August 31, 1944

Aug 31, 1944

Dear Mother:

I just haven't thought to write lately and I don't know how long it has been since the last letter.  Anyway there has not been a lot to report on latest developments.

The biggest news yet; the news that has prompted me to write this letter, is that we go to Gila Bend tomorrow instead of the 10th as was expected.  We go on D.S.* so my address will not be changed.  We are going to get 10-14 days of gunnery so I will be getting some flying again.  We had a special meeting today and we were told that we had 1 hour to get a parachute and that we had only this evening to get ready.  I have a B-4 bag so I can pack all my chino's in the bag and leave my good uniforms here and not get them wrinkled.

*D.S. means Detached Service.

I went to see the Blaisdells Sunday (yesterday) and had a swell time riding all over the country South of Phoenix.  We went looking for a large irrigation dam and a swell lake to swim in.  We found the dam and went swimming in a very swift river.  After swimming for a while we went to look for the lake and mud to my astonishment we found a lake out here as pretty as most any back in the East.  Of course there were no trees around it except desert almost to the edge but it was nice and sandy and very shallow for almost a 1/4 of a mile out.  It was in a kind of canyon and we had come in over the dry riverbed that feeds it.  The water was clean and blue.  I guess if you decide to come out you had better see one of these lakes.

The lake was in what I would call a reservation and we came in on an old dirt road about 15 miles long.  All along the road flocks of quail flew up. There were herons and some other long legged birds around in the river along with some very large ducks.  We also saw some Jack Rabbits and (wolves). It really was a swell day and everything went fine until one of Irma Blaisdell's friends decided to sit on my lap and uncreased my pants so I have had to send them to the cleaners.  But it was well worth while.  The B's are so swell to me I can't really thank them enough for what they do.

I went to a dance Saturday and met another girl.  I danced until 12 PM with her and then went to a dance called the Swing Shift Dance from 1:30 till 5:00 AM.  We got so tired of dancing we went out to a riding school to go riding in the moonlight.  The place is supposed to be open all night but the man in charge must have been in a sleep because we got him out of the wrong side of his bunk.  He wanted to know what people do all night long so that they could get out there and wake him up at 4:00 o'clock.  We went for an hour ride which is the most unromantic thing you can possibly do.  We had asked for tame horses but we didn't want to have to hold a carrot in front of them so they would go.  All they seemed to live for was to get to the end of the trail so they could run home, but not run fast, just fast enough to shake everything loose and warm the seat of your pants.  If I should go again I will ask for a decent horse.

We go to Phoenix at 6:30 just in time for a big fire and I finally got to bed at 8:00 and got up at 9:30 to clean up and meet the Blaisdells.  I guess I have a new record on sleep for one night.

I haven't got much else to say except that I am looking forward to getting to Gila Bend.  When I begin to get some more work I will be satisfied.  I will also get my flying pay.

With love

Austin

August 28, 1944

Aug. 28, 1944

Dear Mother:

I don't have a lot to write but found these two pictures while I was rummaging around in my spare pockets and thought here was an excuse to write a lot and say nothing.

When I first went to Blaisdell's I met the fellow that is going to marry Betty.  He is a pretty good looking fellow and has a swell personality.  He is a P.F.C. teaching Link to the cadets at Williams Field.  He really is a swell fellow.

From the picture you don't get a very good picture of the state.  There is more trees and grass shown than there is on many sq miles of the state.  However the pictures were good and you may get an idea of what I look like in my cadet days.  You may notice something on my right hand pocket which is not a pen clip but a ribbon fastened with a pin.  I got it at a Sadie Hawkins Dance.  I had a lot of fun at that dance which is one thing they have a lot of around here.  I don't know what I could tell you more about the picture except that they were taken in the driveway towards the field and taken with a 620 camera.

Now I want you to be sure to give Fred one of the pictures of me which you have at home because I am about to send him one of these.  Don't forget please because I promised him and my word will be mud if you don't.

Very little has happened lately.  We have formations at 9AM and 3PM and that is all.  All the rest of the day we do as we please.  I am getting lots of extra sleep and sunshine by the swimming pool.  Life is pretty easy.

Can you send me Ralph's address.  I would like to write to him if it can be arranged.  Please get it and send it in the next letter.

When you get that box together you can send it.  I have 2 more pair of shorts but send along at least 3 more because mine are going to pieces fast.  If you want those woolen socks to mend I will send them along.  You can buy some of that powder off Mr. Weeks and send that too.

There is nothing new about our assignment except that it is still very indefinite and that someday I may have to fold myself up into the smallest plane in the A.C., the P39.  I am looking forward to it.  It will be the training all of us have been waiting for.

With love

Austin

August 26, 1944

Aug. 26, 1944

Dear Mother:

There is not much to do this weekend so I am sitting out a few at the dance here to write.  I should be enjoying the Phoenix night-life but that doesn't appeal too much to me at present.

