My Darling,

Undoubtedly many poets have written about the hell of this kind of life so I won’t try to express how I feel. Other, than to say that I miss you an awful lot honey, in fact this evening was the first time I have been able to eat since I have been back. Everywhere that I go reminds me of a time that you and I were there together, even a little thing such as standing on the corner waiting for a bus. Perhaps someday when we look back on these days it will all seem very funny, but at the present I can’t even work up a smile over any of it. I guess I never did have much of a sense of humor. Honey, I hope you’re not laughing at me for the way I feel and I even hope that maybe you miss me just a little also.

This morning I went out to the base about 11:00 and couldn’t eat anything so I went over to the gym and took my P.F.R. test. My stomach is getting sore already, and maybe it’s my imagination but I think it’s just alittle flatter. I then went and got my pay and also a cashier’s check which I am sending to you. Let me know if you receive it O.K. Came back to the apt. and took a bath, took my watch downtown and met Andy. We went to the show, which got out around 8:00, and then came out and got something to eat at “Bud & Lill’s,” (during which time I kept thinking of you). When we came back to the apt. Bob and Jean were here and had gotten in in the afternoon. Bob had been sick all the time on his leave so I guess that sort of ruined it alittle for them. Their train trip was just about like our’s. We have to be out at the base at 8:30 in the morning to finish processing and then we graduate Sat., this army life is certainly full of graduations. Anyway we get a diploma which I’ll send to you which you can keep to remember the “battle of Fresno” by.

I am going to walk up to the corner and mail this letter so will cut it short.

Honey have you been to the doctor yet? What does he say? Let me know all about everything as soon as you can.

Tell your Dad that all the fellows think the _____ is pretty nice and I’ve even had offers for trades.

I got a carton of cigarettes for Harry today which I’ll send when I send a box to you. By the way I sent you a barrette, or something, which I had them send from downtown, let me know if you don’t get it.

This just about covers the past 24 hrs. and honey take awfully good care of yourself. Hello to the folks.

Darling, I love you very much.

Tom.

I still have a couple more special delivery stamps to use.

Darling,

I hope you received the letters that I sent to your home. Have you decided on any job yet? From the sound of your card you seemed to be enjoying Chicago. Wish I were there to enjoy it with you, I still remember a few places that we could go. How about a date this Sat. night? I got paid today so we can go to the Palmer House and then take in a few places on Clark St. that Steve and I use to take in once in awhile when we were just about broke. I guess this is enough dreaming for one night but I am still looking forward to April.

I finished up on my flying time today. We really had a big time. Burg (Pinky) + I met up in the air and practiced our acrobatics. We did everything in the books and even invented a few stunts ourselves. I had a couple of surprises yesterday. Long John told me that he had recommened me for instructors training. I don’t know if I would especially care for it or not but it might be one way to stay in the country longer, but you would probably be safer in combat. You don’t go to instructors school till after you finish this training and get commissioned and alot can happen to change those plans between now and then.

At noon I was called into headquarters and asked if I would be interested in light or heavy bombardment. Up till then I didn’t especially think I was but when they explained things it sounds like a pretty good deal. I go to Marana Basic Flying School which is near Tucson, Ariz. and go into multi-engined stuff. We supposedly get to skip the BT (basic) planes and start right out flying AT’s (advanced trainers) either AT6’s or AT 17’s. We get a chance to go into P38 training which I think I would like. There are just about 10 of us going to Marana and Burg is also going. It is a new basic school and suppose to be pretty nice. We will be leaving the end of this week or the first of next. I’ll let you know my address as soon as I can find out what it is.

Honey, we are right in the middle of final exams and I’ll try to catch up on my letters at a later date. How about you writing alittle more?

Goodnight Dearest –

With all my love,

Tom

Dearest,

As I think I told you in my last letter we didn’t get passes this weekend. I got 11½ hours of sleep last night and I am still sleepy. I have decided to forget all about trying to catch up on the hours I have lost.

