The Letters Begin

Rosy Lawson died on April 2, 1990 of congestive heart failure at the age of 63 at Sullivans Island, SC. Louis died in a traffic accident on May 9. 1994, at the age of 72 in Dillon, SC. These letters were among the personal effects of their youngest daughter, my sister Marian Averill Lawson, when she died on March 8, 2009, at the age of 50 in Charleston, SC.

From Louis R. Lawson, Jr. to Miss Rosamond Salmons –
Postmark: Norfolk, VA, June 17, 1947

16 June 1947
Little Creek, Va
Annex 2, BOQ
Bldg 69

Dearest Rosamond,

First of all — I love you.
Second, I miss you.
Third, I’m going to write you tomorrow night.
Fourth, I’m in a rush to take in a movie.
Fifth, I’m having a lonely but fairly interesting time.
Sixth, my best to your family.
Seventh, congratulate Annie and Willie for me.
Eighth, I’ll break your neck if you run off while I’m gone.
And, finally—and always

I love you, Rosy
Louis

Postmark: June 23, 1947, U. S. Navy

Darling —

(still comes hard) – I have two choices. One, I can pen a passionate epistle filled with cliches and sentimental chatter. Second, I can tell you what I’ve been up to these past few days. Since I’m relatively sure you don’t want the first, I’ll give you the second alternative.
We enter Bermuda Harbor (Great Harbor) tomorrow morning. All of the information available indicated that our liberty post was, as I told you, to be New York. However, true to Navy form, they changed plans and we are now about a hundred miles off of Bermuda. No telling when this letter will reach you for the civilian mail service is probably snafu, but I’ll mail this in Bermuda tomorrow.
Seems like a year since I left you and Charleston and you both seem a million miles away. In fact, I’ve been so worked that it doesn’t really feel like I ever left the Navy. Of course, I miss you like torment but as of right now I’m not so sure about Charleston.
I’ve been thinking about you all taking in parties for Sallie and Annie but this break in chemistry and in Charleston has been good for me. In case you’re interested, good for you, too, for I miss you even more than I thought I would which is going some.
Right away I was put in charge of 30 Reserve Recruits and I’ve been detailed as more or less a father to them. It’s right much fun for they are high school kids and very eager to learn. Spend about half of each day lecturing them on the Navy.
For the first three days (Monday-Wednesday) we were in Little Creek going to classes on amphibious warfare. Saw lots of movies on CB work that would have been routine to your father but were very interesting to us. Then, on Wednesday night we came aboard this wagon and were off for Bermuda.
Haven’t run into but one officer who know your “group” (the girls, that is). Have picked up some interesting tid-bits from him, but, for the life of me, can’t remember his name. He was out on the Strickland or something, I believe. I’ll have to find out his name. He was a particular chum of ex-Anne Kennedy, it seems. Interesting–
Better close now for I’m off to do some navigating tonight. See you next week, Sweetpea — don’t run off to Walterboro on me because
I love you very much,
Louis (even that looks strange)
P.S. My best to your family including Sunny & Rex. Tell everyone “hello” — I’m sure Charleston has collapsed without us.