Mon. noon.

Dear Folks,

Received your letter this morning with Rosie Brewer‘s letter. It was really interesting and gives you a good idea of what things are like over there. I am sending it back along with the charm. I have never seen an elephant that small before.

I also got a letter from Steve this morning. He said to tell you folks hello. He is in N.Y.City now waiting to go into advanced amphibious training. He thinks he will be made a (j.g.^[1]Lieutenant Junior Grade) before long. His address is:

Ens. C.S. Hempelman, USNR.
Advanced Amphibious Training Base
Navy 414, c/o Fleet Post Office
New York City.

From the sound of the address it might be more advanced than he thinks.

Flying is going alot better for me. I soloed Sat. morning and even if I do say so myself I did alot better job than I had expected.

I even think I surprised Long John because he didn’t have any criticism (sp.) to make. I made my solo after having 7 hrs. and 47 min. of dual instruction. The three landings I made while soloing were the only ones I haven’t ever bounced. Just before he told me to take it up I shot about 5 landings with him and I’ll swear that every one had four bounces in them. The Army likes three point landing that hit hard and stick when they hit. Long John said he didn’t care if I broke his neck as long as I did it by only hitting the ground once.

2010 Student Solo Flight in a Stearman P.T.

Fri. one of the cadets bailed out. He was practicing spins and when he recovered from one he held the rudder a little too long and went into a reverse spin. He then got excited and jumped which wasn’t necessary because these planes will come out of anything if you just sit back and relax and let the controls alone. The other day Long John took me up to about 8,000′ and put the plane into a 3 turn spin to the left and then hit the right rudder and went into a 3 turn one to the right.

After going through these 6 spins he let go of the controls and the plane stoped rotating, pulled itself out of the dive and flew straight and level. After doing all this we still had about 5,000′ to spare.

I hope to get in alittle more solo time today. We go on the flight line at 3:00 this afternoon. To answer a few of your questions: We usually get in about 45 min. of dual flying a day but pretty soon we will be flying two or more hours a day. We are only here 8 weeks and have to get in 65 hrs. of time in. When we are not flying we are suppose to be walking wings. This is a fellow gets on each side of the plane and walks along holding on to the plane keeping it from scrapping wings with other planes. Usually though everyone one is sitting around trying to keep out of work. Up at 6,000′ you might run into some clouds but the sky is pretty clear around here. The other day we flew over some and it is really a thrill but nothing to compare with your first solo.

A gosport is the rubber speaking tube that the instructor talks to you through. It plugs into the ear phones on your helmet. The living quarters here are spatious (sp.) and they are pretty but we are plenty crowded. The food is pretty poor but so far I haven’t had any desire to eat. They say flying affects you like that for awhile.

Let me know how things come out over the planned football trip. I’ll be looking for Karen’s picture. You didn’t need to send that money back I wish you would have gotten something for yourself. Thanks alot for getting the gift for me. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble. It sounds like a swell gift.

Give Karen a kiss for me.

With love,

Tom.

Wed. night.

Dear Folks,

I have only a few min. but received your letter today and wanted to answer it.

About my grades at Santa Ana, my average was 90. Code pulled it down because I only got an 80 in it. We are suppose to be here 8 weeks and then comes basic and advanced so you can see there is still a good ways to go.

This is the roughest place we have hit yet. We haven’t any time to eat and I missed one meal (lunch) entirely yesterday. I have about the toughest instructor on the field. He reminds me of “Long John Silver”, , his name is John B Harbin so I call him Long John. (not too his face). He’s about 6’3″, about 40 years old and has a vocabulary that doesn’t belong in church. He was on my neck for an hour straight today and believe me it can really get on your nerves. Aside from all this it isn’t too bad. The first day up he made that plane do everything and consequently my stomach has been on the blink eveer since, however, I didn’t lose anything I certainly felt like it.

