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