Fred A. Wise, an American sailor during WWI, writes to his cousin Ruth Backof about his training, travels to other Latin American countries, and daily experiences during war.

February 1918: Sailor Fred A. Wise, Ruth Backof's cousin, surmises that soon "it will be the sea for us" as he and his group leave Charleston, South Carolina. He describes the city as "pretty, but everything is old. The houses are all old and queer looking, and the streets are so narrow." He passes on a rhymed parody of the Orders for Sentries and describes the very light guard duty the men are pulling.

April 1918: Wise writes from on board the U. S. S. "Tacoma" reporting on his gun crew's winning third place in target practice: "That isn't very good, but considering sixteen guns aboard I was pretty lucky to be on one of the winners especially as it meant five dollars prize money for each of the gun crew."

June 1918: Wise describes various drills on board the "Tacoma" and the different jobs of the sailors. He notes, "We are wearing white now and it is pretty hard to keep clean."

July 1918: Wise lists the components of his July 4 menu, "plenty of everything, but it didn't have that good old home taste to it." He describes the "Tacoma"'s full dress of signal and code flags and enumerates the sights of New York that he and a friend saw on leave.

2 Decemeber 1918: Wise writes, " 'Peace times' are great as we are now making the run from Boston to New York with all lights burning. . . ." He notes rumors that 25 sailors will be discharged in New York, "and every one thinks he is one of them." Thereafter he expects a long trip with foreign duty. He also describes an old-fashioned Thanksgiving dinner tendered him and a friend by a family who unexpectedly invited them home.

13 December 1918: Wise writes from St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, decribing how the indigenous peoples load coal onto the ship in baskets on their heads.

January 1919: In this postcard from Uruguay, Wise writes: "These countries are great but believe me I would rather be where they speak English."

March 1919: Wise tells Ruth about his group's participation in the inauguration of the new president of Uruguay: "[T]hese people go about it like we do the Veiled Prophet and Halloween." Rumor has it that the sailors may be sent to put down unrest in Argentina: "Anything to relieve the monotony."

April 1919: Wise writes from Guantanamo Bay in Cuba describing his passage through Trinidad on the way. He discusses the care of leprosy victims there: "There are about eight hundred of them of which about half are helpless."