Sun. evening.

Dear Folks,

So you hate to think how long it has been since you wrote, how about me? We have had alittle more free time lately so I am finally getting caught up on my correspondence. In fact the whole room is really clicking off the letters tonight.

No, I can’t imagine Dad on the working end of a paint brush. It really sounds as if he is enjoying himself up there. It seems that the new work is interesting and I know he likes being around you folks. He spoke of Karen getting alittle spoiled, I wonder if Grandpop had any part in that. I guess it is a good thing Uncle Tom isn’t there or she really would be spoiled. I am sure that her baby brother (or sister) will straighten things out in fine shape. I don’t remember an awful lot about my psychology course but it seems that I remember something about how two children helps divide the attention and keeps them from becoming spoiled. However, I am pretty inexperienced in child raising so will not venture forth with any advice.

About the picture: Yes, that is our regular dress uniform more commonly known as the class A’s. It is also regular cadet cap, however, it has the cadet emblem and blue braid rather than the officer’s braid. The coat isn’t the one that Dad gave me but as far as you can tell in the picture just like it. The coat belongs to one of my roommates who broke down and let me wear it. Do you really have a fire place in your new abode.

Stan, have you heard any more about your deferment yet. If there is any chance at all to get one take it, they have enough men in this army already. I don’t know how they get by with it, but they complain to the civilians about wasting man hours when the army does more wasting of any organization I have ever seen. However, I guess in anything as big as this it is pretty hard to get things running smooth.

Elaine, you asked about night flying. It is thrilling especially landing and taking off. One of the things that some times happens is that you confuse the earth with the sky. When this happens it is time to start referring to your instruments or you will end up in a spiral. It is surprising how much lights on the ground look like stars. We had to make blackout landings, that is without landing lights or floodlights but just the little colored lights around the landing lane being on. You can’t see the ground so you start leveling off with you get down to the lights. The usual tendency is to level off too high and drop it in from about 20 feet in the air. One fellow did this and one wing dipped when it settled and the wing dipped when it stalled and the wing hit before the wheels. A new wing was needed.

I’ll finish with my flying in a couple of days. All I need is an hour and 50 min. dual instrument time and about 1 1/2 hrs. solo. We got our choice as to the type of plane we would like to fly the other day. I told Dad about it in his letter.

I picked single engine fighter first, single and twin engine standard second, (this is either instructor or air transport command), and twin engine fighter third. They told us you usually got your first choice unless they had all they needed and if not that were almost certain to get 2nd choice.^[1]As it turned out, he was given his third choice, twin engine fighter, the P-61 Black Widow night fighter. I don’t know if I would like being an instructor or not, but I guess I’ll do what they tell me.

By the way I sent some cards that I got at the PX here hope you received them in good condition.

Enough for now. – Goodnight –

With love,

Tom