June finds a letter addressed to Wally from the Merchant Marine replying to a request for information to join. Ward and June are concerned that Wally wants to join because he was harshly lectured to by Ward for something he didn't think was entirely his fault. They also learn from Beaver that Wally has been bothered by an argument he had with Mary Ellen Rogers, which could be another contributing factor. A few days later when June sees that another letter from the Merchant Marine has arrived for Wally, she telephones Ward at the office. Fred Rutherford overhears the telephone conversation, he who wants to be supportive to Ward by showing him that having a tight father-son bond, like he has with Lumpy, can overcome what looks to be a Cleaver family crisis. Ward and Fred, and June for that matter, are unaware that Wally is hiding a vital piece of information concerning the correspondence from the Merchant Marine that affects the Rutherford household.
—Huggo