October 25, 1943

SAAAB                        

                                                                                                            Santa Ana Calif

                                                                                                            Oct 25, 1943

Dear Pops (I forgot; A.P)

            I suppose you have been wondering just where this letter got lost.  Well it got lost before it started more times than you can tell mainly because time around here is very limited and what time you do get off you would rather spend at pleasure rather than at letter writing.  As it is we are not going on parade so I am spending this time before chow in the best way possible.

            Today has been very interesting and rather exciting too.  We had our altitude tests today and those who were in physical good condition made the tests in a pressure chamber.  The whole thing was to test your ability to live properly at 38,000’.  We made a “check run” to 5000’ to see if everyone could clear their ears quickly with the changes in pressure.  After 2 had left because they couldn’t clear their ears we went to 18,000’ to test for symptoms of anoxia, a condition resulting from lack of oxygen which results finally in unconsciousness. 2 fellows passed out and removed through the “air lock” and were brought down.  So far I had no ill iffects.  After being at 18000’ 12 minutes they asked for a volunteer to leave his oxygen off as the altitude went up so that anoxia in all its forms could be studied by the other 15 in the chamber.  No one wanted to volunteer so I did just for the heck of it.

            At 18000’ you suffer very little from anoxia but as the altitude goes up and you get less and less oxygen you get slap happy and act very drunk and laugh a giggle just like the joke was on everyone else.  First you loose sense of judgement, then eye sight, hearing, feeling, and finally you lapse into unconsciousness even though you don’t realize it and might continue to go right on feeling good but be unconscious.  The finally stage is fainting and complete unconsciousness.

            At 18000’ they told me to write the little rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”  This I did for the 1st few lines and then I found it hard to dot the i’s and make periods; then I couldn’t see too well and the surroundings turned gray.  Things got harder and harder to do and see.  When I got to the sentence that has “teacher” in it I couldn’t remember what came after that.  I just sat and tried to think; and think, and think, and think and just sit and think hard.  They then took the paper I was writing on away and I looked down and saw that my oxygen was turned on and I could see, hear, and feel better.

            While I sat there just thinking (that’s what I thought) a number of things went on that I didn’t know about.  When they noticed that I couldn’t remember what came after “teacher” they told me to write down a number.  This was when I passed into my sub-conscious mind.  I wrote the number down and when told to write down the number which I was to multiply the 1^st number by I just continued to write the zeros of the 1^st number.  When asked to subtract 6 from the number, I just wrote a long scrawl down the page.   They then gave me oxygen and I came bak to consciousness trying to think about “teacher” and what came after it.  I lost about 2 minutes of life and went to 38000’ before getting oxygen.  Even then I didn’t pass out but just lost all my normal faculties.  Most of the fellows lose consciousness at 32000’.  It was just a lot of fun for me and I have no ill effects.

            Altitude is a dangerous thing if you are not in good condition.  Many get the “bends” and have to be brought down to an altitude of 30,000 ft.  After that few have trouble.  These “bends” are like those suffered by divers but not so bad or so dangerous because they can be fixed very quickly by bringing them to sea level or in most cases 30,000’.  Some people develop “chocks” cough, sinus trouble, ear, eye and nose trouble, tooth aches and just every thing in general goes wrong all because the air inside of you expands 5 times larger than normal.  You burp all the time going up and all the air in side you just comes up.

            The oxygen apparatus is the best in the world and the most recent perfected.  You can really use it at high altitudes and have no after affects in fact you feel better when you get down than when you went up.  All but your ears, but everyone has a little trouble with them for a while until they have done a lot of this work in the pressure chamber or do a lot of high altitude work.

            It is getting cold around here in the moring.  The temperature is between 38F and 50F when we “fall out” at 0500 every morning.  We are now wearing O.P. uniforms.  There are the all wool uniforms and are a lot warmer.  At noon however it is really hot and we wish the sun would hide behind a cloud.  Of course there aren’t clouds here, only the low hanging fog or ground fog.  I get to like this place better and better each day.

