19 July 1957
"Our little trip over here is nearly over with. I was over last nite doing the last bit of shopping that I have to do. I bought a few things for my wife. I hope that she appreciates the things which I have purchased for her. I even bought Timmy something to play with...Boy is this place ever hot...I have been sleeping up on the top side for the last couple of nites. I took a cot out of the storeroom and now I have it put away for myself and myself only. A lot of the people ask me where I got it from, and I just tell them that I am a storekeeper and that is all it takes...I got out the pictures of Sandra and Timmy that I had painted again today just to look at them for a while. I showed them to a couple of chiefs and they think that I have a couple of good looking children."

 

13 July 1957
"Well I had the misfortune of getting my toenails trimmed while sleeping the other nite. I guess it may sound foolish to you but this is what happened. During the nite sometime I accidentally stuck my foot in the electric fan which I have installed at the foot of my bunk. Man did I ever wake up then. I felt my toe and I could not feel any blood so I just went back to sleep again. Well, later on in the morning, I stuck the same toe back in the fan. Boy was I fit to be tied. So I just got up and put my socks on...later in the day, I noticed that my toe did not feel any too well. So I took my sock off and looked at it in the light. Well I had a good size gash in the end of it and it was bleeding. So that is my story, believe it or not."

 

Hi Ya Si and Stew:

10 July 1957
"Got some more dope on the Ship's stay in San Diego when we get back...Naturally she will head out here about next July again. But who knows, maybe I'll have shore duty by that time...Let's hope that I am off of here by the time the ship returns to Japan again...Hi Ya Si and Stew: Just a few lines to let you know that I have not forgotten you two...I hope Ruth and the children have not been too much bother with you folks. I was glad to see her go home for a while. As that is the last chance that she will have for a long time..."

Note: Buss will not have shore duty when the USS Ajax leaves for Japan in July of 1958. He will be aboard for that 6 month tour of duty. Si and Stew are Ruth's sister and brother-in-law, Siona and Stewart Mortensen. 

Siona Mortensen

 

Fukagawa "Silver Lichen"

6 July 1957
"I was ashore today and spent some money. So I'll have to give you the run down of how I spent it. First of all, I purchased a set of swell dishes today. I am sending the picture of the set that I bought to you now. I hope you like it. I thought that I had better get something rather conservative. As you can see I paid $43.00 for the set for twelve. There is a cream and sugar set, two platters, gravy boat, casserole, bread and butter dish, plates, salad plate, soup plate, fruit dish, cup and saucer and something called a baker. So you can see that we have plenty of dishes to serve 12 people at one time. I don't know when we will have that many, but it's always nice to have them on hand. Then too we can have them in a china closet for show...Give Timmy a hair cut before you leave there as I don't want people to think that we can't afford a haircut for the boy. I'll bet that doll of mine is really pretty isn't she?...I'll drop you a picture of the dishes that I have bought so you can look them over. They cost $43.00."

Note: This same set of dishes was my main inheritance when my mother passed away in 2005. They had been stored away, since they were purchased, in the bottom shelves of our china cabinet at home. I do not ever remember them being used. Since 2005, we have entertained dozens and dozens of guests using these dishes as well as using them for our day-to-day dishes for our family of 6, which has recently grown to 7. Good purchase, Dad.
 

Additional note: You may have noticed that Buss chose to purchase the most expensive set of dishes in this brochure. Interesting, considering how frugal a man he was.

"Hello There Stranger:"

4 July 1957
"Hello There Stranger: Well here it is the 4th of July and I just finished eating a good ham dinner along with all the other things that go with it...I filled up on ham and potatoes, dressing, and cranberry sauce. Well I went over and played "Bingo" last nite over at the club. Then we had a floor show. All it was, was a couple of people singing and then they had the original "Sad Sack" of the movies. He was quite good. He cracked a couple of rare jokes that went over pretty good...I was drinking orange juice last nite. I even got one of the biggest drinkers to drink orange juice with me last nite...How are my two children. I have not heard from you for a week or so...Be sure that they have plenty of nice clothes to wear. You know that they have such cute little dresses for girls, and I have seen some very nice suits for Timmy. When he gets big enough I am going to get him a bow tie to wear with a shirt...By Golly, only two and half weeks and I'll be heading for home. I just wish that I had a good home to go back to. But we will have one before too long."

Timmy in his suit and Sandra in her dress. Circa 1958.

