Tues. morning

Dear Folks,

I guess you wonder just what has happened to me. Three days ago if any one would have told me I would be going to Arizona State College I would have said they were nuts. They told us Sat. morning that some of us would be leaving soon. At 6:00 that night we were on a pullman 45 mi. out of Fresno, 200 of us.

We got in Los Angeles Sun. morning and spent the day sight-seeing. Went back to the cars and pulled out of Los Angeles about 7:30 P.M. and arrived (time out for mess, just returned from breakfast, that is one thing around here when you are told to move you do, and fast.) in Tempe about 12:00 the next noon. In case you don’t know where Tempe is it is about 8 mi. east of Phoenix. None of us knew where we were or where we were going until we got here.

Now for a little about the place. I don’t know how much time I will have because I am going on sick call this morning to get a sore foot looked at. It is nothing much I think just from these high G.I. shoes have made my heel sore.

Believe me this place is so much different that Fresno it is like I would think it would be to go from hell into heaven. I mention one difference, in Fresno if we went on sick call we were told we would lose our passes, here if you don’t feel well and fail to go on sick call you are liable to get washed out. For breakfast this morning I’ve had my choice of grapefruit, tomato juice or bananas, cereal (choices), coffee, milk (both), buttered toast and jelly.

The best part of all we don’t have K.P. or wash any dishes. It is just like the navy had it working in Lunt.^[1]At Northwestern, during WWII, Lunt Hall, was taken over by the Navy and used as a dormitory to house Naval personnel being trained in radio and radar operation at the Technical Building on campus. We live in dorms and it is  just like living in a frat. The only diff. is that we have wash basins in every room. There are four fellow per room but we sleep in a dorm so we have enough room. Just about everyone that came from Fresno is going on sick call this morning. I think I am the only one without a cough. I can’t see yet what kept several from dying in Fresno.

I guess you can tell I am pretty well satisfied here and so is everyone else. It really seems funny not to hear anyone complaining. The discipline (sp) is very strict. (There goes sick call.) (to continue) in fact it is like I would think west point to be. We are all called Mr. and we have to salute all non coms and call them sir. Our studies are suppose to be tough but not too bad. We don’t start to classes till Mon. so I will know more about that then.

I will have to close now will let you know more latter.

Love, Tom

P.S. It is now aviation student instead of pvt.