7-23-44

Dear Cleda,

It has really been some time since I have written you, I guess you have been wondering just what has been happening to me. Dad should have been keeping you informed.

However, here at Lemoore we haven’t done very much other than going to a few ground school classes and the hardest job of trying to keep cool. They have water air conditioners here in the barracks, which aren’t the coolest or the most beautiful things in the world, but it is still better than dehydrating. We didn’t think we would be here this long but here we are anyway, will probably leave the first of the month.

Hope everything is coming along OK at home and that things have calmed down alittle and are alittle less nerve wracking. Has there been any decisions made as to what is going to be done with the house?

Did you know that Jim Brewer and his wife are out here? I just about passed out when I saw Jim in the P.X. the other day. They are living in Lemoore but at the present Jim has to stay in the hospital at nights. He broke his foot some way or other and will be on crutches for several weeks yet. They are putting a cast on it in the morning, and I imagine he’ll get out then. I have seen them several times and am suppose to stop in Lemoore some evening and see them.

Saw a pretty good show on the base this afternoon, “The Hairy Ape“, it is really good, see it if you get the chance.

How is Nick? I got a letter from Bill a while back when you were in Chicago and he said he stopped up there one evening and Nick was tied up without any water and was having a pretty rough time of it. Tell shorty that if she does tie him up to be sure that he does have water handy, especially if it is anywhere near as hot there as it is here.

Well Cleda, it is beginning to get alittle cooler so might be able to get to sleep.

Write when you get the chance and I’ll be thinking of you all, –

With love,

Tom

Dear Cleda,

Well this is what you would really call desert country and it is really getting warm. In case you are wondering what I am talking about, we arrived here at Gila Bend this morning.

We start flying tomorrow. We get 25 hrs. of time here in 10 days which includes both firing on ground targets as well as targets towed by another plane. At the present it all sounds very complicated but the way they fly around here it looks like it might be alot of fun.

Some of the fellows are living in tents down here but I was lucky enough to get in one of the barracks (if you can call them that).

They let us off a good bit this last week  and I didn’t get any letters written. Thought I might as well get away when I had the chance. I guess Dad told you about us having an accident with Mr. Perk’s car last Sat. night. We all got quite a jolt but no one was hurt. The care is being fixed up now.

I am really looking forward to seeing you folks in a couple of weeks. Have made your hotel reservations and I believe everything is set. I have changed my mind and decided to fly to Chicago. They gave me the wrong price before and I have been cleared through to Chicago so with alittle luck should make it. The train would cost $84.00 and the plane is only $89.00 and will get there 32 hrs. sooner. Leave here Mon. at 10:50 AM, + arrive in Chi. 4:00 AM. Tues. However, if I get put off some where along the way I’ll probably wish I had taken the train, but that’s the chance I’ll have to take.

You certainly seem to know just when I need something. It so happened that my writing material was down to just about nothing. I can also use this when I am through here. Thanks alot.

It seems that I am about the only one that isn’t catching up on some sack time (sleep). We have to get up at 4:30 down here and go to bed at 8:00 PM.

Will be looking forward to seeing you soon.

Love,

Tom

Dear Cleda,

Just returned from the flight line and have alittle time before retreat formation.

How does Greenville seem after being away for awhile? I guess the telephone seems awful quiet, or is everyone calling up wondering when Dad is coming back?

By the way I am sending you a small pair of wings. I hope you receive them because I have had them for several days trying to figure out a way to send them and finally decided upon the envelope. The PX here doesn’t have any wrapping facilities so it is some what of a problem. The ear rings were more for bombardiers but they weren’t able to get what I wanted. They had a set of ear rings and pin to match with the medical corps insignia that I liked very well, however, they didn’t have any with the air corps and weren’t able to get any. I like them alot and maybe at the next base they will have some, if so, I’ll send them.

We will be leaving here pretty soon and the way things look I’ll be going to Luke Field. It is at Glendale, Ariz. about 20 mi from Phoenix. I have about 25 min. of flying to get in and I’ll have my required no. of hours for basic. They have been pushing us a good deal because they want to finish up early so they can give the ground crews a few days off before the new class arrives. Consequently we have been flying 3, 4 or sometimes even 5 hrs. a day. When you go like this for awhile it doesn’t take long for it to become a regular job. However, the time was pretty diversified, that is, we had night flying, formation, cross country, acrobatics, etc. which kept it from getting boring.

I wish you would thank Ann, John, Selma and her family for their Christmas. I received the stationary OK, in fact this is it. I am going to try and write them, but I have been trying to write alot of people and I still am busy.