            I hope the potatoes are coming along.  I don’t know very much about potatoes because I wasn’t exactly brought up on a farm.  I suppose they are all out of the ground and put away by now.  I wish I could have been home to help but Calif. is a long way from home.  I would like to drive that tractor or just drive anything.  I haven’t driven for 4 months anything but a plane.  You probably wish you could drive something but an auto, well that’s life I guess.

            I get letters from Aunt Emma and Grandpa every now and then and I try to answer them as soon as possible.  Grandpa seems to be just about as ever.  He sends along little inspirational poems and notes about the Air Corp which he gets from his magazines.  They are really rather good and I enjoy them a lot.

            I would like to hear from you again soon but until then

With love

Austin

October 22, 1943

SAAAB

                                                                                                            Santa Ana Calif

                                                                                                            Oct 22, 1943

Dear Mother,

            Well I suppose this letter is rather late but my time for the last few days has been rather limited.  We have completed the M days and I have just one thing to say about them. I have made the grade.

            Now that I have passed the days of trial I can talk about them and not feel that I am speaking too soon.

            M-12 day was the climax and it became at 4:00 when we got up and made our beds and set the bunk house in order, made our beds and rearranged our foot lockers.  At 5:00 we fell out for revielle  and roll call.  We then got into our good clothes and went to chow after which we came back and shined shoes and brass.  And they did really shine.  You could actually see yourself in my GD shoes and my brass was so clean it looked almost white.  At 7:00 we fell out for a preparatory inspection.  At 8:00 we were inspected by 3 captains from the General Staff and they found things in such good order that they gave us a superior rating.  We then got our “Cadet Issue” and that is really a laugh. Instead of the sharp outfits that they used to pass out they give you 2 pair of under ware 5 pair of stockings and some insignia.  No more Cadet Blouses, Cadet Caps or shirts or anything.  We then had our cadet graduation exercise and it was here that we found out if we got our first choice or anyone of the other 2 choices.  I made the grade for my first choice. Pilot.  Was I glad when I saw that written across the top of the folder with all my qualifications.  In fact I was the happiest one there.  The rest of the day was all ours and we had started to draw the $75 per month.

            Of course some of the fellows washed out and I feel rather sorry for them but some of them were expected to wash any way and no one expected them to come through.  About 15% of the fellows have washed out or will soon because they are still unclassified.  My room-mate Jack Pagen was illiminated because he was said to be not mentally stable and could not endure the period of training that will soon follow.

            Well now that I am an A.C. you will have to change my address a little and replace the A.S. with the A.C.

1 day later

            I might just as well start all over again. I have been trying to finish this letter so many times it isn’t funny.  I started this letter yesterday at 11:30 and now it is 18:30 the next day.  They are just making it uncomfortable for the fellows keeping the schedule full so that they get little time for rest or pleasure.

            We are now getting more classes each day and the classes are taught by 1^st Lts in long classrooms, so long in fact it is almost impossible to see the black board when sitting in the back of the room.  These classrooms will seat approx. 300 students.

            On class is on the basic principles of the present war and a study of the causes in back of the war.  The class is a study into the background of the countries that are the main participants, Japan, Germany, Russia, G. Britain and ends with Post War Problems.  You can see that as well as teaching us to fight in the air they are teaching us a little about some of the problems in a Post War world and giving us a little hint as to what to expect from our “Reconstructed” world.

            We have another class on Stratosphere Flight and this proves to be the most interesting I have ever had.  This is a series of 6 lectures the last 4 of which are made in a decompression chamber and the class is conducted in stimulated altitudes up to 38000’.  You go up the 1^st 18000’ with no mask and at that height many queer things happen to the body.  The rest of the way up is made with oxygen and can be very uncomfortable if the conditions with in the person are not just right.  I am just waiting until we hit that chamber.

            I think that I shall go to the movies now or soon after I have written one more letter.  This letter will be to Cousin Emma Johnson in Hollywood.  I got her letter the other day and haven’t been able to write until now.  I will do it right away because I feel that seeing she is so close I will really be able to see her in about a month.

With Love

Austin