Tues. noon.

Dear Folks,

Your letter with the pictures arrived yesterday. I can tell even from the picture that Karen is getting much bigger. I don’t believe I had ever seen the bonnet that was wearing before.

I thought for certain that I had told you about receiving the picture frame. It came about a week ago. Karen’s pictures just fit in it but I can decide on the two best so I switch them once in a while.

I called home last weekend. I got to talk to Dad and Cleda, Dad was at the office and Cleda was at the house and I was in the C.Q.’s office. ^[1]Cleda was Tom’s stepmother, his father’s second wife. It was about 10 PM your time that I talked to them, I had put in the call about 7:00 so you can see how hard it is to get anybody long distance. I forget how many times I had tried to get them but there was always a 5 to 10 hr. delay.

(7:30 in the evening)

It is beginning to get hot here again and the calesthenics are really getting tough. One good thing though is that we have been issued our regular cadet gym equipment. It is really good stuff all elastic belts in the pants, sweat suits, good shoes and socks. A lot better than you get at any store. We go out at three in the afternoon. Do push ups and other drills for about 45 min. then we run around the track four times (1 mile) and then play football, volleyball, basketball or baseball for another 45 min. They have enough instructors to that one has his eye on you all the time to see to it that you don’t goldbrick.^[2]Goldbrick means being lazy and not doing what’s asked of you. Even with all of this in the hottest part of the day I have hit 160 and got a good tan.

At Fresno they gave us plenty of work outs but with the living conditions as they were it did you more harm than good.

I am suppose to go over to William’s Field to see about having some teeth pulled in a couple of days. I am afraid the other three wisdom are going to have to come out. I am dreading it because they will jerk all three at once and leave me in one heck of a shape.

This afternoon we got our last tetanus shot. It was the heaviest dose yet. It is not like the typhoid that leaves you feeling bad into next day but instead for about 30 min. afterwards it feels like someone had hit you on the arm with a sledge hammer. Fifteen minutes after getting these we went to calesthenics so we didn’t have much time to think about them and I know the gym instructors didn’t because we each had to do 10 chins as soon as we got there.

It seems that something is always happening. Sun. we had a personal inspection and they marched us out on the field and we had to stand at attention for about 30 min. while the officers went up and down the lines. I was the flight guide and the first to be inspected. The Lt. was about 6’5″ and he would start at the bottom and really look you over, I was lucky enough not to get gigged. After we had been standing there about 15 min. a fellow in the back line of the flight just in front passed out. I have never seen anything like it, he just fell straight backwards hit the ground and appeared to bounce. No one even looked at him till finally a sarge came and took him off the field.

New post regulations went into effect yesterday. I wish I could send them to you and let you read them but you have to get permission from the CO ^[3]Commanding Officerto do that Anyway from Sun. afternoon till Sat afternoon we are not allowed to speak to any civilians. We get passes starting a week from the weekend which lst from Sat. afternoon till Sun. afternoon.

I have some Eng. to do and as usual I am tired. I liked the cartoons you sent as well as did the rest of the fellows. I will try to send some pictures soon.

Love, Tom

I hope you can read this.