November 10, 1945

Brooks Field

Nov. 10, 1945

Dear Mother:

Here I am basking in Texas and it isn't all it is cracked up to be.  I got back last night at 7:00 PM with lots of time to spare.  The train ran on schedule all the way from St. Louis.  We got into S.L. 1:15 late but still had 4 hours to spend.

I came all the way with a 1st Lt. named Flaherty from Boston.  He was coming to Ft. Sam Houston to redistribution and rehabilitation.  He had been a victim of concussions over in the Islands.  We did a lot of talking and had a lot of fun together.  He had 104 points and was in for 6 mos or more because of his injury and I am about to get out.  Which brings up the all important subject.

It seems the army wants you to be either in or out.  They don't want anyone in for 6 mos. as I wish but must reenlist for 3 years in the regular Army.  So- that means I will be home for Christmas this year.  Bill Ayers is going home next week to separation and I have to sign up for separation Monday.  Of course I shan't wave my discharge for 3 yrs but will get out immediately.  So you can start looking for good looking civilian clothes and colleges.

It has been a bad day today.  It rained all morning.  I had to run around a little but I had lots of warm clothes and my rain coat was handy.  I have a date tonight with Anne which will be a lot of fun I am sure.

If you can't read this letter it is just because we have to write on the bed for lack of a table.  I can hardly read what I write so you must be having a lot of fun.  I guess you have had a lot of experience reading bad writing.

Everyone was glad to see me back, at least they seemed that way.  Bill and I had a lot to talk over and he kept me awake most of the night and I haven't slept all day.  I lost my pillow somewhere so I have nothing for my head.  The bed is awful hard after mine at home, army life is rather rough.

Now my only problem is, what to do when I get home.  I have little desire to work or to go to school right away.  I also hate to spend all my money and have no income so coming home will be as hard as going away.  I think I would like to get a good hard job which might do me a little good physically or get a job flying or something.  You can't have both but you can see how little I know about what I want to do.  So you had better start reading all those stories on how to treat your returning soldier because I will be out and on my way before you can guess.  Maybe this time I will really surprise you when I walk in.

I was kind of upset to leave last Wed. but I guess I didn't look too disappointed.  It is rather hard to leave after you have had so much fun.  I think I had more fun on this leave than on any before and seeing it is the last I am glad it was so.  I guess we split the time up about right and I spent the right time in the right places.

Well I must go eat and then run.  You know I can't be late.

With love

Austin

"Doc" 

August 28, 1945

Aug 28 1945

Dear Mother:

Saturday I got your letter from Maine post marked the 14th.  It had taken 10 days to find me.  That doesn't say much for postal service.  I don't know if any more letters will come that way or not but I will look for them.

When you wrote about that camping trip I just wished I could have been there.  Boy I would have had more fun getting wet and then dry again.  I would have been just one more male to run you ragged but I would have had a lot of fun.  When you go camping you have to run into a little rain or something or else it takes all the fun out of getting soaked.  But I guess my point of view is not quite like mine on such matters.  I wish you would write some more about the trip because I got quite a kick out of picturing the thing and I am getting a vivid imagination.  Anyway Pop must have enjoyed relaxing for a day or two.

I suppose you are all wondering just when I get out of the army and all.  Well to tell you the truth no one around here knows very much about us and information is rather hard to find.  They have three lists of men to be discharged in the next 6 weeks but they are from groups A and B which the army has set up.  I am in Group H which will be the last bunch to get a choice.  Last Friday we signed a statement as to our preference and I indicated that the earlier the better but that may be many moths away.  We don't fly B29s anymore but get our time in the AT6's which makes me very happy.  We get 4 hours of ground school now on the B29 and cruise control of the B29 but it is just to keep us busy and have no great value to me.  They are continuing training principally for the fellows who have indicated their wish to stay in the post-war Air Corp and there seems to have been quite a few who wish to stay in.  Financially $240 a mos is a lot more than any of us will be making of a good many years.  However the longer you stay in the longer it will take to get started over again.

Mary writes once or twice a week and to me it seems that everything is all peaches and cream.  I guess she has been taken into a society much to her liking.  I am really so glad that she is happy away from home for a while.  Maybe you feel that you have lost a daughter now but never fear because home always looks good.  Even I after 2 yrs look at Stoneham as the place for me and as soon as I am free again I will make tracks for 15 Wilson Rd.  It is too bad William and Esther can't drag themselves away for awhile and see how the rest of the world lives.  Maybe you don't like the idea but remember you were away from home for a year when you went to school.

We have had the most wonderful weather down here for the past few days.  Starting last week it got really cool, enough so that we slept under blankets or sheets.  It rained a couple of times and then we began to get warnings of the tropical storm headed this way.  The storm never got this far but we were in the area of strong winds and it has just been swell.  We have had a cool breeze all day and the nights have been wonderful.  It is too bad you and Mary could not have been here to see what Texas can be like when it tries.  In fact I am a little surprised myself.  I had no idea it could be so nice and cool.  I hope it stays this way for awhile.

Yesterday I looked at a chart that gave distances from one place to the next and noticed that I am aprox 2010 miles from Boston.  That is a lot farther than I had thought.  But when I get travel pay home it will amount to about $160 plus meals etc.  Not a bad price just to see some more country.

This is an early morning letter.  I got up special so I wouldn't have to write last night.

With love

Austin