Rank / Rating: Y1-Yeoman First Class
Stationed in Hawaii, Deanie met up with an old friend from Eddyville who happened to have Peggy's contact information...some would call that serendipity! Peggy responded to his letter and moved to California.
He began his Navy career aboard USS Argonne in March of 1942 as a Seaman 2. He went aboard USS Indianapolis on September 23, 1943, as a Yeoman. He was aboard for the last 8 battle stars that Indianapolis achieved.
In November of 1944, Deanie and Peggy were married. His 2nd dream was realized. In a letter to his new mother-in-law, Theodore said,
"Thank you for having such a sweet & lovable daughter. I love you both.
I want to apologize again for not writing you sooner dear, but we really were awfully busy. We didn"t have much of a honeymoon but we had fun & enjoyed every minute of it. After the war I want to take Peg on a real honeymoon. I know I'm going to miss her terribly. I'll be glad when this things all over and we can be together for always. All of us.
I wish you could have been here for the wedding. I was so excited I kissed one of my buddies by mistake. They'll never let me live it down."
Shortly after, he was back at sea. On March 19, 1945, he celebrated his 22nd birthday. He shared the plans with his mother-in-law in a letter home,
"Monday is my birthday & the guys are having a big cake baked for me. They also arranged with the photographer to have a picture taken of the cake. I got a package from Peg the other day & I'm saving the food to eat Monday. We should have quite a party. I hope I'm home for good on my next one."
As part of the fun, Deanie and his buddies showed off the pictures of their girls back home and the number of letters they had received in pictures taken by the ship's photographer Alfred Sedivi, Phon2. The letters they received helped to keep home close to their hearts and maybe there was even a bit of competition about who received the most! (See Photo Below).
Just a couple of weeks later in Okinawa a kamikaze dove deep into Indianapolis, taking the lives of 9 of her sailors and creating a giant wound that had to be repaired. They turned from the war and limped back to San Francisco.
Deanie and Peggy were able to spend some time together as the ship was repaired. In letters home, they described what it was like living at Mare Island, traveling into Vallejo for shopping and a movie, and their fun hut mates, Gene (Robert Eugene) Killman, sadly, also lost at sea when USS Indianapolis went down, and his wife, Ginny (Virginia).
A letter signed by both Peggy & Theodore says, "As I told you Mom we're living in a little hut in the Navy Yard here at Mare Island. It's really a very cozy little comfortable place. Have one large room with a studio couch & chair, one floor lamp, a stand with another lamp, coffee table, sort of a built in book case in one corner and also in this room is a table with chairs like a dinette has. Have a gas heater too. The kitchenette has a nice stove, large Philco frig, and built in cubboards. Off the kitchenette is the bathroom. No tub but a shower. There are two bedrooms. Ours has twin beds (of course one bed is enough for us). Have a nice big closet & a chest of drawers. The other bedroom is the same only it has a single bed. Ginny & Gene Killman, the couple we share the hut with have it. Gene is Deanie's buddy off the ship.
All the furniture is new. Everything is furnished. Laundry is called for if you want to pay for it, milk is delivered every day. There's a canteen for the village a few doors away. They have bread & milk, ice cream, candy, and hamburgers, etc.
The yard bus goes right in front of our door. Runs every 12 minutes.
The commissary is the yard marketing place or grocery store. I go on the average of every other day. Of course I have a yard identification card & also a pass for the commissary. Every time you enter or leave the yard you show your card at the gate.
The commissary has about everything. You can get any kind of meat, if you have the points. We're running awfully low now but will get more the 21st. Getting a good taste of housekeeping again Mom & sure loving every minute of it. Meal planning is my big trouble but my hubby never complains. How I love that man!
Deanie's ship isn't more than five blocks away. It's in dry dock. Gee, what a beauty of a ship! I meet him sometimes at 3:30. I feel so strange, standing along side the ship. It's really big. I wouldn't give anything for the things I've seen these last three weeks. Tomorrow will make my third week here. How the time flies."
When July came and Captain McVay got his secret orders, Theodore, as a Yeoman 1st class, could tell that something unusual was afoot. He recounted to his family that he was running a lot of messages back and forth from Captain McVay to others in authority. He expressed his unease about the upcoming mission, but he was committed to the oath he had taken and sailed off on July 16, 1945, leaving Peggy behind.
During those final days aboard ship, Deanie wrote every day to Peggy, expressing his love for her, his desire for her to visit the doctor since she hadn't been feeling well before he left, and sharing a bit of the day-to-day activities of he and his buddies as they stormed towards their secret mission. Deanie mentioned in one of his letters that he and another sailor were two of just a handful of men allowed off the ship when it reached Pearl Harbor, he had important papers to deliver. He says, "Johnson and I got off the ship today for a very short liberty. (The hour I mentioned). Had some official business to take care of or we couldn't have gotten off. We had an ice cream sundae & some potatoe (sic) chips. I was so tired by the time I got back, I was glad I didn't have all day off."
Back on board, steaming towards Tinian Island, he continued to write daily. In his letters he spoke of practicing his embroidery, "It has sure been hot today. After supper I came up to work on the pattern and the sweat just rolled off. I stuck it out though until I was interrupted and had to find the boss. It seems like the last half is going faster than the first did. I've got her head and bust all done and am working on the ribbon up by her head," eating ice cream, "Barton brought in a gallon of ice cream a little bit ago. Vanilla. We sure waded into it too. Barton, Ace, Johnson, and myself. It sure tasted good. It's so darn hot anything cool would taste good," watching a movie, "Today was spent rather quiet all day. This afternoon we had holiday routine so I sat around and worked on the pattern. I've got it all through except the flowers. I knocked off at 3:00 and Barton and I went to the movie. Saw 'The Moon is Down.' We couldn't hardly hear it, but enjoyed it just the same. A nazi picture. After the movie it was time for supper and after we finished eating we went topside and sat. I took the pattern up with me and worked for an hour and a half. Then we sat around a few minutes and sang until it got dark. There sure is a beautiful moon our tonight. I slept topside last night and layed there and looked at the moon and thought of you. I'll be doing the same thing tonight." and sleeping out on the deck several nights due to the heat, "We slept topside again last night and woke up about 15 times. It would start raining and we'd wake up every time. We passed through about 15 rain squalls. Didn't get up, just layed there got wet. We were too tired to get up."
He expressed his dreams for their future after the war was over and they could be together all the time. From his final letter home, "I've been thinking about taking out a chiefs course. I won't have enough time in for a few months, but I could start to study. I haven't got very much more to do in this navy. Time I mean. Twenty three months. It's too darn much, but if I could make chief, I wouldn't object. All I'm waiting for is my discharge, so I can come home to you for good!
Well darling, if I can have my kiss, I'll close for tonight. Thank you. I love you sweetie pie, with all my heart and soul. Good night my darling.
When they had delivered their secret cargo they made a stop in Guam, where Theodore dropped all off his letters he had written. Peggy would receive them weeks later.
The letter that she had written to him telling him that his third dream, being a father, was soon to be realized, was returned to her unopened.
Special note see photo below of envelope and letter from David Singerman, also lost at sea when Indy was sunk, to Deanie's mother.
In February of 1946, Peggy gave birth to twins, Theodore and Peggy. All of Deanie's dreams had come true, but he would never get to know his children.
Of those two children, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren were born. His deep love for Peggy left a great legacy.
Theodore was honored in VOICES OF THE LOST AT SEA program in 2018.
Click on VOICES OF THE LOST AT SEA to view from Time Stamp 19:54 - 22:20.