We had our last parade this afternoon which doesn’t make any of us feel very sad. According to all reports we don’t have them at primary. Tomorrow we have a track meet in the morning and supposedly the afternoon free. However I’ll give anyone odds that we drill. Our C.O. has been in a hell of a mood lately. He thinks the squadron is “off the ball” and consequently he is making life alittle hard.

We received our grad average today and I had a 90. Code and aircraft pulled me down because I only got an 80 in both of them. Physics and math helped a lot because I got a 98 in math and a 97 in Physics. The rest were all around the 90 mark. We also received our marksmanship medals today for the .45 cal. pistol. Our sqd. broke the rqange record by having the highest scores of any sqd. yet. That kept our Captain happy for awhile.

Honey, from all indications our primary might not be in Arizona, so don’t make any traveling plans yet. We have been hearing that we might go to a primary up near Fresno.

I imagine your finals are just about over by now. How does it feel to be graduating? With all your education I’ll begin to feel inferior, and they say thats bad.

Honey, do you know that it has been over 7 mos. since I have seen you? That is longer than its ever been. I thought those 2 or 3 mo. spaces between vacations at school were long but that doesn’t even compare with this. It will take at least 2 weekends to make up for all that lost time. Don’t you agree?

Goodnight –

With all my love,

Tom

Dearest,

I must say that I was a little surprised at your letter today. Do you really think that you want to be an air line hostess? If that is really what you want to do I wouldn’t say you were being foolish, however, as much as they need technicians (sp.) I would think it over pretty well. Enough said on the subject. –

You spoke of how cold it was back home. It has really been nice here, the nights and mornings are cool but the afternoons get pretty warm. Do you know that I have only seen rain twice since we left Fresno about the 15th of March. And all that was at Tempe for it hasn’t rained any here.

We were told today that our finals were coming the first of next week because an order came through from H.Q. saying that all our grades had to be in by next Wed. The rumor has it that the pre-flight in Texas has been quarantined and therefore we will have to fill up some of their primary’s. Of course this is just a rumor but it is certain something is in the wind.

I think we have been inspected by just about every General in the country. General Yount is spending three days here and he is suppose to be eating in our dining hall tomorrow and is scheduled to inspect our barracks. None of us are very impressed because all it mean was another G.I. Party tonight.

We have to start using our army serial number on all our mail, so don’t forget to include it on my letters from now on. More red tape.

Honey, I am still looking forward to the middle of Oct., in fact more so every day. Goodnight Darling –

With all my love,
Tom

Dearest,

What a hell of a life. Limited to 2 gal. of H2O a day for everything which means about a quart to drink. Snakes, insects and everything else to make life miserable.

Yesterday we had lecture and athletics, this morning more lectures and infantry tactics this afternoon with medium pack. Tomorrow a 15 mile hike with full pack and K rations. Something Thurs. only 20 miles and Fri. hike back to the base and start pilot school Sat. morning.

The country around here is pretty nice but no water, I would give a month’s pay for a bath. No one is allowed to shave because of the water shortage and as a result we are all beginning to look alittle rugged. I know now that a beard can itch. The night before last about the whole camp got some straw to sleep on, two fellows got bitten by ticks and one found a scorpion in bed with him, the two that were bitten had to be taken into the hospital. As a result juist about everyone has rigged up some kind of a hammock. I’ve fixed up something that looks alittle like a stretcher but you have to lay in it a certain way or the bottom falls out – as I said before it is a hell of a life.

Are you still working or did you decide to stop dating?

A fellow wants me to go play horseshoes sop will close.

All my love,

Tom

Dearest,

Things happened pretty fast today, this morning we were classified and I got my choice as a pilot. The fellow I was telling you about, Casey, he was made bombardier and can’t decide if he will like it or not. We took the oath from the C.O. and had a talk . from Lt. Bell who was the first fellow to drop a bomb on Germany, he has had several interesting experiences. We also found out that we go on a bivouac starting Sun. morning and return the following Fri. morning and then start to pilot school Sat. morning. All the pilots, bombardiers and navigators will be split up then and go to their respective pre-flight schools. Pre-flight supposedly lasts 9 weeks. On our clothing issue we got everything but cadet coats and they stopped issuing them two weeks ago. It seems like we have been getting the well known ________ ever since we have in in the army. We might get them later, so says the C.O. but I doubt it.

