Sun. noon.

Dear Folks,

I am going to hold this letter over till tomorrow because I have some pictures that are suppose to be ready then. The picture with the four of us are my roommates. Sam’s home is in New J. but he has a brother in Chicago who he stayed with while going to N.U.

I told you once that I had a Sylabus paid for from school. It might be a good idea if you would type a short note to the editor and put 25⊄ in stamps in with it to have it sent home. I don’t think they will send it without this. Just address the letter to Northwestern Sylabus Editor, N.U. Evanston, Ill.^[1]Northwestern Syllabus is the undergraduate school yearbook.

I am getting farther and farther behind in my letter writing everyday. Grandma and I have been keeping up a close correspondence. I am going to have to write her today sometime. However, I have a test in Navigation and Geography tomorrow.

(I will add more to this tomorrow.)

(Mon. night)

I just got back from Navigation class, I found out that the pictures won’t be ready till tomorrow so I hope you aren’t getting too anxious for this letter.

I got a swell letter from Harold Schneider yesterday. I wrote him a short letter last night, he wanted to know about the training here and what my plans were from here on. He must be in charge of the Med. dept. there because a Col. is pretty high up. At Fresno the commanding officer of the post (14,000 men) was only a Col.

Dad, to answer a few of your questions, I haven’t seen any snakes around here and haven’t heard about any but there is alot of trouble with scorpions. We have been lectured on them and several have been found in the barracks but as yet I haven’t seen any in the room.

The only treatment is packing the part of the body in ice thus slowing up the spread of toxins and giving the body time to combat them. They are really a problem on field hikes etc.

I certainly do remember that trip down through here and if you remember how the weather was when we were in Phoenix you have a good idea of how it is here tonight. In the afternoon it has been hitting 100°. They are suppose to start feeding us salt tablets soon. Believe me these afternoon calesthenics and Sun. parades really get you warm.

Last Sun. Sam and I went to the mormon church here in Tempe to see what it was like. They had a communion service which I think they have every week anyway they wanted us to take charge of it and pass everything out. We refused and went in the ______ ________^[2]Not legible. This sentence was crossed out by Dr. Cartmell and not transcribed by him. They do alot of singing and every once in a while some one gets up and makes a speech. They must have thought we were one of Brigham Yon’s followers.

Elaine had wrote me that Steve had visited her. I guess about all those fellows are going on invasion barges. I have a feeling that he won’t have to wait much more than a year to see action and maybe by that time I would be part of his air support.

Don’t try to write so often if you haven’t time but get to bed early and try to get plenty of sleep. It sounds funny me telling you this but I mean it.

I will close for tonight, I have to shave yet and that is one thing they gig you heavy for.

(Tues. noon)

We just found out that our passes are canceled for this weekend. Everyone is pretty sore about it and I guess some have a right to be. Alot of the fellows that are married were having there wives come out so you can imagine how they are taking it.

I received the box of popcorn balls today and they are really good. We are keeping them hidden in the closet so that our room will get the full benefit from them. Two of my roommates had never eaten or heard of them. They were packed plenty good because there are alot in the box and none are broken.

We have to fall out for English class now so will close. I think I can get the pictures right after class so I guess this will be the last installment of this letter.

Love, Tom

Thurs. night.

Dear Folks,

Here it is eight o’clock and I haven’t done a thing all day. I didn’t have any temp this morning but the doctor thought I had better rest one more day and then he would send me over to have my teeth fixed. I really feel like a goldbricker having my meals brought to me and sleeping inbetween times. However, if you are confined to quarters you are not to leave the barracks even if you do feel like it. Besides these rest periods don’t come very often so you might as well make the best of them while you can, and the sleep doesn’t hurt you.

As far as missing any school work goes you would have to stay out along time. Navigation is really the only course that they are really covering very thoughly. It seems that this is a replacement place till they have room for us and that they are trying to make the best of the time. The physical conditioning program really seems to be doing us all alot of good. They were giving it to us alittle too hard there for awhile just to see how much we could take. Now it is alittle more broken up. One day we will play football the next volleyball, basketball, baseball, however, we have about 30 min. of calesthenics before we play games. They have several chinning bars that we work out on first, then we run a half a mile, then have calesthenics, and run an other half a mile. By the time we finish this none of us are as anxious to play games as we were at the beginning. After this we have about a half hour to get a shower and get dressed for retreat.