So far I have had no change in orders although many of the others have.  We now have some more Flight Officers in our group and some of our original men have been removed for instructor and utility flying.  They are not considered to have gotten the breaks.  As yet my luck still holds and someday I may get a chance to ride in a hot ship.  If I do I certainly will be thrilled.  You can't imagine how much fun it will be.

Tomorrow is Sunday and I will go to church with my buddy Lt. Smith.  We will have to get up early (10:00 AM) to get there on time but that is not too much of a hardship.  Afterwards I will call the Blaisdell's house and see what they will like to do.  Maybe I can give them a little fun out at Sky Harbor Airport.  Maybe they don't trust me?  Would you?  It is pretty well known that we will go to P39 school at Victoriaville Calif and then to gunnery or vice versa.  However it makes little difference to me other than the AT6 will not be so much fun after the P39.

I bought a pair of dark glasses the other day and they started me to thinking.  You know Air Corp pilots are a rather exclusive bunch with their natty uniforms, crushed hats and swagger.  Of course they have wings but they also wear, almost to the last man, a pair of dark glasses.  I think if you see any or many pilots you would see what I mean.  You know if you are told you are the best long enough you begin to believe it and even truly you begin to show it both in appearance and action.

Ray-Ban's contribution to WWII

My buddy has finished his voting so I will have to close my letter and see what is going on.  I haven't written all that I could lately but have been enjoying newfound freedom.  I guess these little notes will have to do until I get something from you to write about (hint-hint)

With love

Austin

August 25, 1944

August 23, 1944

Aug 23, 1944

Dear Mother:

As you notice this one is in pencil rather than ink because I have not my pen yet and my buddy is using his pen.  Please excuse!?

We had a swell train ride, in fact it turned out a lot better than I really expected.  It was a little expensive but what is the money to me when you have so little time to make such trips around the country.

We had no more than gotten on the train when we struck up an acquaintance with a young lady going to San Francisco to meet her Lt. Comm husband.  She was one of those North Shore girls so I guess that is enough explanation.  However she was very good company and had a lot of books to read.  So we swapped stories and read books most of the way with never a dull moment.

We got into Chicago about 5:30 p.m. and got two Pullman tickets and then went to the Officer's Club at the Knickerbocker Hotel for supper.  They have the swellest layout I have ever seen in an Officer's Club.  They have a reception room with young ladies to greet you and show you around.  There is a big lounge where you can sit down and read or smoke or just plain relax; they have a huge dining room where we got the best meal I ever saw for a dollar in any city; then there is a large dance floor with an orchestra stand at one end with chairs and tables all around.  It reminded me of what you see in the movies.  There were all kinds of officers around.  I guess they have the nicest place to go in the whole U.S.  You know Chicago is noted for what it does for servicemen and what they have for officers is not an idle boast.  We went riding around in a taxi of course to see what the city was like and I might say that I was favorably impressed.

Chicago's Hotel Knickerbocker

I tried to call you by phone from Chicago but couldn't make the connection in time.  I guess maybe you were all out because I could hear the connection being made all the way through to Boston.  I was very anxious about my orders even though as yet we have used but one little paper out of the sealed envelope which had our histories more or less on it.  I had all kinds of visions of the big squabble you could all get into trying to make sure they got away on time for me to get them.  I had also thought that I sent the telegram too late for you to get them off.  However I had not reckoned with the hour time difference which gave them a kind of head start on me.  I guess that all these differences of opinion can really get somewhere when the crucial moment arises.  I guess the coordinator of internal affairs should have a hand.

Well to get on with my trip.  We got on a Southern Pacific Pullman at 8:30 p.m. and found that we had a much cooler and cleaner car than when we came from Phoenix.  In fact I doubt if we got the least bit dirty on this train.  Of course we picked up a lot more fellows coming back to Luke and had a lot of fun with them but we had the most fun with a girl named Betty Clark from Coolidge, Ariz.  She was going home after her first trip away without her mother. ( I might say she was 17 years old).  She had been to a farm in Idaho and had met the sweetest 4F farmer in the state on a blind date.  In fact she had let him kiss her on the 6th and last date with him.  She had come on the train prepared for a long hungry trip.  She had all kinds of food; in fact she had enough to feed her and the rest of her friends for a week.  There was fruit, sandwiches, pickles and everything.  She was rather cute too, being a second Patty Morrel without the nose.  She just believed everything you said and was very serious about everything.  She had about all the magazines on the newsstand except a "Life" and a "Time".

Of course we met a lot of other girls and spent a lot of time talking to them too so you see your little boy doesn't allow a dull moment to enter his leisure time.  The only trouble is that everyone we met was engaged or married and we had no intentions of breaking up any happy homes so don't worry about my fighting the war single - handed.

We got into Phoenix 2 hours 25 min. late which made us 1 hour late signing in.  I don't think anything will be done as we still had 24 hours grace.

Tuesday we didn't do much except get a few lectures and some of the fellows were assigned to new posts.  I did not get assigned and was very glad because nothing came up that I liked.  Some were assigned instructor school and twin engine transport school.