I might not be able to write while we are on the bivouac but mail will be brought out to us so don’t let that keep you from writing.

Out of the squadron there were about 25 classified as bombardiers, only one navigator and the rest were pilots, however, most of the bombardiers are getting training in navigation now. We were also told today that by the time we were through training most of us would be flight officers rather than 2nd Lt. I can’t distinguish any difference in the two because uniforms and pay are the same.

Honey, I wish you would write more. It is bad enough just to miss you as much as I do let alone not hearing from you for so long.

Goodnight honey –

All my love,

Tom

Dearest,

Everyone is getting fed up with things around here and I am no exception. Supposedly for being “off the ball” we have to drill an extra two hours every night, after supper. Last night we didn’t get in till 9:45 and had top be in bed by 10:00. I think if anyone wold have had a good plan or with alittle encouragement all of us would have gone over the hill. There goes the whistle, hope to have time to finish this when we get in.

(9:00 P.M.)

After having us double time past the reviewing stand several times they decided to let us come in.

Our schedule for tomorrow calls for a couple of lectures and morres on sex morality. We have probably all heard and seen the same thing before but it seems they want to impress everything very heavily on our minds.

We are all through on our tests and stuff for classification and are now waiting to hear the outcome. I think they are to tell us next Tues. Several have already found out that they have washed but there will still be alot more. Some washed on the schneider it has to be between +8 and +18, I had a +11. ^[1]The Schneider Index, developed in the 1920s, was a measure of “neurocirculatory asthenia or cumulative fatigue”, and widely used in the US military aviation community. It was later … Continue reading The things like this and they eyes which I was worried a bout were all ok. Both my eyes were 20/15 and depth perception was 0 mm off. The equipment they have here is really good and it is pretty hard to find a much better doctor than a flight surgeon.

I suppose you received my last letter and I hope you don’t think I was jumping too far ahead of myself in the future, but we really never have had any discussion or ideas expressed on the subject of marriage yet. I don’t know, maybe you think we are still too young and have alot of time to think and look, however, for myself I feel as if I have aged 5 years in the last 5 mos. I guess it is my imagination. Anyway it is pretty hard to explain anything through the mail so maybe we can talk things over personally in about a year from now. I am assuming of course that you won’t go grab off someone before then.

Guten Nacht –

All my love,

Tom

Dearest,

Received your letter but this is the first chance I have had to answer. This morning we finished with our mental tests and had part of the physical. Still have 4 hrs. of physical to go Mon. We had our interview this morning which wasn’t very bad but they certainly do want to know everything about you. Including all your love life. Yesterday we had all our motor tests which were really fun but screwy. If you can imagine a bunch of pin-ball machines and playing them for about 4 hrs. you know what we did. I was suppose to have a wisdom tooth pulled Mon. but I had it changed to Fri. because we finish our 6-4 then. Anyone who even had anything that looked like a wisdom tooth is having it pulled. I think the dentists have a quota to fill.

From the sound of your letters I have more to worry about than John. I am referring to the weekend parties.

This is sure a hell of a situation to have to spend Sat. night in an army barracks with 80 other fellows who would like to get out as much as I would. We are confined to the area around the squadron which is about a block for 2 weeks after that time we have freedom of the post. We won’t get any passes till we have been here 42 days which is one hell of a long time.

You are wrong about it being hot here, I have been cold every night so far, even with three blankets. It getys alittle warm in the afternoon but nothing top cvompare with Tempe.

I like the signature of your letter. The sound of it is OK. but I am more interested in the meaning. Honey, I hope you mean what you write.