Unless you are confined to quarters there isn’t any resting to be done between 5:15 and 10:00 at night. I got thinking today when we got paid that there is alot of difference between working eight hours a day for seventy cents and hour and our seventeen hours a day for fifty a month. We got paid sixty dollars today and should get about forty more the end of this month.

All the fellows were pretty happy after getting paid. They pay us all in cash and the way all these fellows were going around you would think they were millionairs. I hope everyone can trust every one else. I will send you some of the money when I see how much I am going to need I have to get another overseas hat when I go to Phoenix and some pictures.

To those taking Navigation they issued us navigation cumputers. They cost five dollars and are plenty nice. They do every thing but write down the answer, however, they are pretty complicated.

Well this was mainly a letter to let you know that I am O.K.

Love, Tom.

Tues. night.

Dear Folks,

Just a few minutes before taps but I will probably get a chance to finish this in the morning.

Things have been going O.K. but I am going to have to go over to Williams Field to have my teeth fixed. I think the other 3 wisdoms are going to have to come out. I dread it because they will probably want to take them all out at once. However, they have been bothering me abit and I better get them taken care of before we go to pre-flight. I also caught an elbo in my right eye while playing basketball this afternoon which must have pulled that muscle again but it feels better tonight. I have been keeping a cold cloth on it. This is just about all of my troubles and it is time for taps so will finish this tomorrow.

(Wed. morning.)

I guess I shouldn’t have gone on sick call this morning because I am confined to quarters. I had alittle temp I think about 99. The doctor thinks my whole trouble is with my teeth but he said he wasn’t going to send me to Williams Field till my temp was down and I got rid of the cold. They really go for sulfa drugs in a big way here. He gave me two different kinds of them to take. Don’t worry about me because I don’t feel at all bad in fact I was really surprised when he said I had a temp. However, I can use the sleep and as soon as I get these teeth out I will be as goood as new. A coup[le of the fellows from my flight have had teeth fixed over there and they say the dentist knows their stuff.

They are really getting us in pretty good condition. I don’t have hardly any trouble running the mile now. We also get to start swimming next week I think I will be an instructor. They came around and wanted to know who had had senior life saving and there were just a few of us. I think it would be alot of fun.

We get to go into town a week from this week end and I have made arrangements to have some pictures made so will get some to you as soon as possible. Some of the fellows have taken snapshots I don’t know how good they will turn out but I will send you one.

I had better get into bed or I will catch heck if the sarge come in. Sorry I haven’t written you sooner but I will try to do better.

Love,

Tom

Sat. noon.

Dear Folks,

The weeks are rolling by pretty fast. We had a chance to go up town today so I had a chance to get alittle paper to write letters on.

It has really got cooler here the past few days. In fact even sleeping here in the room Sam and I wear long underware to bed and put our overcoats over the bed. However, I can really sleep but I have a heck of a time getting up at 5:15. Sam is as hard to get up as I am so you can imagine how fast we have to rush in the last 5 minutes. Sam’s last name is Ashcroft he went to N.U. and he reminds me alot of Steve. He is going with a girl from St. Louis who just graduated from nurses training. She took most of her training at the Lutheran Hospital.

It seems like all the fellows girls that I know are named Elaine. Bud Spencer’s wife is named Elaine and so is Sam’s. It must be a pretty popular name.

The speech I made about you went over pretty good. It wasn’t in a regular class but in military indoctrination. The Lt. is in charge of.

I didn’t get my grades from N.U. but Sam’s were sent to his home. Did they come to you.

I will keep most of these travelers checks but I might not keep the full $80.00. We are suppose to get paid Thurs. I think it will only be $20.00 then and the rest we will get later on in the month.

The school work isn’t very hard but will probably get worse. My grades are O.K. I got a 99 on the first Eng. test and I don’t like the course. The others are much more interesting especially Navigation.

New post regulations start this Mon. They are even tougher. From Sun. at 3: P.M. till the following Sat 2: P.M. we aren’t allowed to talk to any civilians. However, starting 2 weeks from this weekend we will get 20 hr. passes. From Sat. afternoon till Sun. afternoon. If you ever did come out here I don’t know if I would get to see you any more than then or not. From what I hear this is the toughest C.T.D. in the country as far as discipline goes. I think all the fellows here are living for that 20 hr. pass. I will look up these addresses of these people you gave me and go see them.

We have calesthenics in a few minutes so had better close. The first thing we do out there is run around the track 4 times (a good mile). That tires me out more than anything we do.

