Tues. night.

Dear Folks,

Well here I am fairly well back in the saddle. Arrived in Salinas at 8:00 PM. last night, so you can see that things were timed pretty well all the way through. Another fellow from my group here, Jack Carr, was on the same train which made it pretty good. One train was about 2 hrs.l late in getting  to San Francisco and we weren’t able to catch the 1:00 PM train out for Salinas so had to wait till 4:00. I think I told you in my other letter about seeing the wreck. It was really pretty bad still alot of cars twisted up on both sides of the track. We got into a good bit of snow the second night out and you can imagine my surprise when I raised the curtain in the morning and saw everything in its Christmas dress.

The dogs are fine, we took them over to get their shots today. They have to go back in a week for another. Neither one cared for them very much and I am afraid we will have to carry them back the next time we go.

Oh yes! The way things look I’ll probably be here another month. Get some more gunnery and will also get back with my old class. Can’t say as I mind too much, but it isn’t definite as yet. Also about the dogs, they are just about house broke. That should be the headline of this letter.

I didn’t fly today, suppose to tomorrow afternoon but I have a dandy little cold and the way I feel now it is doubtful that I will.

Hope Karen and Tom stood the trip and everything OK. What else did you all do after we left? It was certainly good to get to see all of you again and especially the kids. I guess I don’t have top tell you and Stan how lucky you are, I didn’t think so.

The brownies were here and even though a trifle old they are still appreciated and will be put to the best use.

Dad, your box of candy was also here and is certainly what we needed. Something that you can put in your pocket and keep for later in the day. The barracks orderly likes them pretty well also, I had the box on my bed, and when we came in this afternoon, he said that he had helped himself to a couple. Did Cleda and Agnes get all the painting and everything done over at the Apt? Is everything set to move on the 15th?

Say Elaine there was something that I forgot to do and that was see Mrs. Abt.^[1]Karl Abt’s mother Has she called you folks? Stan, were you able to beat Bill D.^[2]Bill DeMoulin, Elaine’s cousin before you left or did you play anymore?

Dad, this pen really works swell and I’ll send you mine the first chance I get to wrap it for mailing.

This takes care of just about everything.

Goodnight-

With love, Tom

The latest dope here it that all of us, John Erickson etc., are all getting retained. They haven’t enough planes at Fresno.

Noon

Hello Folks,

Here it is one of those real lazy Sunday afternoons. Good music on the radio and a good time to write a letter. I just finished eating with a bunch of the fellows that got in from Lemoore. Some of the boys we left there when we came here. Needless to say, they are glad to be here.

John Erickson and I came back from Morts’ Fri. afternoon because we supposedly had to go to a gunnery meeting Sat. morning. We went down there Sat. and they told us to report at 8:00 Mon. morning. It is little things like this that makes a person dislike the army. Mort is coming back this afternoon, his mother is coming with him and I am suppose to have dinner with them here at the club this evening. We really had a nice time at Morts’. The three of us had a 5 day leave.

We got into San Francisco Mon. night about 11:00 P.M. and went out to the Blaisdell’s home. Tues. I went with Mort to do some visiting around Berkeley. Stopped in at the Campbells, Kaye and the baby were asleep but talked to Larry and everything is OK. Wed. night we went to the Claremont Hotel. I wish all of you could have been with us. The Blaisdells went with us, Russ Morgan is playing there.

https://youtu.be/MkbS4NZQNcE

I’ll send you a picture that we had taken. Thurs. Mort and his girl, John, I and Barbara all went to San Francisco and —– in the ——. Had lunch at the Cliff House. I sent a package to you folks, I hope they weren’t broken in the mail. We then went to Chinatown and had dinner at the Cathay House, really a swell Chinese dinner. Chinatown isn’t like it was when we were there in ’39, that is the stores weren’t stocked like they were then. We were able to get 5 gal. of gas apiece for the B’s car with our leave papers which made it nice in getting around. By the way before I forget it, Mr. Blaisdell is going through Chicago sometime in Oct., he has your telephone no. and address. I don’t know how long he will be there but I wrote Dad and you folks could see him or get him to come out. He is really a very interesting person to talk with. I think I told you that he was President of the International House out at the Univ. in Berkeley.^[1]Tom has several dates with Barbara Price. Barbara’s father, Ernest B. Price, was President of the International House at the University of Chicago. The fact that Mort Blaisdell’s father … Continue reading

I hope Karen and Tom are OK. Have you been able to find any help. Mrs. B doesn’t see how you can do it all by yourself but I imagine Stan is a big help, and that isn’t a wise crack.

