Neville, Bobby Gene S2
755 23 63

Refer: 8249 - Eid

707 S Church St.
Christopher, Ill.

Oct. 23, 1945

Captain Chas. B McVay III
U.S. Navy

Dear Capt. McVay:
Almost a month has passed since we rec'd your letter in regard to the loss of our son Bobby Gene Neville S 2/c in the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, and we feel very greatful to you for your kind words of sympathy.
Truly it was a great shock to us since it all happened so soon and on his first trip to sea and we had rec'd only one letter from him since he sailed, it was dated July 18th and postmarked July 27th so I have no idea where it was postmarked, and he said so little about his duties aboard ship or the hours he was on duty that we are at a terrible loss to even think how he lost his life, and we can imagine so many ways it could have happened.
If we could only see and talk to someone personally who was a survivor, it would mean so much to us in the way of consolation, probably some one of the eight boys from his outfit who went aboard ship at the same time (July 15th) from Yerba Burma Isle, if they were lucky enough to be among the survivors, although we know none of their names, do you think it possible for us to obtain such information.
We do wish to congratulate you on your being one of the survivors and hope at some time to be able to see & talk to you, and we do have the consolation that this loss to ourselves and the many other parents of those who lost their lives in the mission they were on, meant the speeding up of the end of a terrible war and the saving of countless other lives had this mission not been complete.

Yours very truly
Mr. & Mrs. George E. Neville

Pers-8249-LK

NEVILLE, Bobby Gene, S2c, USN, 755 23 63

October 31, 1945

My dear Mr. and Mrs. Neville,

I have received your kind letter of October 23rd in which you ask for whatever further information we might have concerning your son, Bobby Gene Neville, Seaman second class, United States Navy.

I regret that I can add nothing to my letter of September 28th. It is difficult I know for you to understand why we can not furnish more information. However, when it is realized the ship sank in the middle of the night in a very short time and that no records whatsoever were saved that may explain our difficulty in piecing together a coherent story.

Your son's letter must have been mailed at Guam as the ship left there the morning of July 28th bound for Leyte, P.I.

May I again express my heartfelt sympathy.

Very sincerely,
CHAS. B. MCVAY, III
Captain, U. S. Navy

Mr. and Mrs. George E. Neville
707 South Church Street
Christopher, Illinois