Elmer CarlsonWar Diary · 1942–1945
September 1942 — June 1945

The diary

389 entries in the order Elmer lived them. The first eleven are dated months apart and cover nearly two years of training and island duty; from the day he came aboard The Sullivans he wrote every day. Chapter headings, eleven in all, mark the way, and a map alongside keeps track of where he was as you read or listen. Search for a person, place, ship, or phrase, or simply begin at the beginning.

Every entry can also be listened to. The readings are computer-generated, about 69 minutes in all. The voice is not Elmer’s.

Elmer Carlson’s senior portrait from his high school yearbook, a young man with fair hair in a dark suit and tie, with the printed caption beside it.
Elmer, senior year, from the family’s copy of his high school yearbookPress the image to see it at full size.
His senior portrait, from the family’s copy of his high school yearbook. The page →

April 1945

Sea is smooth as glass. Received word today that president Roosevelt died. This was really a blow to all of us. Today the Japs started using a robot bomb which seems to be plenty powerful. Four of our destroyers were hit today. Three were hit by suiciders. The forth by a robot bomb. The one hit by the robot split in two and sunk.

Listen0:21
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Historical context
EDITORIAL NOTE

Death of President Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving US president and the only one to have served more than two terms. His first two terms centered on combating the Great Depression, while his third and fourth focused on US involvement in World War II. A member of the Democratic Party, Roosevelt served in the New York State Senate from 1911 to 1913 and as the 44th governor of New York from 1929 to 1932.

From Wikipedia, “Franklin D. Roosevelt”, text under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article ↗

* Dates read as Elmer wrote them. An asterisk marks a date that is approximate, or that the diary records differently from the day it actually was; hover or focus it for the correction. Underlined terms link to the glossary. Chapter headings, notes marked “From the records”, and the map’s account of where he was are editorial.

After the last entry

What the papers say next

The diary ends on June 18, 1945, with the ship under orders home. The Navy’s paperwork and the family’s papers carry the story from there.

The Sullivans reached San Francisco on July 9, 1945. On July 15 he was advanced to signalman first class, and on July 23 he married Dorothy, the girl he wrote to, in Olympia. He left the ship on October 10, and on October 26, back in Shelton, he registered with the local draft board, “unemployed – just discharged,” and signed the card. The records →

Front of Elmer Eric Carlson’s typed Selective Service registration card, Shelton, Washington, October 26, 1945, with his signature.
Draft registration card, Shelton, Washington, October 26, 1945Press the image to see it at full size.
His draft registration card, October 26, 1945, with his signature. The record →
Certified copy of the marriage certificate of Elmer Eric Carlson and Dorothy M. Davis, Thurston County, Washington, July 23, 1945.
Marriage certificate, Thurston County, Washington, July 23, 1945Press the image to see it at full size.
The family’s copy of the marriage certificate, July 23, 1945. The record →