Dearest,

Honey, I am thinking of you constantly. There isn’t an hour that goes by that I don’t wonder just where you are and what you are doing. Darling, I am living for the day when we can be together and I hope it isn’t so terribly far off. You never have told me when you graduate. I certainly wish I could be there to see it but as things stand now that is out of the question.

I saw Sam today and he didn’t pass his eye test. He couldn’t cross his eyes, it is surprising how many wash out on account of that. He is going to Scott Field^[2]Scott Army Air Base, outside of St. Louis, Missouri, but in Illinois for radio and gunners training.^[3]Sam’s failing of the eye test may have had a profound effect on Sam. After the war, he devoted his entire career to teaching and research in the area of childhood visual disabilities.

We got back from Bivouac Fri. afternoon after walking 15 mi. in 3 hours and 10 minutes. I couldn’t even feel my feet but my right hand was swollen about twice the normal size. I think the pack was alittle tight and it shut off the blood circulation. Anyway it is ok now. We moved in to pilot school as soon as we got back. We start classes Mon. I don’t know all the courses we will be taking but the main ones will be aircraft identification, gunnery, + code. I hear the code is the hardest because you have to get alot in a very short time. About the biggest change is going from an Av. student, to an Aviation Cadet aside from wearing the brass is the food is a 100% better. They are alot stricter on little things such as how the bed has to be made, shoe shines, hair cuts, (by the way for the last 3 mos. my hair has been about 1/2″ long)(almost), order of clothes, etc., etc., etc.

Our new C.O. seems to be a pretty good fellow but you never can tell about those fellows till they get mad and then they can really be a s-of-b. The last one we had had a little trick of having us double time for about 5 blocks whenever he saw anyone out of step. It got so that we couldn’t go anywhere without running.

I got a letter from Bud yesterday and he is in Frisco waiting for shipment. He thinks he will go on a carrier in the S. Pacific. Here we are in the same state but yet a long ways apart.

We had an opening speech from the Col. yesterday, he is the C.O. of the base here. He said that those of us who finished would be through training in 36 weeks. That seems like an awful long time to wait before I see you and even then we don’t know if we will get leaves or not. Anyway, do you think we could make any plans for the, or not?

It is almost time for parade, remember to change the address.

All my love,

Tom