95th C.T.P.
Beloit College
Beloit Wis.
Beloit College
Beloit Wis
Aug 23, 1943
Dear Mother,
It has been quite some time since I wrote last but I have finally gotten around to it again. I usually plan to write on Sunday but they are very busy when you have nothing to keep you in. Last Sunday (yesterday) I left just as I could get out. The reason is that I am gradually learning the town and am beginning to find the places to enjoy ones self.
Of course the U.S.O. is the main place to gather. Most everyone that leaves goes by the U.S.O. chiefly because it is so near the school and partly to find out what is going on. They usually have something planned an if not you can always stay and read the magazines, eat cake and candy, play ping-pong and other games or just sit, or then dance with the hostesses; some of them are really nice.
To get back to what I have done lately I might say that our program has been cut from 20 weeks to 10 weeks meaning that we will leave way ahead of schedule. This army works that way. At J.B. you remember we completed 56 days in 30, here we'll complete 5 months in little more than 2 and at classification I hear they have cut the 42 days to about 25, so you can see that you can't always go by army schedule.
Again I have been out of luck because my last name didn't start with a letter low in the alphabet. Tomorrow some of the fellows that came from J.B. with us start to fly. They took everyone in our flight from A to M and set them ahead. As it is I start flying Sept 7 which is about 2 weeks from now. Oh well I guess I will get there even if I don't get set ahead like the other part of the alphabet.
I got a letter from Grandma last week but haven't been able to write yet to her. I will try to tomorrow. You had better keep her informed as I am sure that I will not be able to find time often.
Sunday I went to church!!! This is unusual partly because I haven't found the time to find out when church started and that most of my friends are Catholic. The boy in my room is Jewish and has too many "tours" to go anywhere. After church I went to a swimming pool that is operated by a country club. It is open to the service men and that is where you find most of them. The pool is the best of its kind in the country except for maybe a few in Hollywood. It really looks like a Hollywood pool. It has three diving boards on which to practic; it is about 50 ft across and 150 feet long. It has a beautiful lawn all around it and it is a swell place to sit and sun. If I can get out again I certainly will make a B. line for the place.
After the swim there was a special picnic for the service men on the grounds. They have tables, chairs, and fire places right near the pool. The U.S.O. furnished everything including the girls. The lunch was swell, pickles, sandwiches, drink, cookies, cake, candy and all. Beloit also is a swell place to go on furlough the people are so good. As we will never get a furlough our open post will have to provide us with enjoyment and this town certainly can do this.
You just can't imagine the urge you have to get away from it all. All week long you are in under a terrific tension and you have to let down some way or you will soon go to pieces. Usually when they see you are weakening they ride you and that makes things worse. One fellow has 153 tours to walk and we are sure he also has a recommendation after his name to be washed out at Santa Ana. You just have to get out and let down for a short time. You have to forget that you have a hard job to do the next day.
We got a new class added to our schedule. It is a class of First Aid given by one of the policemen from town. He is really good even though he gets rather dry at times. He gives a lot of information in stories from his experience. Everyone seems to enjoy the class even though it's hard to stay awake.
Most of my marks so far have been pretty good. I am well above average in my classes which is about 85%. "Place geography" is giving a little trouble but I just got a test back that was an 80%. Otherwise I have nothing too much to say about the class.
The college here has just finished its summer term and all but 3 of the girls have gone home. That means that the fellows do K.P. now. It is not too tough because they have several women who work there all the time. The fellows just serve the food and clean the tables afterwards. It is really soft compared with the other K.P. I have seen.
I had expected that "lights out" would sound before now but I will write some more as long as I have the time.
I wish you would send me that deodorant powder that was left or if it is gone send me some in the next box. We have some very foul smelling stuff we put in our shoes to kill athletes foot and harden the feet. As the powder kills smells I hope it will get the smell out of my shoes. I haven't used the foot powder for some time but it still seems to be effective.
I wish you would scare around and try to get some film this way. One of the fellows got some and took my picture. I was going to send it home but I put it in some place where I would be sure to know where it was. It's gone now and I will have to find it sometime.
The bell just rang "lights out"
With love
Austin
{And the back page of his letter, written in pencil and quite larger than his normal handwriting! Probably written after lights out.}
{A letter to his mother from the church he attended on Sunday.}
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