April 20, 1945

Ardmore AAF

April 20, 1945

Dear Mother:

There seems to have been a long silence from this end of the line but as usual I have been busy or too tired to write.  Think today is the 20th but am not sure so don't figure the mail is coming too fast until you check further.

I guess I left Pop's letter rather abruptly the other day when we took off for Dallas.  Sam and I went down with my gunner in his car.  It took about 3 1/2 hours to go the 110 miles.  We stopped in Denton to see the town again but took off again in not time at all.  As usual we had all kinds of adventures and fun on the way.

Sam and I were sitting in the back seat and halfway to town when the door on the car blew open.  I had been in the car when it happened before but Sam almost went out through the roof.  Owen, my gunner, slowed the car down and I went to shut the door and it fell out of my hand on the street.  It went skidding and thumping along on the hinges and knob.  Well we stopped and looked at the damage and found the hinges were broken so we had to hold the door on until we got to town.  We couldn't find any hinges so we wired it on and it stayed perfectly.  It never was shook or anything all the way down.

They let us off at Sam's house and his folks were awful glad to see us.  His grandma was there and his aunt and uncle from Fort Worth came over.  We had a lot of fun talking to them and they had a lot of fun with me talking to me in German and just kidding me along about my accent.  They are all swell down there and I had more fun talking to people like them than I have had in some time.

We went to see some of Sam's old girl friends and I went along of course.  We took his dad's car and filled it up with gas.  The gas stamps were something we picked up somewhere.  We went to see a girl named Nancy Hunter and she had a visitor named Margaret Rombeau so we all went to a movie.  We had a lot of fun with Margaret because she cried all during the picture.  The picture was Since You Went Away and I didn't think it was so weepy.  This was Sunday night.

Guy Madison in Since You Went Away

Monday we went to Love Field and got our Commercial Licenses.  They were not very much trouble.  We had to take a written exam on regulations but that was about all.

Monday night we took the same two girls out to the Fair Grounds where they have a carnival going on at all times.  We rode on all the things that go round and round and had a lot of fun.  We couldn't spend much time there because Mrs. S. said we had to be in at 11:00 to go to bed.  We got in on time all right so had no fights in the family.

Tuesday we took off in the car for home at 0200.  He was so tired I had to drive most of the way.  We got back in town in little over 2 1/2 hours.  We made no stops and had no traffic so we could come right along.  His car would really go and the roads are so straight it is safe to drive that fast even though a cop might have pinched us.  Anyway we only averaged 45 miles an hour.  We got back good and early which was what we wanted.

I think I had more fun in those 2 days than I have had in a long time.  I don't know when I had take 2 days off and gone and done what I pleased and met nice people.  If you could only come to Texas you would see what I meant by nice people.  They are the very best in the country.  I am now half Texan.

I will have to put an end to this and go get those money orders.

With love

Austin .