October 3, 1944

Roswell Field

Oct. 3, 1944

Dear Mother:

I guess it is about time I wrote again.  It has been about a week since I wrote last.  You see I got kind of disgusted with getting no letters except from Mary so I decided I wouldn't write until I got something from you.

Have you sent those pinks and greens yet?  I hope you have because I really need them now.  It gets awful cold here during the night and everyone is wearing their pinks and greens.  I really hope you have sent them but if not lets get on the ball in a hurry.

Yes the thing I was worrying about a week ago Sunday has happened and as you see I am now in N.M. at a B17 base.  What a lousy break.  the one thing I had hoped would never happen has come about and I am about to become a truck driver.

We are about to have the toughest schedule yet. For the next 8 days we get 7 hours of school a day, 1 hour of link and 1 hour of PT per day beside a few details.  What I want to know is when do we eat and sleep and live.  I guess if you don't get any letters you will have to wait.

We start flying these ships in about 12 days.  We get 105 hours of first pilot time and if we qualify we become first pilots.  That is a break at least.  When we do get a ship I will be in command of the darn thing.  It will be quite a responsible job.

This is going to be the toughest 10 weeks I have had.  I only wish that I could get through some short way and then get home.  I have just got to work hard on this course because wash outs become co-pilots and that is just plain hell in a big ship.

If I am successful I may be able to get B29's which is what I shall try for.  I can see no reason for not taking the biggest and long as I must take something with 4 engines.  I hate to think of it but I guess it is just the breaks.  There are going to be no more fighter pilots on the west coast and for anyone with the desire to go overseas this is a real break.  I don't have such a wanderlust so I don't know how I shall like it.  Things are not turning out so well now so I can't imagine what will happen now.  I am just disgusted with everything.  I have no love for the plane and don't give a darn what happens to it.  This flying is all work and no pleasure.  It also is one of the most boring sessions I will ever have to put up with.  We get 105 hours of procedures and instruments with one 1000 miles cross country.  You can't solo out until you have had 60 hours and all that time you are learning to fly on all to one engine.  It looked like 10 weeks of drudgery.

Well I have kissed Phoenix goodbye and hope to see it again but never Luke Field again.  I have had my fill of that place and all it has stood for.  Here I have sweat out the toughest advance school in the West only to be sent to a school where half the fellows or at least 1/3 could not have got through where I have.  These guys are a crummy bunch and probably not as good pilots as anyone of us.

I ran out of ink and almost out of lead.  You will have to excuse the pencil.  I hope Mary's gift has come through.  I wish I wasn't so far from home so I would know what was going on.  I feel like letting everything go.  Please send the clothes and gift from Esther and Mary.  Maybe it is all ready on the way.

With love

Austin