Dad, did you receive the matches? I guess you still have your collection. About the rocks you may send me a list of some of the kinds you need and after them put the section of the country or world that they are found in.

The weather is really turning warm here, these hot weather just starts about now, however the nights are still cold. We start our gunnery Mon. but most of it will be in the day but we do get a couple night straffing missions. We have to start wearing our May Wests now, I really don’t see how we can get much more on. We have to wear shoulder straps here because there isn’t a crash panel on the instrument panel. It is a good thing that you have a crew chief to help you get everything on. You feel like a canned sardine when you get all set to go. I saw some P38 boys from C class that graduated a month before me. They were on a 5 day leave before going across. If I get that I’ll fly home because we get a #4 priority, but I’m hoping that it is alittle more than 5 days.

Enough for now –

With love,

Tom

Fri. night

8-11-44

Hello –

Guess who? That’s right – none other than that brother, uncle, and brother-in-law. Here I am back in California enjoying the days but freezing under a layer of fog, blankets, coats and what have you, every night. It is 8:00 P.M. now and I can look out the windows and watch the fog roll in from the ocean. No kidding about these cold nights, there hasn’t been a night yet that I haven’t woke up freezing. I think I finally have the solution; I borrowed another blanket, and am using my fur lined pants and jacket in between a couple of the blankets. I am testing it out tonight so here’s hoping that it works. The barracks are something that any Jap would commit “hari kari” over, but even so morale is pretty high.

Believe me they are finally making us work for our pay again. This morning we had ground school from 7:00-11:00, then P.T. till 12:00, were on the flight line from 1:00 P.M. till 6:00 and then to top things off they had to give me link trainer from 9:00 till 11:00 tonight. We have this schedule for 10 days straight and then supposedly get 2 days off and then fly the A20‘s for 10 days straight. At the present we are getting our instrument time in flying AT10′s. I got in 3 hrs. this afternoon which was a strain after not flying for over a month.

These AT10’s are a pretty nice instrument flying plane, but there are an awful lot of hills and mountains around here to be flying instruments all the time. You just about need something that will go straight up and straight down to get in and out of this field. However, we made it today and so did several others so we’ll make it tomorrow also.

I am going to have to cut this short because I have to be down in the link building pretty soon. Elaine, I guess you really have your hands full, but I know that you really enjoy every minute of it and I can’t say as I blame you if Tommy is any ways like Karen. Wish I was there to help you.

I was going to Berkeley with Mort tomorrow evening but the 10 day straight through deal sort of changed our plans so I guess we will both have to be satisfied with a Salinas steak dinner. Oh well –

Hoping to see you in about 2 or 3 mos.

With love,

Tom.

7-23-44

Dear Folks.

Just finished with a little washing, of which I was in great need of. Everyone has been afraid to send any laundry, because you never can tell when you will get that back. I did send some washable sun tans to the cleaners about a week ago, they were due back last Thurs. but as yet haven’t heard of them.

This place is really getting on everyone’s nerves, I think a person could get pilot fatigue around here not doing anything alot easier than he could flying all the time. Yesterday morning we started taking the same courses over that we had on our first day here. Sometimes I wonder just how in the hell we can possibly be winning this war with the army running things. However, this place is the most confused of any place we have been

One of the big troubles here is that most of the permanent officers here on the base were in the infantry before coming into the air corps. Those of us that are just stoping through are the only flying officers, not only do they resent us but they can’t seem to get the respect that they were use to. It is really a problem and the only solution I can see is to ship us out, here’s hoping they do it soon. One of the worse things is our food, you see we have a special mess hall where we eat. The other party makes all the rules so we can’t eat in the regular officer’s mess. Our food has been getting worse and worse, so yesterday noon one of the boys when he saw what we had went over and got the flight surgeon to come over to the mess hall. When he got there and saw the meal and heard what we had been getting things really happened in the kitchen and from what I hear he spent the rest of the afternoon up in base headquarters. We are all expecting a change Mon.