Typhoon

27 June 1957
"I guess you have been reading about the typhoon that we just had out here. We expected it to pass here around this morning but it veered off course and missed us by about 40 miles or so. We had all our boats taken in from the water and then lashed everything down for the high winds to hit us. But thank goodness no winds came...All the ships were not giving liberty last nite...I guess you have received the picture of me by this time. I will still have one left yet. Maybe I can sell it to the Newspapers for a fortune...I took my uniforms over the other nite and had some Gold Hash marks and a rating badge sewed on...So your going to get your hair do about the first of July. Well I hope you have plenty cut off this time. Because it will make you look much younger if you do. Please keep Timmie's hair cut all the time. As I don't want a shaggy boy following me around."

Note: On this date, June 27th, 32 years in the future, Buss and Ruth's second grand daughter will be born, Emily Ruth, and will join their second grand son, Nathaniel Clark.

Jury Duty Questionnaire

The envelope is dated June 20th, 1957, and the only thing in it was this questionnaire for Jury Duty for Cook County, Illinois for Ruth Gerdes. They lived in Chula Vista, CA by this time, so I guess Ruth was not required to serve.

 

"Fargo, North Dakota tornado"

23 June 1957
"Well Tuesday is my birthday and Mom sent me $5.00 today in the mail. She also told me to spend it on myself. But I think that I can find a better place for it somehow. I was ashore again this afternoon. I went over to the Ship's store and bought another chief a short sleeved shirt. I paid $2.50 for it...I can look out the door of the Supply Office and see the big red sunset. I wish that you were here to witness it too. But I guess we are too old to enjoy the sunsets, are we not...I see in the paper where Fargo, North Dakota was hit by a bad twister. I believe there were 6 or 7 children in one family killed by the tornado. We can consider ourselves very lucky I guess...Well so long Old Gal, I'll be thinking of you tonite in my dreams. I hope to see you soon."

The 1957 Fargo tornado was a violent and deadly tornado that struck Fargo, North Dakota on Thursday, June 20, 1957. The tornado struck the north Fargo (Golden Ridge) area in the early evening, causing major devastation. Damage was extensive including 100 blocks of Fargo. The worst residential damage occurred in the Golden Ridge Subdivision, much of which was swept away and scattered across a nearby farm field. Approximately 329 homes were destroyed and some of them were completely swept off their foundations - a classic example of F5 damage. Another 1035 homes were damaged. Fifteen farm homes were destroyed and 25 damaged. Four churches and Shanley High School were destroyed and two schools were damaged. Fifteen businesses were destroyed and 30 suffered major damage. These were mainly small local shops. Two hundred automobiles were destroyed and 300 damaged.^[1]
In the end, ten people lost their lives. After 1971, when Dr. Ted Fujita introduced his scale that rates tornadoes based on the damage they cause, the Fargo tornado received an F5 rating, the most severe level. The tornado had a long track which started in North Dakota, traveled 27.4 miles to the Minnesota border and continued for another 25 miles. The total track length of the tornado was 57.4 miles and at its widest, it was almost a mile across. This tornado was part of a family of tornadoes that was spawned by a supercell thunderstorm that moved through most of North Dakota and into parts of Minnesota.^[2] It was the northernmost confirmed F5 tornado until the Elie, Manitoba Tornado on June 22, 2007. The Fargo area has also been hit by three F3 tornadoes on June 13, 1950, August 30, 1956 and most recently June 15, 1973 but none of these caused any fatalities.^[3]
Debris from the tornado was found as far as western Minnesota, over 50 miles (80 km) east of Fargo in Becker County.
This tornado is considered the most devastating in North Dakota history, and was one of only two F5 tornadoes that have struck the state, the other occurring four years earlier in 1953.

"The Brass Legend"

18 June 1957
"I can't hardly see where you have enough money to fly both ways with two children and still have money left. But I guess you know what you are doing...I am really squeezing the pennies out here to have as much money as possible to buy the house with. I think that I will have at least $16000.00 to buy the house with, naturally that is figuring on $1500.00 for the trailer...This week the whole ship was giving early liberty to the crew, but I told the Supply Officer not to let the Storekeepers have it as we had too much work to do. Naturally there are a few mad storekeepers around here...Don't be afraid to buy Timmy some short pants for the summer and have new shoes every so often. We are not that poor. Have you gotten your hair fixed up already. Take care of yourself, as so many people see you around...Oh yes, I seen another movie tonite. Hugh O'Brian played in it. Boy was he fast with a gun. Yes, he got his man in the end."