How is Karen? I hope the bump she received is all better now. Did it hurt her much at the time. I hope Mama kissed it and made it better.

I am glad the hair pulling has improved.

About the present: Any of those you listed sounded good and I hadn’t thought of a thing. The dresser set and the sterling silver clips sound good. As far as the price that is up to your own judgement.

Stan I hope you won one of the golf prizes but I don’t think you stand a chance at getting the highest score.

Well I fly at 7:00 so had better get some sleep. The Lord knows that I need it. I hope my stomach settles in the next 8 hours.

Give Karen a kiss for me.

With love,

Tom

Sun. afternoon

Dear Folks,

Received your letter yesterday and I imagine by this time you have received my letter about the gift preference.

I liked the story you sent, it just goes to show a fellow hasn’t got a chance.

I was glad to hear that Karl^[1]Karl Abt got into ASTP((Army Specialized Training Program)). That was what he wanted in and going to Princeton sounds pretty good.

Things here have been going pretty good. We have been flying everyday but not very long at a time, however, time amounts up faster after you have soloed. Yesterday it rained all day but we still flew. The air was nice and smooth but a little damp. We shot landings for about an hour and the more we did the more I bounced them. You should have heard “Long John“, he was really using that vocabulary I told you of.

I didn’t now Cleda was in Chicago. Have you heard when Dad was going to come up?

We start getting our weekend passes next weekend. They last from about 7:00 P.M. Sat. till 8:00 P.M. Sun. It is really good not to be having Sun. parades any more.

I don’t know yet when Zoe is coming out probably in a couple of weeks.

It is beginning to get cooler here and we are suppose to get flying jackets soon. We went up to 6,000′ yesterday and I just about froze. I changed the fur line helmet I had for a canvas one and now I wish I hadn’t. However, it was small and the Gosports didn’t fit it well. Everything has to be so tight on your head you usually get a head ache. The wind gets so strong it just about blows your goggles off.

I want to write Dad and send him a book of matches. Give Karen a kiss for me.

With Love,

Tom.

Sending a note for Zoe’s gift.

Sun. evening.

Hello Folks,

Well here I am about 15 mi. from the place I left July 4th. This is really it, we start flying tomorrow. They certainly don’t waste any time, we arrived yesterday noon and have been getting stuff issued to us and having lectures ever since. However they did let us sleep from 10:00 to 5:30. It is still pretty warm here but not as bad as when we left. We are about 18 mi. from Phoenix and right in the middle of the desert. There are a few mountains around but I don’t think they bother you except in practicing force landings. The field is pretty nice but we are a little crowded now. I guess things get thinned out pretty soon. We fly Stearmans here.

We get at least 60 hrs. of flying 25 dual and 30 solo. Most of us will solo in two weeks. I don’t know much more about it at the present but should know in a few days so will write all about it then.

Tonight I have to memorize a couple of flight patterns. That is the procedure of getting away from the air port and getting back.

This is mainly to let you know my address.

The caramels and candy really hit the spot on the train. I think I would have starved without them. Give Karen a kiss from me.

By the way I sent a box, I hope you received it.

Love,

Tom

Tues. night.

Dear Folks,

Received the box today and it really came on a very happy occasion. It was really swell but really you shouldn’t send those things because I imagine candy bars come few and far between. Karen’s letter was much appreciated but the apologies weren’t necessary. Thanks alot –

The news I have sounded good to me so I’ll have to tell you about it. I leave this Fri. for Thunderbird Field #2 which is just a few miles from Phoenix. I can’t think of any other place I would rather be sent. Supposedly the only disadvantage to it is that it has about a 30 to 40% washout rate, but I’ll worry about that when the time comes. It will be good to be back at Phoenix because it is a pretty nice soldier’s town especially for the Air Forces.