Tell Agnes hello.

Love, Tom

9:30 Wed. night.

Dear Folks,

Haven’t got much time before taps. Had an exam in navigation tonight which wasn’t too bad. I got a 90 on it. Haven’t hardly any work to do for tomorrow but I could find plenty to do for Fri., however, you know me better than that. That is one thing the army has taught me and that is if you get a spare minute you had better take it.

The most surprising thing happened today. It rained for the first time since we have been here. None of us have raincoats so we had to wear flight jackets and helmets. The helmets make very good rain hats but their express purpose goes alittle deeper than that.

Dad, your medicine certainly did fix me up. The white breathing pills worked fine. Are they pretty strong stuff or not?

I about fainted when I saw the coryza they certainly did the stuff. The swimming trunks are swell, I don’t know how soon we are going to get to use them but it should be any day. Also thanks alot for the air mails and the dollar. We get into Tempe once in awhile to buy things we need. They march us in as a detail, which is another example showing that we march everywhere we go. It will really be a pleasure to get back into civilian life and walk around without having someone counting “hut, two, three, four”.

I signed the pay roll the other day and we are suppose to get paid the 15th of the month. As yet none of us believe it but everyone can hope.

Here is a poem that was on the bulletin board, all the fellows seemed to have liked it:

Air Force

They guide their ships among the stars,
Then hurtle down across the blue–
Laughing young Lords with shining wings–
To swagger down God’s avenue!

I hope you will pardon the theme paper byt Uncle Sam is furnishing it and indirectly you are paying for it so I might as well use it.

Cleda, I received your letter today and it really contained alot of news that I hadn’t heard about. It sounds like you are really giving the house the once over. I probably won’t know it when I get home. I am really beginning to wonder if I will be able to get back in my clothes. However there is alot of time to worry about that so for the present the moth balls and tobacco are just the thing for them. Thanks alot for taking care of them.

I am going to have to get the lights out or I will be getting gigged. Finish this in the morning. Goodnight –

(10 till 6:00)

Have a minute so thought I would finish this. Usually this time in the morning is pretty filled up, but the four of us in the room take turns cleaning it and the other two are cleaning it this morning. It is really cold here this morning. In fact everynight we use two blankets and sometimes put our overcoats over us also.

The night before last there was a USO road show here, it was really pretty good and all the fellows seemed to enjoy it.

Time for breakfast so will close because we have drill right after breakfast and I won’t have anytime then.

With love,

Tom

Thurs. night

Dear Folks,

I finally have alittle time to write you folks a letter. We only have navigation on Mon., Wed and Fri. nights so that gives me an extra hour, which I can use very well.

It is really beginning to get hot here after lunch. However, we have our drill in the morning so that helps alot but we still have calesthenics in the afternoon. You might be interested in a daily program of mine. It varies very little so here it is: Up at 5:15, fall out for roll call at 5:30. Breakfast at 6:00, drill from 7:00 to 8:00, lecture on military indoctrination from 8:00 to 9:00, Geography class from 9:00 to 10:00, First Aid class from 10:00 to 11:00, lunch at 11:30, English class from 1:00 to 2:00, hour off, calesthenics from 3:00 to 4:30, fall out for retreat at 5:00, dinner at 6:00, Navigation class from 7:00 to 8:00, lights out at 10:00. You have to rush everything you do here. When we get out of calesthenics at 4:30 we have to shower, get dressed in the best clothes we have and make sure our shoes are shined. Really the only time we can sit down and study is between 8:00 and 10:00 P.M. We had a test in First Aid today which I didn’t do too bad on, however, I got the tendons mixed with the ligaments. We don’t have any school on Sat. but we drill anywhere from two to three hours in the morning and clean the dorms in the afternoon.

I signed the pay roll today so I might be getting paid one of these days. However, one of my roommates signed in the wrong place and they think the whole squadron will have to sign over again. Yesterday our whole room got one gig apiece for having a dirty sink. After you get 5 gigs you start walking tours for every one over that. That is 5 gigs a week. Walking tours is the same as walking the bull pen. One fellow has 13 so he is going to be busy all weekend.