[Gift from "Red" Denson]

14 June 1957
"Denson has left the ship for San Diego to pick up his family and go back to Pearl Harbor. So that means that I have all the load on my hands now...I'll guess I'll make out OK...I know by this time next year we will be living in a house. I even hope to have one by Xmas time. But if I buy it this year yet, then I'll have to pay taxes on it. I would rather wait till after the first of the year and then the person that has it before us would have to pay the taxes on it for the year. Of course we won't squabble over a few dollars if we can get a "so called "good deal"...Speaking of money, and who don't like to, I have now on the books about $1050.00 since I left the states. So you can see that I am doing my utmost best to have enough money to pay cash for the house when I get back..."

This was made by "Red" Denson and given to Buss' daughter, Deborah. 1/25/14

"CPO initiation"

10 June 1957
"I had a long talk with Denson just before I went to the showers. He was laying in his bunk reading a magazine. He told me that he had himself "fixed" up today so he and his wife can't have any more children. He was trying to talk me into the same thing but I am undecided as yet. I will say, if I want it done, over here would be the place to have it done. As one can have it done for about $10.00 while in the States the price would be around $60.00 or so. But I don't think that I will have it done while over here...Well have you been to New York as yet? I expect that you will be taking a trip there one day before you leave there. You see that will be the last time for a long time. I don't expect to go back to Illinois till I get another car and the children are grown up a bit...They are having a large initiation over in the club for the chiefs on Sunday afternoon. They have to go before a court and give their testimony and all kinds of stuff. I wish that you could see that too."

Ike (Buss' brother), Dorothy, Buss, & Ruth in Roanoke, IL--1968

Their camper for this trip to Illinois-1968

3 June 1957
"I guess I am sorta slave driver on the boys down in the storerooms. I made one man stay aboard tonite as this morning at quarters he gave me a ration of guff. So I pulled his liberty card and told him that he was to stay aboard tonite and work. But that is the way things are on here. When I say something I mean it. I think the boys are finally finding that out. Of course, when I get home, you are the boss again."

 

"'fixed up'"

1 June 1957
"I doubt it very much if you remember the car that picked me up the last morning when we left San Diego. But the man driving that particular car was caught taking cigarettes ashore out here and he is restricted to the ship. He is a Chief. And on top of that he has been going ashore most nearly every nite since we have been here. So he got a letter from his wife the other day telling him that she was leaving him...So it don't pay to run around all the time. I guess I am the best afterall. Then another chief got a letter some time ago telling him that his wife was going to have a baby. Well he has two children now and this new one makes three. So he went over a couple of days ago and had himself "fixed up", if you know what I mean. I am never going to do that. I think we can control ourselves enough for that, don't you think so."

"roust-ta-bout"

30 May 1957
"Well I went over to the CPO club last nite to play "Bingo", but I never even came close to the $300.00 jackpot. But a couple of chiefs off this ship split the 300 bucks between them. I seen one of them come back this morning and he was about half shot yet. I still say that I am lucky not to drink, I should say "WE". I did have about 4 cokes last nite. Then I played a couple of games of pool. So you can see that I am regular roust-ta-bout on the beach. I had my picture taken the other day. I am getting three 8" x 10 1/2" pictures for $2.50. I think that is pretty cheap don't you?..To have them colored it would cost me $.80 more per print. So I think that I will just have the plain ones...I am certainly glad to have a boy and a girl. I know that I don't want any more than that, do you?...Say I want to get you something from over here. So give me a few hints. Such as, handbags, jewelry, jewelry boxes, fancy robes, or anything that might come into your mind."

Clark A. "Buss" Gerdes, May 1957, Japan

24 May 1957
"First of all I don't care that you went back to Baldwin. Naturally at first I was shocked to hear about it but I can see your point very good now and I want to apologize for any rash statements that I made to you before. Now that I have that off my chest, I want to thank you very much for the $10.00 which you sent me in the mail. I received it today and I am really proud of you to send it to me. Payday is a week from today so I have plenty of money to buy something with now if I see something over there...Does Timmy have plenty of things to play with back there. If not get him something. I am going to get him a tricycle when I get back. I know that he will like that...Won't that be a grand feeling when we leave Yokosuka, Japan for the States. The Executive Officer put a little note in the Plan of the Day a couple of days ago which went something like this. "Only four more paydays till we head for home, save your money for that leave you are going to get when we get back.""

