6-18-44

Dear Folks,

Again a combined letter. Elaine, I received your letter and was really glad to hear from you and know that you were getting along so well. I imagine you are home by now but that isn’t any reason why you shouldn’t continue to take things easy. If the young one is as chesty as you led me to believe I have a good reason to believe that it is going to be sometime before anyone gets a undisturbed nights rest at 828.

We are still flying nights and will be for another week. We had quite a blow Fri. night. Two of our boys and their instructor were killed down by Bakersfield. Here it is the first accident we have had in our group since we have been here and it had to be in our squadron. The two boys have been in my outfit since we were at basic. They don’t know what happened, they were on a night instrument navigation trip and supposedly hit a mountain down by Bakersfield. We were on the same trip and heard it reported over the radio but didn’t know it was one of our ships. We were late in getting back to Mather as we were suppose to have landed at 2:30 but didn’t get back till 3:000. All the big shots were waiting for us, the C.O., sqd. commander, group commander, because our ship and the other one was the only one out. The weather down there wasn’t any too good, had about a 4,000′ ceiling which we had to fly under and about 20 mi. east of Bakersfield there are some 7,000′ mountains, so I think they got off course alittle and hit them. Oh yes – a friend of mine across the hall, Lt. Cheely is taking one of the bodies home. He lives in Iowa close to where they boy lived, and I think he might call you while he is there as he won’t be far from Chicago. The other boy lives in Galena, Ill. His name is Bruner the other Edwards. They were both in the graduating class at Luke. We are all hoping for some better weather this coming week so we can extend our cross countries alittle. I am suppose to go to Kingman, Ariz. tonight and at the present the weather reports seems to be OK.

Dad, I sent that check to McCane and I sent the factory a check for $71.00 to pay for my short coat and summer uniform that I got while home. For the present I think I am pretty well set until we go across and then I’ll need a trench coat.

I have my 201 file about completed, that is the personal affairs office has. They are really pretty good on helping you with those things around here.

I didn’t know it till just the other day that when we go to Salinas we will be in the 4th Air Force, and believe me it will really be a relief to get out of the training command. From what we have been hearing Salinas isn’t the country club that this is but you are there for one thing and that is to fly and you don’t have to worry about polishing the apple. We get to fly the A20’s there so you can look them up in your book. They are a two engine job with only one pilot – no co-pilot.

Well Cheely just came in to go eat so we’ll sign off. He is leaving here Mon. night.

With love,

Tom