Today we got a few more lectures and more assignments and everyone has an assignment now.  For once the 2nd Lts. got a break and the F.Os did not.  All the F.O's go to the A.T.C. for transport flying while the single engine fighter boys that made 2nd Lt. got their wish.  On or around Sept. 10, 1/2 of the LTs. will go to gunnery while the other half goes to P39 school and 14 days later get assigned to the O.T.U. (Overseas Training Unit).  We got the best break yet and I was very glad to hear it.  It means that we will never get stuck flying slow ships but get something that can be maneuvered and played with.  We will have fun and enjoy our training and see a lot more of the country.  It is swell to feel that out of a class of 340, 1/4th of them are to be fighters and to know that you are in the cream of the crop.  It is something to be proud of I think.  All the rest of the boys except the instructors will always be only average pilots.

I still have not made arrangements to get my foot locker out of town.  No one seems to know how it is to be done.  I am very much concerned about all the soiled uniforms without which I cannot look to o well on weekends.  I am beginning to think I shall go in and get the last things and send them to the cleaners and put the rest in storage.  Maybe I should not have had them shipped with me seeing I am about to move again so soon.  Seeing California is the next stop I doubt if I will need much but summer wear for some time yet. Even so I guess I can wear my winter clothes in California even so in a couple of months.

Life in this post will not be bad for the next few months except that they are trying to keep us busy by breaking up our day, read full-time guards and taking PT and Retreat.  We have to report twice a day to the director of training but that is just to keep us on the post.  We will get a few minor details but they don't have enough for 150 of us to do so I doubt if we will do anything but get fat on the food in the Officer's Mess and get tanned in the swimming pool.

With love

Austin

August 22, 1944

Aug 22

Dear Mother;

Here I am with a little time on my hands so I will write a short note to you.  As usual everything turned out all right and I am on the Post with no serious complications.  We were 45 minutes late but we straightened that out by the train being 2 hours and 1/2 late.

We were half way between Boston and Newton when I remembered I had a set of orders at home.  It hit me like a ton of bricks and my first thought was to hop off at the next stop and get them.  Of course that was foolish considering I had no other means of getting back.  So I sent a telegram and hoped that you all would not get a bunch of ideas how to get it to me earlier.  In fact I had visions of it not getting out at all.  Well I worried all the trip about it until I went into the Adam's and found them waiting.  I was sure happy.

I got a load of letters today and I read that one you told me not to just to see how sentimental you are.  I got a kick out of it because it is all so far behind now.  I guess I was more than welcome at home after all.

We had a swell trip, in fact it was the best one yet.  There were so many people to talk to that the time just flew.  It was a short trip and a lot of it was at night.

I guess I just wanted to tell you that I was OK and enjoying life.  Lt. Smith wishes to go to the show so I will have to close on the shortest letter I have ever written I guess. Everything here is going to be fine.  I will send some money home soon to cover my latest expenses.  We will not get flying pay this month so I will not have too much money this month.  I am still thinking about you coming out and see this part of the country.  Maybe I will not be able to pay your way so you will have to talk to A.P.

I am in the Officer's Club and enjoying my relaxation.  This is really a swell place.  I will write again tomorrow and tell you about the trip.

With love

Austin

August 11, 1944

August 6, 1944

Dear Mother:

Here I am writing on hotel stationary waiting for a train tomorrow at 0700 to take me home.  We will travel Pullman all the way of course; we believe in traveling in style.

You probably wonder when I will arrive in Boston.  Well the schedule says Thursday noon and so someone had better be there to take me home because by then my finances will begin to worry me.  I don't have much baggage so bring a car full.

Well graduation went off on schedule and I have those wings and bars now.  It seems kind of funny to be wearing them of course but I guess I'll get used to it soon enough.  It sure feels funny to have the soldiers throwing salutes at you instead of just passing by.  I also have to think when I don't salute another 2nd Lt.  It doesn't quite seem natural.

Attention!

Mr. and Mrs. Blaisdel came out to the graduation and I was so happy to see them.  You see I have almost found another home out here.  I almost think I would rather stay rather than spend 8 days of a furlough on a dirty old train.

I haven't told you that I got 15 days off and an unassigned status back here afterwards.  Everyone in the class got 11 days or more and some of use get 15 days and then return here.  We are then supposed to go to gunnery school and then into one of the O.T.U. to wait for assignment to an overseas pool.  There are pools and pools all over this part of the country so don't worry about me.

I haven't heard from anyone for about 3 days so I guess the mail is being lost in the Post Office.  They will have it straight before long; about the time I get home.  My new address will be 2nd Lt. Austin L. Rounds, Luke Field, Phoenix Ariz.

I have a new serial number, an officer's serial number - 0-784076 which means I am really in but good.  I am in the A.U.S. which means I will be a flying private after the war.  I don't think much of that.

I guess I have forgotten a lot so wait till Thursday.

With love

Austin.

August 2, 1944

August 1, 1944

Mrs. A.P. Rounds received a letter, a program and a small pamphlet from the Central Methodist Church in Phoenix, Arizona.

Stamp used to seal the envelope