The war news from everywhere sounds pretty good and it looks like Germany might fold up before so very long. Lets hope Japan does the same.

How is my niece and nephew making out by this time? Thanks alot for the pictures, I couldn’t tell much about Tommy but Karen is getting cuter than ever. I imagine that she is as proud of her brother as her Uncle Tom is.

Well I had better close as I have some other letters that I should write. I guess Dad went home this weekend, tell him hello and I’ll write him tomorrow sometime.

With Love,

Tom

7-12-44

Hello,

It has really been sometime since I sent a letter to 828, but I know you have been keeping posted and the letters I send to Dad are also for you folks.

First of all before I forget it, tell Dad not to send that check or whatever it is because I think we’ll be leaving here in about a week.

We haven’t been so awfully busy here, in fact I have been getting pretty well caught up on my sleep. Mon. as I told you in my last letter we processed and had our shots and physicals, yesterday morning we had a lecture by the Col. and it was the best talk I have ever heard  by an army man. I slept all afternoon and got up just long enough to eat and went back to bed.

Today we had 4 hrs. of lecture on oxygen equipment and got our personal issue of OP2 mask and helmet. We were pretty lucky some of the latest equipment out. Got a new British type helmet mask out of chamois skin with fastening for the O2 mask to fit directly on to the helmet. Tomorrow morning we go up in the pressure chamber, stay at 18,000′ for 10 min. without O2, then go up to 38,000′ with O2 for about 2 hrs. This is our last pressure chamber check, it is considered our combat check because we get a free fall from 38,000′ which means taking a couple deep breaths of O2 and taking off your mask, hold your nose and blow hard. They let you down to about 6,000′ as fast as possible and from what I hear you feel like your ears are going to blow up. Everyone was afraid to eat anything tonight and I think everyone will be glad when it is over. It isn’t too pleasant a sensation and it leaves you feeling pretty run down for a couple of day afterwards. We watched them operate the chamber today and several of the fellows got the bends and had to be brought down. I have never had them but the way they double a fellow up they must be awful painful.

The war seems to be coming along pretty good with the Russians about into Germany and our being able to give the Japs a few raids, and something to worry about.

I received Dad’s letter today and he said that Karen was cuter than ever and that Tommy slept all the time and you could just watch him grow. From this report I would gather that things are coming along fine and I am certainly glad. Let me know how everything went with Cleda’s visit.

Enough for now. Goodnight

With love,

Tom

7-5-44

Dear Folks,

This is a California night like you see in the movies, beautiful moon and everything, except a date.

Today I have been trying to clear the post. I have never seen so much red tape in all my life. At Luke they had all the depts. represented in one building and that way we didn’t have to go running all over. Here we have to go to every dept. on the post and get cleared from each which all boils down to an awful lot of walking. I was going for 4 hrs. this morning and will have about 3 more places to hit. We graduate Fri. morning and will probably be allowed 1 day travel time to get to Lemoore. Only 87 out of our regular 100 group that came are going on, the others were held over here, some for instruments and also because they don’t have room for everyone.

June 20, 1944, USS LST 58

I am enclosing a V-mail letter that I received from Steve today. The diving on beaches that he is speaking of has to do with the fact that our own forces have been shooting down our own planes. Alot of this has been happening, we had a report in combat tactics class that a squadron of 5 B-25s were all shot down by one of our own naval forces in the S. Pac. Supposedly one of our B-25s had mistaken one of our P.T. boats for a Jap and he sank it. As soon as this happened all the navy ships in the area cut loose on the 25’s and got them all. I guess Steve must have had a similar experience3. Say some Sun. if Dad and you folks are thinking about a drive you might drive up to Great Lakes and look up Steve’s folks. His Dad is Chief Petty Officer Hempelman and his quarters are 61-J. I don’t think you would have much trouble finding him. I think Steve is pretty worried about his Mother and I don’t think he knows much about the situation. You can drive in and they will give you an escort to take you around.