Timmy and Sandra with the tricycle Buss bought for him.

 

"outstanding"

17 May 1957
"I was sorta holding off on the writing to the folks as I did not have any stamps. I borrowed one from Denson the other nite and wrote to you. But I have paid him back already so we are square again...I'll bet that plane ride was quite a thrill for you wasn't it. You always told me that you would not go up in a plane with out me. Then you take both children up with you. Wow, are you ever brave. But there isn't anything to worry about is there. At least I don't think so...We had an inspection in whites the other day and one of the chiefs took my pictures in whites and it came out very good. He gave me the picture and told me that I could keep it. Well I surely appreciated it very much...We had our annual inspection the other day and I received an "outstanding" in my storerooms. So told the boys that rated it, to have a 48 this week. They are the ones that deserve the extra liberty."

Note: I just now got off the phone after visiting with this same 'Denson' about whom Buss wrote. He is nearly 92 years old and has a detailed memory of life on the USS Sperry and USS Ajax with Buss. They shared the same desk on the Ajax. 
 

Buss Gerdes, May 1957 Japan

"Your 'Daddy'"

14 May 1957
"So you flew back to Long Island. Well I don't blame you one bit as I guess it's better for the children...This way you can really enjoy yourself once in a while. Or don't you care for a Baby Sitter for the children...I sent Mom a little picture of Sandra. She said that they could not look at the picture enough which you had sent her. Well I think that we have a very beautiful daughter. I'll bet she won't have any trouble getting what she wants when she grows up???????????...I have to mail some packages as soon as I get paid. Well there goes my payday so I guess I'll have to stay aboard another two weeks. But I'll make out OK...PS: "Hello" Timmy and Sandra, I see that your back at your grandmother's place again...Be good now and go to bed when Mommy tells you to. Remember to eat plenty of good things to eat and then you will really grow up and be big and strong and good looking. Your "Daddy"."

Sandra and Timmy circa 1958

"HOW MUCH DID IT COST?"

12 May 1957
"Hello: So your back to Baldwin again. Well I guess you know what your doing so I don't care what you do. HOW MUCH DID IT COST? Did you fly or take a train?...this coming payday I'll have $10.00 to spend for myself, so I think I'll go over and spend some of it...I have been working my hands to the bone on this thing because we are having an inspection of all records and I have to have my storeroom up to date with everything. But I guess I'll live through it...I expect to go to the hospital this coming week for an operation but I don't know exactly when I'll go. I have been putting it off for some time, but I just can't stand it no longer so I will go this coming week. That is if everything is OK elsewhere...Some of my khaki shirts are wearing out. I bought them two years ago but I wear them constantly all the time so I guess they are bound to wear out sooner or later. I still have some of those 50 cent ones that I bought up in Great Lakes...So long, Clark A. Gerdes"

Buss Gerdes circa 1945

 

"Your loving husband Buss"

9 May 1957
"Say thanks for the other picture of Sandra. I certainly do like to look at her. I think that girl is beautiful. I am just going to hug and hold her when I get to you and the children on the pier or dock when we get back. I sure do wish that you will be able to get down there...Boy we are losing a lot of our fellows when we get back to the States. You see back in 1955 when we were still in Blue Island, the Navy drafted several thousand fellows for two years service in the Navy. Well all those fellows are getting out of the Navy now...I lose about 9 fellows altogether. So that leaves me with plenty of work to do...One of the chiefs on here had a telegram the other day telling him about his brother dying. He was 32 years old and had a fatal stroke. So now he is flying back to Arkansas. We all gave him a dollar a piece to fly back with."

"5 or 10 spot"

3 May 1957
"Yes, this is Hong Kong and I am really glad to be leaving here tomorrow at 9:00 AM. This is one place that I do not care to see again, and I won't if I have my way about it...I took a bus ride as far as it would go one way and then got on another one and took it back again. Then I went over to Koloon, which is a part of Red China. I walked down a street till I thought I had better turn around and come back...it turned out to be restricted to Military Personnel. I never got picked up so I guess I had an honest looking face...Say I want to send you a picture of me. It was taken when I was asleep in the Chief's mess one day after eating...If you have an old dirty 5 or 10 dollar bill around the house that you don't know what to do with, would you be so kind to just drop it in the next letter that you write to me...I have tough sledding on 6 dollars a pay day sometime. And a 5 or 10 spot would certainly help out..."

The picture which Buss referred to in this letter.