Cleda, I got your letter and the cookies and it was really swell. I will write you when I get some time. Maybe this weekend. The cookies really hit the spot. You certainly picked out my favorite. The whole box last the four of us about 15 min., however, the brownies went down my throat in alot shorter time than that. They had kept real well, they all tasted fresh and none were broken. It is really alot more of a treat to get things like that here than at Fresno, because at Fresno they had a P.X. whereas here we can’t even get any cokes let alone candy or cookies. There isn’t any ice cream or anything like that to be had around this part of the country. Maybe it is the same way at home now.

I received a letter from Bob B. and Carl Abt today. Carl is trying to get in the air corps but he has to get a waiver at the citizenship requirment first. He hopes he can get in before they call him.

I have two speeches to prepare for tomorrow. It is the first time I have ever had to do anything like that before. I have already made one in military indoctrination and have another in it tomorrow and another in English. The one in English I am going to talk about education and the one in mili. ind. I think I will talk about you, Dad. It has to be a speech about a successful man and how he got there. I haven’t thought of what or how I am going to say so had better get to it.

Love, Tom

(Wed. night)

Dear Folks, Thanks for the cookies, letter will follow.

I haven’t time for a letter so a card will have to do. I just returned from navigation class and I have alot of English to read and a test to study for tomorrow in First Aid. However, my zoology is helping me alot in these. Navigation is going to get plenty tough. He started right out in talking about advanced trigonometry. We are suppose to get 48 hrs. of it here and then more at pre-flight.

Don’t put my address in the paper because they are sending out forms to all our home town newspapers. I have tried to call you several times but haven’t been able to get farther than Dallas. The weather here is plenty hot. Hope to get a letter off soon.

Love, Tom.

Sat. morning.

Dear Folks,

This is O.K. to be typing a letter once again. One of my roommates who was at N.U. has a typewritter and I am borrowing his. I don’t think it pays to have one here. At the present time we are waiting for the floor to dry in the day room so we can put the rug and chairsback in. As much as we clean this place it certainly should be clean. I and four other fellows were on this detail this morning so we got out of drill, I would just as soon drill.

Say I have been having alittle trouble breathing, if you know what I mean. I wish you would send me some pills for this and also some more cold pills. One box of each will be plenty. Don’t write anything on the box that is for the breathing, but if there is any directions send them to me in a separate letter. It doesn’t seem like this Ariz. climate is any too good for that ailment. It didn’t bother me a bit in Fresno and i trained all the time. The trouble here is that it is so dry and there is alot of dust in the air. However, it might be that most of it is from the cold that I have, what ever it is from I hope it goes away soon.

This Monday we start to school I don’t think the math will be hard infact I think they start off with arithmetic. The other courses are History, English, Civil Air Regulations, and some more that I don’t know of at the present. From what I hear we are suppose to get something like 22 college hours of credit for it, which isn’t all bad.

(Time out,)

Three o’clock afternoon.

I had to go into Tempe after the mail this morning so I didn’t get to finish this letter. We just got in from the drill field alittle while ago. We are having a dress parade Sun. (tomorrow) and we had to go through it today. It is really getting hot out here, I will certainly be glad when we start wearing sun tans. That is the light weight summer uniform, however, the pants don’t fit me but the supply officer said that he would change them for me. The rest of my uniform fits O.K., but if I keep eating like a horse and gaining weight it won’t. I think I am about the only one that I know of that has gained.

They have let us go into Tempe a couple more times to get things that we are going to need and do need. I got me a pair of slipper and some more underware and socks. The army doesnt’ issue enough of those things for this kind of weather. It hasn’t rained once since we got here and none of the natives expect it to. The town here is only about 2000 and I had a heck of a time trying to find any sock or things. Most people go in to Phoenix but we aren’t allowed that far. I don’t know when we will get to go there. They tell us that we might get twenty hour passes on some of these weekends but personally I am beginning to doubt it. I have only had one pass since I have been in the army and that was just for six hours.

I guess Bob Blizzard is getting all set to go. If you see him tell him to drop me a line when he gets to shere he is going. I got a letter from Carl the other day and he is being called up also. I think about the same time that Bob is. I believe he said that he was going to start back to school next quarter thought.

I guess you don’t happen to know where Harold Schneider is now. This country is thick with army air fields down here and I thought he might be stationed around here close.

I am going to have to shine my shoes and get ready for retreat so had better close.

I hope you aren’t getting as mad as I am about my address being changed all the time but it isn’t my idea. They told us today that if we use the address that is on the front of this envelope now that we will get our mail a day sooner, so use this one from now on.

Hope to see and hear from you soon.

Love Tom.