WASHINGTON, Thursday—Yesterday proved to be quite a day in Pittsburgh, Pa. Their USO near the station is very attractive, with plenty of room for various activities and a nice canteen. Since they mostly entertain transients, it is a busy place.
I was quite thrilled to have a chance to meet Commando Kelly at the Rotary Club lunch. He looked so young! I would have liked to sit down and really talk to him, but of course, that was not possible, so I had to be content to wish him luck in the future. Perhaps if he comes to Washington, I may have a chance to see him.
At the Deshon General Hospital, which is a very wonderful place because the atmosphere is so cheerful and the surroundings are so pleasant, I talked for a few minutes with Sergeant Forrest L. Vosler of Livonia, New York. I remembered reading in the paper about how courageous he was after he had been wounded in both legs. When he realized that he was blind, and that the plane he was in was losing altitude, he asked his buddies to throw him out as well as some of their cargo. They hope now to save the sight of one eye. We are all glad his buddies refused to obey him. He is another young man I hope I shall have a chance to see when he comes to Washington.
They certainly are doing great things at Deshon General Hospital for the hard of hearing. I looked at the schoolrooms for teaching lip reading, and saw many young men walking around with their hearing aids. Nowhere did I see a dejected face.
I did not get back to the hotel until six o'clock. In the evening I spoke for the Teachers' Association, and there was time for questions after the talk, so I did not get on the train until about 10 o'clock. Strange to say, I was quite glad to go to sleep. Someone asked me if I found it hard to sleep after a busy day, and I blithely answered that sleep is one thing I rarely have to woo, since I am able to fall asleep as soon as I get into bed. If you are a strong and healthy person, you do not become nervously exhausted—you just become physically tired and you wake up the next morning quite fit again.
My great excitement was finding the President home. He looks so well that all of us have decided we are going to keep him away from work for certain periods of time, no matter how unpopular we are, because when he is not tired he gives everybody else in the house such a tremendous impetus to do more work and take more interest in whatever they are doing.
We have really started our summer here in Washington, and the trees and flowers are beautiful.
E. R.
(COPYRIGHT 1944 BY UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC.)
About this document
My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, May 12, 1944
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