I guess you didn’t get the letter that I sent you so I guess I will try to explain again. What caused me to discuss it was when you told me about Allan Lake’s father telling you he heard we were going to be married. Personally I would like it and think it would be a damn good idea, that is if I get through this training. However, I think again and wonder if it isn’t being selfish on my part. We have been having lectures lately on the fact that we are all going to have to be killers and that this training isn’t altogether for our own welfare and when we get through with training we aren’t going to be in the country long enough to go q4round showing off our bars. I think this explains what I mean so don’t you think it would be sort of selfish on any fellows part to ask a girl to marry him under these conditions? However the way they wash them out on the 6-4 I probably won’t be around after next week. If I do wash out I have a notion to apply for gunnery school. Honey, I can’t think of anything better to look forward to than marrying you, maybe I am hoping for the impossible but it is good for my morale.

There goes tatto.^[1]He means “Tattoo”, the US Army and British Army bugle call that signals all lights to be turned off.

All my love,

Tom

Dearest,

I hope I am not writing to a married woman but I guess I can take that chance. There is just one question I would like to ask. How can you sign your letters to me “I love you, Zoe” when you also love John? Are his signed another special way or do you use the same method on all of us.” I am not being “catty” so don’t take it that way, I would just like to know.

I don’t think hell could be any hotter than this place has been for the past week. I don’t know if you have ever experienced the sensation of going to bed hot and getting up feeling the same way after having gotten very little if any sleep. Thank God we are leaving here Sat. night. That reminds me, send any letters to the new address. It is the one they gave us today, it doesn’t look very complete but I guess we will get our mail after so many weeks.

So far this week they have been keeping us busy at calesthenics, drill and swimming, the last of which isn’t hard to take.

I guess I am not mad at you for saying that you through you believed in free love^[1]Her use of the term “free love” does not have the same meaning as was applied to it in the 1960s and 70s counterculture. Rather, it is more likely a reference to the “Free … Continue reading  but it just reminded me again of what Ben Brown told me along time ago about you. I have told it to you several times. I guess you are right that we wouldn’t exactly be holding hands if I were there, but honey I would be satisfied with that if I could see you.

Everyone is anxious to get to Santa Ana^[2]This is his first letter in which Santa Ana was correctly spelled. This is also possibly the first time he’s seen it in print and he didn’t need to rely on a phonetic spelling. even though there is about a 30% washout there. The physical we get there takes about a week to complete, it is the 6-4, you might have heard of it. The one I had in Chicago was the 6-3.

I got a pretty good recomendation(sic) in my flying here. In case they want to make me a navigator maybe I can use that with alittle influence.

Hope to hear some better news from Urbana in the future.

All my love,

Tom

Hello Honey,

I certainly hope the weather is better for living there than it is here. I was beginning to think Arizona was a pretty good state but if it doesn’t get alittle cooler I will be forced to change my mind. I hope California is alittle better.

I had my last flight lesson this morning and have finally mastered landings and taking off. I have my check flight in the morning at 8:30. It includes everything we had on the last check as well as stalls, spins, landings and spirals. I wish we could solo here  but I guess we will have to wait till primary.

All kinds of hell have been breaking loose in the “flight” the last two days. Sun. night three fellows went AWOL and were caught. Now the officers think there were several more that went also and as a result we are all catching it. Five fellows have 15 gigs which means they walk 10 hrs. this Sun. I have five and one more and no pass this weekend.

I got to see Sam for a few minutes this morning and they have dropped History and English but I guess they are still pretty busy. They fly next and will probably start July 5th. Sam never has been up before so he doesn’t know if he is going to like it or not. I don’t think I would have gotten in the air corps without having taken a plane ride.

The Lt. was telling us alittle about Santa Anna. We won’t get to leave the post for 6 weeks and the first two weeks will be spent in taking physical exams and different mental tests. Will probably be there for 9 weeks.

Honey, I hope I am forgiven for not (sending) your letters to the right place but you never did tell me when you were going back to school. I’ll try to keep better track of you and you try to keep me better informed. O.K.?

It’s time for C.A.R. class.

All my love,

Tom