We really had a swell weekend. Mort’s girl and my date from Berkeley got to Sacramento about 5:00 Sat. afternoon. We didn’t fly Sat. afternoon so we got to meet them. To top things off we rented a car for the weekend (set us back $20.00). Came out here and had dinner in the officer’s mess and went to the dance at the officers’ club in the evening. We were lucky enough to have been able to get them a room the Wed. before. Went in and got them Sun. and came back out here and swam till about 3:00 PM. Took the train back to Berkeley at 5:00. When we got back there Mort’s girl friends folks had us all up to dinner. (A picnic lunch in the back yard, they really had a nice place for it). Stayed all night at Mort’s and got back to the base about noon Mon. just in time to make class at 1:00. The girl I had the date with was the same one that Mort’s mother had gotten a date with me for the weekend before. Her name is Barbara Price. She went to the girls school at Rockford, Ill. last year and the year before. Her Father use to be director of the International House in Chicago. She was born in China and lived there for the first 7 years. I didn’t know it till Mort told me and then about passed out. She is blonde and about 5’5″, cute. Mort and I are suppose to get to Berkeley Fri. night for dates, probably end up getting to Lemoore late.

I have really been having a time the last couple weeks. Have been squadron commander and we have had more reviews and inspections in this time than all the rest of our time here put together. It is really more of a pain than anything as the fellows are never satisfied and our C.O. who is a major needs to be sent into combat. He isn’t a flying officer but to hear him talk you would think he already had his 50 missions in, this doesn’t set at all well with the boys and in some way they are usually able to leave this impression. Personally I think he will be glad to see us leave.

I guess Tommy and Karen are still clicking it off fine. I imagine Karen is Mother’s little helper, maybe alittle more than is necessary. I hope she hasn’t dropped her brother on his head on the hardwood floor like some sisters have been known to do.

Well it is just about mid-night so will sign off. Tell Dad this is fo him and Cleda also. Goodnight

With love,

Tom

P.S. Let me know how long it takes this letter to get there. Mailing it tomorrow morning 7-6-44.

6-2-44.

Dear Folks,

Pardon the pencil but it is all I have here at the present. Everyone is down here on the flight line waiting for the weather to give us a break and open up. The weather has been pretty bad the last few days which has made flying (can’t make out this word) in sports.

I received Dad’s letter yesterday and yours a couple days ago. I haven’t got either one of them down here and can’t remember if there were any questions to answer or not. Glad Mac got to come up for a visit. Does he know when he leaves for the Navy yet? Also has Stan heard anymore? A navy flying boat (a PBY “Catalina”) landed here yesterday with engine trouble. It is really a big plane but I would specially care to fly one, because they don’t go very fast.

We were suppose to start night flying Sun. night but they have changed it to a week later so we will have time to take our instrument check rides. When we do start at night our schedule will be flying from 6:00 PM till 2:00 AM, sleep till 12:00, ground school and PT from 1:30 till 6:00. Anytime in (can’t read this word) that you want to take will have to be between 2:00 AM and 1:30 PM ground school. I am anxious to start night flying because it is alot of fun and I still like to do my living at night rather than the day.

I got a letter from Wilma yesterday and she said that Ernie Burgess and Allen Carter having finished their instructor training at Randolph Fld. and are due back at Luke Fld. this Sat. to start instructing. Had I known they were going to get that kind of a deal I might have thought things over alittle more back there at Luke when I was still in their squadron, however, I still would have picked this.

The clouds are breaking up alittle and I just saw the weather ship take off. I thought so, the captain just came in and said to get ready so will close for now.

(Fri. night)

Here it is 8:30 and I have to go to link trainer at 9:00. I got to fly some actual instruments this afternoon, the ceiling was at 4,000 ft. and we flew down to Fresno and back at 5,000 ft., couldn’t even see to wing tips. Flew the beam down there and back and hit both stations right on the head. Shot some landings and flew around the local area awhile when we got back. Landed at 7:30, ate dinner and here I am. We fly in the morning at 5:30 and have to get in a few hours of formation time, so will probably do that then.

Thanks alot for sending the advocates, shoes and snapshots. They did a good job on the shoes.

Hope things are coming along OK, and take it easy.

Give Karen a kiss for “ga-ga”.