Tomorrow we get paid and have one final pilot school track meet. Thurs. we have graduation and find out what buses we leave on and when. According to all reports we start fllying on about the third day there and they start washing them out on the 4th. We fly Stearman P.T.’s (primary trainers) there which are a good ship to learn in. They aren’t as fast as the Ryan P.T.’s but a little more H.P., ^[1]horsepower, 225 to be exact. The Ryan’s land at 90 M.P.H. which is a little fast for beginners.

They really split our squadron here all to pieces. About 5 are going to Thunderbird #1, and about 5 more to #2.

The rest went to Visallia, Calif. and several other different places. I guess the breaks are hitting right after all.

I have to stencil my name and number on my baracks bags yet tonight so I had better close. I’ll send you my address as soon as I find out what it is.

Give Karen a big kiss for me and tell her I’ll send her some chewing gum.

With love,

Tom

Sat. night.

Hello, –

What a way to spend your last weekend at SAAAB ^[1]Santa Ana Army Air Base. The Pacific Electric Lines ^[2]The Los Angeles area metropolitan transportation system of commuter trains, street cars and busesare having a big strike out here and have tied things up in a big way. All military personnel are restricted to their bases. Consequently we are sitting around here trying to amuse ourselves. As for myself I am going to bed pretty quick and spend most of tomorrow there.

No doubt you wonder what the money is for. Anyway here’s my problem: Not only don’t I have a chance to get Zoe a graduation present but I don’t have the least idea what a girl would want for graduation. As you can see I am pushing my troubles off on someone else. Anyway I hope this isn’t too much trouble but really it was the only thing that I could think of. We leave this next Fri. so we won’t get out anymore while here and then we will be confined to the post for 2 weeks after going to Primary. I wrote Zoe and told her the gift might be alittle late so there isn’t too big a rush. Really Elaine I haven’t any ideas and whatever you folks decide on will be O.K. with me. If you don’t need all the money the three of you go out to dinner and think of me. If you need any more let me know but it doesn’t need to be too elaborate. I really hate to ask you to do this for me but I didn’t know what else to do with Zoe graduating around the 4th.

I received the Advocates ^[3]his home town newspaper, The Greenville Advocate and it was really good to find out more about the home town news.

We have heard that they expected trouble on the west coast this weekend. Our C.O. told us there might be an alert tonight but I think it is just a rumor. However, there has been alot more air activity around today than there has been.

Well I’ll let you know where we are going as soon as I find out. But the way Zoe is back at the sorority house. The address is 706 S. Mathews, Urbana. Let me know if you are able to get something and I’ll send her a letter explaining things. Thanks alot.

Give Karen a kiss for me –

With love,

Tom

Tues. night.

Dear Folks,

It seems that I am always making excuses for not writing but there have been reasons. We found out last week that our program was being cut short so we would have our finals early. Fri. we found out that we were going to have them right away. We had our code exams Sat., yesterday aircraft identification, and Maps & Charts, then today finished up by having naval identification and Physics. I think I pulled my grade down alittle in Aircraft but altogether my average is pretty good. I don’t know what it is yet. It seems like everyone is having to take rechecks in some course or another. If they can’t pass then they are held over for 4 more weeks. There are usually a certain number held over anyway because the primary schools will only hold so many, so any of us are liable to be held over, everyone is keeping his fingers crossed. By the way everyone was rushing around we all thought we’d be leaving right away but we find out that we aren’t leaving till the last of next week. We are suppose to find out where we are going a week from Thurs. at graduation. I have about decided that I’ll be satisfied no matter where they send me. Don’t you think that is pretty nice of me?

Your letter was really swell and I am looking forward to the Advocates ^[1]Greenville Advocate was his home town newspaper and the other package. I am glad you are sending a package to Bob. I guess he likes it O.K. but I imagine they keep him pretty busy.

It certainly doesn’t seem possible that Karen is walking.

I’d certainly like to see her. Maybe her pulling the fuzz out of the rug is a good thing. It might keep her fromf working on her hair. Sometime in the future if you get a snap shot of her standing, send it to me. It isn’t that I don’t believe you but I’d like to see how tall she is.

