World War II Letters - 28 November 1942 - Written by Stan Cooper

A week later during the Thanksgiving holidays, Stan writes to an aunt and/or uncle, who he is referring to as "Toots." Who is Toots?

He is refers to "reliable sources" that  Ed will be joining in the War. After discussing who this "Ed" is; a family member concludes with me that this Ed is a close family friend. 

Stan also states that he finally received his trombone. His father, Pop, had the horn packaged in a large plywood box by a friend. It was too large to be shipped by the United States Post Office, thus rejected. Pop went to his typewriter and wrote a letter to James Farley, the Post Master General.
Days later, the large package was picked up by a chauffeur driver of a limousine and air-mailed to the Pacific. The trombone waited a few weeks in San Francisco to be delivered to the USS San Diego at this time. 

I found a detailed blog post on the USS San Diego's history. This was helpful in understanding exactly when and where my father was during his service on this ship. Check out Bayou Renaissance Man on the USS San Diego.

https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2010/03/weekend-warships-1-uss-san-diego-cl-53.html