With love,

Tom

Wed. night

5-24-44

Dear Folks,

I probably won’t be able to finish this right now but did want to get a few lines started so I would be sure and finish. I have to go to a meeting at 7:30.

I am expecting a telegram at anytime so be sure that Dad or Stan get on the ball and inform U. Tom how things are. As for now, the chances of my getting to see the newcomer are pretty slim, 200 cadets arrived on the field today and they are going to be all the shorter on airplanes which at the present means no long trips.

Tomorrow I take a low altitude crosscountry to Boise which is about 1100 or 1200 miles round trip. We don’t land anywhere and make the trip in about 5:00 or 5:30 hours. We are suppose to fly at 200 ft. above the ground. One plane came back with bent props the other day and the pilot and co-pilot are up for courtmartial. They are really getting strict in this buzzing and low flying. One of our instructors buzzed a school house, they court martialed him and fined him $100.00 a month for 24 months. I think he deserved it for buzzing a school house but $2,400.00 is alittle stiff. Doesn’t leave an awful large pay check.

Just got back from the meeting, they have a new compass developed which the night fighter planes are equipped with. You might have hear of it, “Flux Gate Compass.” It is suppose to be the real thing no precession, no lead or lag, no deviation, no variation and holds a constant heading in rough air. It sounds like a pilots prayer, but it has alot of stuff that a bullet can knock out of commission. I have 7½ hrs. of instruments in this ship now and they don’t seem nearly as hard here as they did at Luke. However, we still have about 18 hrs. yet to get, also 20 hrs. of link trainer.

I haven’t been to Berkeley yet because we haven’t gotten off any. Don’t know just when I’ll be able to go.

Thanks alot for sending the pictures and also the shoes and advocates. I received the latter today. Sorry more of the pictures didn’t turn out. The photos I had taken out here will be ready on the 7th of June so will send them then.

Stan it sounds like you and Norm had some golf game. Have you been out any more?

Well it is 2310 (11:10 PM to you folks) which means 6 hrs. sleep. However, as you can probably tell I am in bed now so it won’t take much to roll over and drop off.

Give Karen a kiss from “ga-ga”.

With love,

Tom

5-10-44.

Dear Folks,

I hope you are not too disquieted with me for not having written sooner, but it seems like letter pick up so fast that you are defeated before you even get started.

Elaine, is everything proceeding OK, and how do you feel? Stan, don’t you forget to let U. Tom know when he can start shouting again. I’ll be thinking of you.

It really was swell to have Boyd and Bill up for dinner Sun. I don’t believe Boyd or I either one dreamed that we would be in uniform when we were together a couple of years ago. It seemed sort of strange seeing him in a navy uniform.

I received a letter from Wilma, and she had gotten the purse and your letter. She seemed quite thrilled over both of them, wish you could meet her someday.

I got rid of my last wisdom tooth Mon. afternoon and I must admit that this one wasn’t any too pleasant. It was full grown and had come in against the molar and had not broken through the gum. He had to dig it out and then stitch up my gum. They took the stitches out this afternoon and believe it or not, it seems to be all healed up now. They took me off flying for two days but will be able to go up again tomorrow, I feel OK now.

We are still on a 14 hr. day schedule and getting up at 4:30. The P.T. is plenty rough here, you would think we were going to run all the way to Berlin instead of fly there. Once every week we have to run 3½ miles which I definitely don’t care for. The other days we have calesthenics and games, very little of the latter.

One thing I like here is that we haven’t been flying on Sun. Ever since we had left primary we have been on a 7 day a week schedule so it seems alittle more human now.

They are getting in some cadets here on the 24th so I guess they will start cracking down on us and make us shining examples of what to be, so far we have been doing just about as we please.

If we don’t fly this weekend I am going to Berkeley with Mort and I’ll see Kay. I am going to call them tomorrow night and see if they are going to be home.

As you can see they have changed our address. Tell Dad I received a letter from Ernie Burgess today and their course at Randolf last 1 month and if he makes it OK he will go back to Luke as an instructor.

Elaine, I’ll be thinking of you especially on the 14th, I guess that day is beginning to mean more and more to you each year, and rightly it should.

Goodnight –

With love,

Tom