When do you plan to go back to Chicago, or have you decided yet? If everything goes well I might get off sometime in April so plan on being there then anyway.

Is Agnes till staying there? If so tell her hello.

I was wondering what you did with Nick.

Enough for now.

with love,

Tom

P.S. I was wondering if it was proper to thank people for Christmas cards through the Advocate. If you think this would be OK, you might call them and say something to the effect that I’d like to thank all those who sent them and that I wish I could write them, etc. If you think it is too late thats OK, but I didn’t know just what to do. I received about 100 + some and as you know I have a hard enough time doing justice to my family let alone write all those people. Maybe they didn’t expect it anyway.

Dear Cleda,

I have been trying to keep up with my correspondence but slowly but surely have been losing ground. That’s the reason I have been doubling up on my letters. I thought by sending them to the P.O. that you would get them sooner. I’ll try to write a little more but my intentions have really been good. I and another boy went into Los Angeles Sat. Night. It took us 4 hours to get in and it was 11: PM. Then so it was too late to go to Aunt Mollie’s then. I was going to go out in the morning but we couldn’t find a single place to stay and finally decided to come back to the base.  We got back about 4:AM. That was going 23 hrs. Without any sleep.

Then we had our parade and a speech by the Gov.^[1]Earl Warren and Gen. Cousins which meant we were standing at attention for about 2 hours. To top things off I had guard duty last night from 10 PM. Till 3 AM. So I got two more hours of sleep. I am going to bed pretty soon and try to catch up a little because I have really been dragging around today. I am sending a clipping talking of the God’s visit.

School is going fine so-far, but everyone is anxious to start flying. We are now considered upper class men because we have been going for 3 weeks. They really have a marvelous teaching system here and all the instructors are really experts in their line. I think you would have to go a good ways to find a place where they can teach as much in a short time as they do here. We are even taking a new tactical course now which is intended to teach us how to take care of ourselves no matter where we would happen to be forced down. It is really very interesting and can’t be taken lightly.

It is too bad about Bill B. Do they think he will get a medical discharge?

The marks were the code we have been learning. We have a 5 word/min check tomorrow. It is coming better for me. After you start taking more than 2 words a min, you can’t count the dots and dashes so from there on it is getting the rhythm of each letter. You find yourself making up saying for the harder words such as Q which is dah-dah-di-dah you say “pay day today.”

Well 5:00AM. rolls around pretty fast so had better get some sleep.

Love, Tom

Dear Cleda,

Received your letter and tried to write last night but even if we aren’t doing as much as we were it seems like I haven’t any more time. I will probably have to finish this letter tomorrow because it is 8:30 now. When you are flying taps are at 9:00 instead of 10:00. Tomorrow is the day I don’t fly so should have some spare time. So far this week I have got in about 3 hrs. flying time but today it was so rough we couldn’t hardly get off the ground and had a heck of a time landing. I have a swell instructor who really seems to know his stuff. The worse thing about the field is that the airliners and army planes are coming in all the time and make it pretty crowded. However, it is all precision flying which it has to be for safety sake. Today two B25s (the kind that Doolittle used) landed and took off. If you could see the size of them and the space they used to take off you wouldn’t think it possible for them to take off an aircraft carrier. Also a formation of P39s came in, they are my favorite. Their full name is the Bell Aircobra, you see them in the magazines all the time.

I think I am really beginning to learn something now. However, there is so much stuff to remember that my instructor is always telling me to keep the nose up, bring the lefty wing up, look around before turning, and a number of other things. I guess he thinks I could still make the grade because he told me he hadn’t given up hope entirely.

I guess Dad is on the train now roaring toward Arizona. I will get off at 2:00 P.M. Sat. and won’t have to be back till 3:00 P.M. Sun.

(Will finish this tomorrow)

(9:00 A.M.)

Back again, but I am going to have to cut this shorter than wanted to. We are suppose to go swimming in a few minutes. I just received the candy bars and thanks alot. I guess they are as scarce at home as they are here.

Last night at 10:30 the C.QQ. woke me up for a telephone call. It was Western Union with a telegram from Dad saying that the train would be late. I was so sleepy I didn’t hardly know what they were talking about. The C.Q. had a heck of a time waking me up in fact the other three fellows were wide awake trying to wake me up. That is one thing the army hasn’t changed in me.

I am certainly looking forward to seeing Dad, and I wish you could have come with him but I know how traveling is and I hope the trip isn’t too hard and tiring on him.

There goes the whistle so will have to close.

Love,

Tom