December 12, 1943

Dec. 12, 1943

Dear Esther:

I guess it is about time I wrote again; seeing I got your letter last I will write to you first.  I have a whole foot locker full of letters to be answered but I can never hope to answer them all because my time is much too limited.  Tomorrow we start classes at 0700 and finish at 1200 then P.T. Drill etc till 1700 then chow and then studies.  That leaves very little time for other time.

We have gone on garrison rations.  That means that we eat.  We get a qt. of milk a day seconds on everything; jelly and jam each meal steak, ham, beef, or some kind of meat and gravy.  I am really going to get fat now.  We were issued rifles last week and so had guard duty this weekend.  I got the 0200 to 0600 tour this morning.  I had to challenge everyone on or near my post (sqns 37-42) and a supply house.  Just before 0200 it started to rain and we fell out with wool coats on.  Those coats will shed water better than any rain coat and they are warm as well.  We were given a pair of overshoes and a helmet liner so our outfit was pretty complete.  My post was rather muddy and every time I stepped off from the pavement I went into this nice California mud up to my ankles.  When it really began to rain hard it was rather miserable and I was sure glad to get back to the barracks at 0600 to have a nice hot shower.

You turn on all the showers in the room full hot and then adjust one to warm and stand in your own steam.  I went to bed and slept till 10:30 when I had to get up and go to dinner and then to traffic guard at 1200.

72 of us guard the camp from the civilians and the civilians from the fellows who have been restricted for some reason.  They have one road over which they can travel; mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, girl friends, wives, and all the relatives.  Since some of the girl friends are all right the fellows feel that this Sunday guard is a "good deal".  The center of activity is the Service Club and it is here that I was stationed.  Guess what?  I guarded the ladies Toilet to keep the women in and the men out.  What a job.  I guess I will never hear the end of that one.  The fellows got quite a kick out of me guarding the Women's Toilet.

Yesterday we were issued a 4 sulfadyazine tablets to prevent us from getting colds.  The reason seems to be that too many fellows have gone to the hospital with colds and strep. throat.  The tablets make you have wonderful head aches, etc. but if you drink a lot of water they go away.  The will kill a cold in a hurry the only thing is that they affect some people and make them very sick.  I am in what a call a formal guard mount.

12/13/43

That should have been I was in a formal guard mount because today the parade came off and we got the best commendation given for a guard mount on the Post.  It is kind of a formal parade; white gloves, rifles etc. all dressed up in class A's.  It is a formality that has very little meaning in itself.  It is something like the changing of the guard by the English.  Of course it is not so impressive but when it is done right it is something to see.  Well Sq. 55 put on a good show and the Colonel was very pleased with what he saw and commended the Sqn very highly.  As the whole thing is put on for the cadets by the cadets with cadets reviewed by the officers who wish to see it and if they are pleased you can bet that everyone is pleased.

We also set a new record for section marching and conduct for the Air base.  Section 55-1 (the one I am in) got 43 superior in class in a row thusly beating the old record of 12 out of 13 by a wide margin.  We were told that it is a record that is next to impossible to repeat.  This was a perfect record.  We are very proud because it entitles us to carry an E flag.  You can bet that all the officers and Junior officers watch us now and try to pick holes in our marching and conduct.

Now I will tell you a little about California.  It rains most every day either in the early morning or early afternoon.  It really rains and the sun shines at the same time.  But what beautiful clouds.  They look like big balls of cotton and when they open up the cotton comes down but fast.  But the sun shines every day also so that activity isn't cut down very much.

Well I can't think of anything else to write but will write again when I get the time.  As it is it took 2 days to write this one and the next may take longer.

The C.O's wife is having a baby so everything is "huba huba" as the Air Corp says.

With love

Austin.