I spent the weekend at Aunt Mollie‘s, and I had a very enjoyable and restfull weekend. I don’t know if I told you or not but I gave them a few pictures of Karen that you had sent me. They brought me back to the base and it was really a treat to ride in a car and see some of the California countryside. Came by the Douglas Aircraft Plant and if you have ever seen a job of camouflaging (sp.) that would top anything. The whole plant is covered with a net that cost $4,000,000.00 by itself. On top the net they have a complete country side build including everything. They say there own pilots can hardly find the landing strip.

I don’t know how Cleda found out about what I spoke to you about. I wrote Dad about it a couple of weeks ago and mentioned things to him so I guess your’s and my letters to Dad aren’t very confidential. I have just about decided entirely against war marriages. My main reason is that I don’t think it is fair to the girl.

Zoe seems to be getting all set for graduation which will probably be around the 4th of Oct. I still haven’t decided on what to get her for graduation.

I am still holding the letter that Cleda sent you and I am sending one that I got from them a few days ago. I’ll send the other in my next letter.

I promise to do better in my writing for awhile anyway. That is until I get snowed under again.

Goodnight –

With Love,

Tom

Mon. night.

Dear Folks,

What a life – I didn’t get opff over the weekend because I had 5 tours to walk. I walked off 2 of them Sat. night from 7-9 and the other 3 from 8:30 till 11:30 Sun. morning. Our new C.O. cracked the whip and just about everyone was walking.

I only have a few minutes but I did want to write you and send you the letter I received from Cleda. I’ll send the one you received from her in the next letter. I didn’t hardly know what to write back but I thought I had better say something. I wrote them a joint letter saying that if it was just little petty things such as service flags disappearing, etc. that I didn’t see why things couldn’t be ironed out. I didn’t criticize anyone as yet but thought I’d see what the reactions would be. I would hate to have to see Dad go through alot of scandal, etc. if it isn’t necessary but if that is the only alternative then that’s how it will have to be. Save this letter with your collection. There are alot of things I would like to find out about but it would take to long through the mail, such as how Dad could write and tell me that Cleda didn’t want to have Mrs. Perkins about a week before they had her. That doesn’t sound like an hours notice.

Well this is mainly gossip and it is 5 till 10 now so I have to close. I’ll write again at the end of the week.

I hope you can read this but I am laying in bed.

Goodnight –

Love,

Tom

Give Karen a kiss for me.

Mon. night.

Hello Folks,

Tried to get a letter off to you last night but got in a bull session and didn’t succeed as you can easily see. Received your letter and was very glad to hear from you. The news from home doesn’t sound any too good does it? I haven’t heard from Cleda other than receiving this stationery from her. I contemplated sending it back but then I figured I would just act like I didn’t know anything about what was going on. I mentioned in my letter to Dad that I had received it and wondered if he knew anything about it and also asked him how things were going at home. As yet I haven’t received his reply.

Stan, you write a very interesting letter and I am glad you told me about Jim Brewer being here. He lives right across the road from me in the classification area. I went over to look him up tonight and sure enough there he was. It was the first time I had seen anyone from home, other than Dad, since I left. He is still in quarantine but should get freedom of the post the end of this week. They have only been here 11 days and he is hoping to get classified as a navigator.

Don’t think you are bothering me with the home news because I want to know what is going on. Maybe I will hear something in a day or two. I’ll let you know as soon as I do.

By the way just what did Cleda say in her letter? Personally I think she as well as Dad would be happier if they called the whole thing off. I don’t know just what she has planned in her mind but by the way she is playing up to me it appears that her main objective is to be certain that she will get the majority of Dad’s money. It doesn’t make a damn bit of difference to me if I get any or if she gets it, by the way Dad has that sewed up she will be lucky if she gets any, but I don’t like the idea of Dad living a life of hell if thats how it is and it certainly appears to be so. As for myself I think hell would be a better choice than listening to her nagging day in and day out. Well maybe things will break pretty soon and should get decided one way or the other. Lets hope.

