember but in 1935 or 36
they had a volcano down here that wiped out a little town. We were anchored in
close to it the other day. You could still see where the lava had run down the
mountainside and into the ocean. The town is built back but I think they are
crazy as hell for the mountain still rumbles and smokes quite often.
Is the boy’s
school out yet? Bet they are looking forward to the last day if it isn’t. Tell
them when I come home we’ll buy a watermelon. They don’t have melons here. Guess
it is to hot for them or something. There isn’t any insects or snakes there is a
shortage of mineral in the water or something. Never hear it thunder either. No
metal in the ground Guess you have to get farther east to get into the typhoon.
Will close for now. Write often as you can for I enjoy all the news.
With love to all
Leland.
Sunday Afternoon
August 18, 1941
Dear Sister Muriel
& Family
How is everyone?
I’m OK. I sure am having a swell time. NO! It’s not fun I’m talking about. It’s
enjoying my job. We are sure busy as they are giving us the same training in 6
wks. As they use to give in three months. That’s OK though as that means making
the fleet quicker & more manly.
We get up at 5:50.
Breakfast at 6:30. We do such things as lash up our hammocks, polish our shoes,
polish the floors & stairs and so on. At 8 we go out & will until 11:30 at 1:00
were we’re back until 4:00 Super at 5:00. Then we wash our clothes & clean
floors again. Then lights out at 9:30. So you see we are quite busy.
They are building
new barracks all the time. It’s getting equal to Chanute Field. They brought in
1200 men just last week. They have 108 companies now with 120 men a company.
That’s quite a few men. Of course some of those have went to sea. But that’s the
general idea of the men going through..
Went to church
this morning. That’s one thing they make compulsory. You have to go to church
Sunday or else. They have a Chaplin for Protestants & a priest for Catholics.
Maybe your tired of the Navy line, but that’s all I know right now.
Today is Navy Day.
We have to dress in our parade outfit for the day. There is a few thousand
visitors here. The secretary of the Navy is here from Washington D. C. They
saluted him by shooting off the big guns. They sure rocked the ground. They also
have a big parade & airplane maneuvers. It’s all quite exciting. Will close for
now.
Your Bro. Bud
P. S. It’s fun sleeping in a hammock. One fellow fell out 5
times one night. It’s about 5 feet in the air, don’t swing or roll.
Pearl Harbor
Hawaii
Labor Day Sept. 1, 1941
LELAND GOOD
U. S. S. ARIZONA
Dear Sister Muriel
& Family:
Will try and get a
few more lines off as mail is closing for the States soon. Well Muriel- I’m
nearing my first year in this mans Navy. In my first year I made 3 advancements.
Will make another in October if there is an opening, making $54 now with all
expenses paid. Getting about 3,000 miles of cruising every month, which a lot of
people would really pay to get. We’re going to sea again Wed. 3rd,
for a couple of weeks. So I’ve leave coming.
The good Ship
Arizona took third place in Pacific Fleet sport competition. We took sailing,
boxing, swimming, wrestling, baseball and tennis. Got beat in rowing,
basketball, bowling, soccer, track, ping-pong and diving so we have a few sports
aboard ship anyway. Some are played ashore of coarse. A fellow caught a mud
shark fishing from the side of the ship the other morning it was about 3 feet
long. They use flies and spinners etc. For that reason I don’t like saltwater
fishing. I like worms.
How’s the peach
crop? Dessie says it’s pretty good. Boy I’d like to get my hands on a few. The
only fruit here is pineapples & bananas. Common fruit cost so much. Well Muriel
will close for now. Tell everyone hello. Took some pictures will send to Dessie
when I get them developed. You can see them then. With Love to ALL Your Bro. Lee
WRITE!
Pearl Harbor
Hawaii
November 8, 1941
LELAND GOOD
U. S. S. ARIZONA
Dear Sister &
Family
Got your last
letter will work on a few lines today as everyone is “ crapped out” Our
expression for loafing around. The climate is really nice out here now gets down
to about 78 at night. It’s really nice, but they all figure their winter is dead
upon them being used to the hot weather all the time.
Muriel, I probably
won’t get home until next spring or summer. They have kinda tightened down
again. Don’t think we’ll be in trouble for a long time yet if ever. Tell
everyone hello & take care of yourself. With Love to all Your Bro. (Bud)
That was his final letter home. Leland was born in 1918. He
was the son of Almon and Adda (SMITH, Jones) Good.
Sadly, at age 23, Leland died December 7, 1941 during the
attack of Pearl Harbor. He is entombed aboard the Arizona. He was awarded the
Purple Heart
If you have letters or stories you would like to add please
contact me, thanks Laurie!
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