My father was a career USMC officer stationed on the Arizona in San Francisco in 1941. While on board ship he checked out 6 volumes of Shakespeare plays to read. The day before the ship was to leave for Hawaii, his orders were changed and he was transferred to Bremerton, WA, where I was born in March of 1942. WOW, was he ever lucky - we all were because he was not on board at Pearl Harbor and he enjoyed a full life with us until his death in 1987. He retired from the Marines as a Major in 1948, though he always considered himself to be a Marine. "Semper Fi". We've had the ships library books in our family since 1941. I don't know what to do with them. I've fallen upon hard economic times, am disabled from a stroke and am less than 1 disability check from having to live on the street. I need the cash badly that these books could bring, if the Memorial museum would consider buying them from me , it would be a win-win situation; both for the country and for me ,who is desparate for some economic relief. The US Gov't retirement Agency, OPM just reduced my own US Gov't retirement pension pay to $29.62 a month. That's the thanks I get for spending my career working for the US Gov't. Who, please tell me, can live today on that amount? I can't even buy 1 cup of coffee per day on that. And am hoping and praying that these Ship's archives will offer me a way out and a way to a lifestyle I've earned and deserve. I'd most interested in feedback and opinions - especially from the memorial museum or the US Military officers in charge. RSVP michaelwoody3@nocharge.com