I didn’t get through walking my gig off till 8:00 P.M. Sat. night. I got in to L.A. till 11:30 and was lucky enough to get a bed. I got up early and went out to Aunt Mollie’s and had breakfast with them. I gave them a few of Karen’s pictures that you sent me and all of them were very much impressed. I am going back this weekend and they want me to come out Sat. night and stay there. I think it would be swell and I imagine another home cooked meal would build up my morale a great deal.

They are all fine and Uncle Harmon says he feels better than he ever has before. I guess he had a pretty rugged time of it for awhile.

Hope the hay fever is all under control and that all is well with Karen. Give her a great big kiss for me.

You asked how we got into L.A., it is by interurban but it doesn’t even compare with the “L”.^[1]Chicago Elevated Rapid Transit System The cars are nice but they have a habit of stopping and then backing up every once in awhile for seemingly no reason at all.

Well I want to get to bed early tonight because we go on the range all day tomorrow. It is down by Longbeach along the ocean. We are suppose to fire the 50 cal. machine gun, submachine gun, and 45 pistol.

Goodnight-

With love,

Tom

Be sure to use my A.S.N. ^[2]A.S.N. = Army Service Number after my name from now on in address.

Tues. night.

Dear Folks,

I am surprising you with a letter that I hope you can read. Not only that but Iam surprising you with a letter. I have been trying to write you for the last two nights, but last night I was on detail and the night before that I had to study Naval Identification.

The reason for this typed letter is that I am on C.Q. ^[1]C.Q. = Charge of Quarters, an administrative task for tonight and tomorrow.

(Wed. morning)

I got stopped all of a sudden like last night and I had to make out some reports and make bed check, but here it is 800 AM and I don’t have anything special to do. It really turned cold here this morning and I am just about to freeze. The squadron just left for calesthenics so until the C.O.^[2]C.O. = Commanding Officer comes I guess there isn’t anything that says I can’t finish this letter.

I received the second batch of cookies. I think you are being too good to me but I haven’t any complaints to make. Thanks alot.

I have hit the jackpot in gigs for this week. I already have nine and the gig week isn’t over till Thurs. night. This means that I have one tour to walk already and I won’t get off till about nine o’clock Sat. night. I think I will go to be early and get up early and go see Aunt Molly Sun. morning.

I got four gigs for a dusty floor and then five for talking in ranks. Here they don’t fool around by giving out just one or two gigs at a time but instead you get the works every time. What a life–

Say those pictures certainly were swell that you sent. No kidding I can’t picture Karen as having grown so much. I think the hair surprises me more than anything else. and to think that seven months ago when I saw her last she could hardly sit up.

For the last couple of days the mornings have really been cold here, and awfully foggy. You get up in the morning and everythng that you touch is damp, including you clothes. To think that some people wtill brag about Calif., but I have come to find out that it is usually the Californians them selves.

Did you ever solve the mystery of how Karen fell out of bed yet? I can imagine how surprised she was when all of a sudden she found her self down on the floor, however, she can now claim that she has something in common with her Uncle Tom.

Stan, thank goodness I am not having to play you for drinks in golf. Personally I doubt it very much if I could even hit the ball and there is no doubt in my mind what I would do at that water hole. You remember when I put about three right in the middle– well multiply that by about ten or better.

There are a few fellows from Tempe here, but not as many as we started with. However, the fellows that are here are really a swell bunch.

Well it seems like I have been forever writing this letter. Hope you aren’t too disappointed with me for not writing sooner. Enough for now.

I had to end the letter awfully quick because the C.O. came in suddenly. Thanks again and I will try to do alittle better in the correspondence line. Give Karen a great big kiss for me.

With Love,

Tom