Memoirs of Lloyd Moss: 1929
It is strange to contemplate today that at that time it seemed like I was leaving behind a country where I was free to do almost anything I liked in a thoroughly bohemian atmosphere and going back to a country where there were restrictions on almost everything, for example, one couldn't even walk into a café and order a glass of beer. So with a last backward look we went down the Whangpoo and across the Yellow Sea to Nagasaki, Kobe and Yokohama - all familiar places by now. I took the train up to Tokyo again then on the last leave ashore explored more of Yokohama than I had seen in the past. I was joined by a little group of Japanese college students who volunteered to show me the sights of the city in exchange for some help with their English language pronunciation. Later, in a café over sake, they told me about Japan's destiny to rule the world. I shortsightedly took that to mean the Asian world as Japan was already well on the way to owning China. I bought a beautiful masculine kimono that I enjoyed wearing for years afterward and a woman's kimono that I brought back to Florence.
On my final trip back to the ship I had Japanese money to exchange so I stopped into a little bank near the wharf and found that if I was willing to accept silver dollars I could have 10% in excess of the exchange rate. It was the easiest money I ever made. I just lugged the extra silver aboard and secretly stowed it away in my foot locker, there to remain until I crossed the Pacific. We arrived back in Honolulu on May 27th, spent a few days in Pearl Harbor then started off for Panama, arriving at the Isthmus on June 15th. Panama City was always a pleasant place to visit in those days to I enjoyed it once more for a few days. Then through the Canal and up the coast to Norfolk to anchor at the Naval base. The scouting planes and much of our war material was taken off here. I had time for a weekend in Williamsburg and a visit with the Harrises again. The next move was to Philadelphia, the home port of the Trenton. In a matter of a few days I managed to get on the first leave group and was on my way to Boston to get re-acquainted with Florence. I registered at the Hotel Statler which was quite new and luxurious, called Floss in Salem where she was then living and arranged a meeting for that evening. We had kept up a steady and interesting correspondence all during the time I was away and were eager to see each other again. I took her to dinner at the Statler and, naturally, we had much to talk about. Most importantly, during dinner I talked of our getting married to her complete astonishment though our letters had become more and more affectionate. We lingered long over the meal discussing the exciting possibility of a future together. I showed her the collection of souvenirs I had brought back, and when it was time to part I took her to her Aunt Lena's home in Jamaica Plain where she had arranged to spend the night. Before leaving her I made plans for our meeting the next day and the next, etc. Since I wanted her to return to Philadelphia with me as my wife and time was very short I had to talk fast for the next few days until finally she said "yes" and accepted the diamond ring I had bought. I got her father's consent and we set the date for July 23rd.