November 10, 1944

Roswell Field

Nov. 10, 1944

Dear Mother:

I have missed my chance to go to the movies and see "For Whom the Bell Tolls" so I am writing this letter before going to bed.  We fly the early mission tomorrow so it is early to bed if early to rise.

For Whom the Bell Tolls Trailer

This letter may reach you a day ahead of A.P.'s in which I stated I hope I pass my instrument check.  Well I came through by the grace of someone and the check rider so I guess I have a chance of getting through all right here.

Today we went up and shot landing all day.  About half were 2 and 3 engine landings and very strenuous.  You really need all the P.T. we have been taking the last year or two (it seems).  Anyway I am about worn out and feel like getting some "sack time".

We have had 10 hours of flying in 18 so you can see how tired I should be.

We are really having some fun now.  This is hard work but not so intense and never racking as instrument flying.  We also have a chance to make solo lands soon so we are kind of looking forward to the day.  It will come soon if we don't wear out sooner.

I am learning a lot about N.E. chance in Post War Aviation from your clippings.  It seems quite possible that some day Boston will again be the center of world transportation as it was 50 years ago. If so I guess fellows in my shoes may have a chance to make something of all the training they are acquiring along the way.  It is so valuable I can't see how it can be wasted.  It seems to be one of the best sources of ready made pilots who should by all authorities become the pilots of tomorrow.  Even so I am pretty new at this game as is most everyone here.  Thousands of hours are needed instead of hundreds such as I have.

I can remember when I used to look up at the airplanes that went over and wonder what kind of a man could fly them.  I could not visualize a common ordinary everyday man up there but rather someone who was a hero and had hero all over him.  He was always someone far away and never someone next door.  I could never recognize a pilot because it did not especially show on him.  He was no superman but rather probably a quiet spoken person who didn't think too much about the admiration of others.  His flying was like our driving and he probably admired our driving.  Yes everyone on this field who flies the B17 could have flown those DC-3s and we have some awful seedy looking pilots.  We have some boys also who look like hot pilots.

Well I don't have much to write about.  Nothing much happens.  We have no accidents to talk about.  I could gripe about the food because it is getting rather poor but I am gaining weight again and weigh 185 so I guess the food situation won't get much sympathy.  We get P.T. regularly and classes fill in our spare time so we are pretty much on the go.  Time flies so that we seem to be constantly getting ready for the weekends. They have a little snow up in the mts now so we are going to see it at our first convenience.  Class 44-4-J is here and ready to fly next week so what else can I say.  I guess I have run out of gab and paper.

With love

Austin.

September 7, 1944

Thursday.

Sept. 7, 1944

Dear A.P. 

I got a letter from Mother today and she reminded me that I owed you a letter so I am taking this the first chance to write.  We are going to the show tonite so don't expect too much.

Seeing your interests lie in my new schedule down here I will give you a bird's eye view.  We get up at 0600 and have until 0700 to get to the flight line.  We are on the line flying at least 3 hours and quit at 1200. At 1400 we go to ground school which is one big gunnery course.  At 1600 we go to P.T.  At 1800 we go to chow and are done for the day.  We put in a pretty constant 12 hour day but also have a little spare time.

Today we didn't fly because of the excessive wind which ran from 25 to 35 miles an hour and gusty which makes landing the AT6 rather hazardous.  Yesterday we flew 2 missions and had to make two solo landings after 7 weeks of no flying.  We had no accidents so you can see we have the best pilots down here.  The A.T-6 is a hard plane to handle in landing but was doubly so yesterday when we had a cross wind and a very gusty wind at that.  A lot of fellows at Luke Field right now would have piled them up. In fact flying would have been called off up at Luke.  I feel quite happy about the whole thing.

We flew 2 ariel gunnery missions yesterday firing a gun camera instead of ammunition.  It is a good way to save powder and also point out mistakes made during each pass.  In all you make about 15 passes each hour.  All are recorded as soon as you pull the trigger on the guns.  Therefore they can tell if you are leading the target correctly.  I'll sat that we are getting the best flying right now.  Even though I am rather rusty I am having a swell time. 

Gila Bend is no place for a vacation.  We have ants and all kinds of wildlife down here.  It is in the middle of the desert and gets an average of 20 degrees hotter here than at Luke.  However we are beginning to get cool weather so it is not too bad.  If you are willing to work you can have a lot of fun. I certainly will try to make the most of it even though this is a so called "hole in the ground".  It only lasts 10 days.

I have thought a lot about your buying that house in Walden.  Of course if you sold the house in Stoneham and went to live in Walden it would affect all of you a lot more than me and from the point of a good business deal it would be one of the best.  You would be getting a much better house in the exchange. As I say it would mean a lot more to you all at home than it would to me.  However I would hate to think of never living near my old friends again.  We would be in easy motor distance but not walking distance.  I guess it doesn't mean too much to me seeing that in several years my interests will be very much different than they are today or when I left 1 1/2 years ago. Maybe this would be a good chance to get away from a crowd and get into a new bunch.

I will have to close now and go to the show.

With love

Austin

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

May 14, 1944

War Eagle Field

Lancaster

5-14-44

Dear Mother:

Here it is Mother's Day and I have apparently forgotten you.  Well that is not quite the case.  Lancaster is a pretty small town and does not have the facilities to send things for Mother's Day as does the City of L.A.  I guess until a later date just a plain old senseless letter will have to take the place.

Ruth W Rounds - in her later years.
A rare picture as she was somewhat bashful about having her picture taken.

We are on the last week of flying here and we are really "Sweating out" these last 5 days.  I have 2 hours a day to put in which is more than is scheduled for most.  I have 5 hours of instruments, 4 hours of formation and a 1 hour check ride by the Army.  That is some schedule since it is the last week and most important one here.  No one has been washed out of our group yet but no one is through with flying yet so no one can yet predict his future.  I am just hoping I make the grade.

They said that as soon as you get through primary you could see the gold bars.  Well I am through basic (almost) and I still don't see them.  In fact I doubt if I will see them until after I get them.  Advanced will probably be just the same as this.  You will sweat from one ride to the next.  I wonder when I will be able to stop worrying about my future.  I guess never.

I had a civilian spot check ride the other day.  I gave the man a fairly good ride even though I have had no transition for about 3 weeks.  This fellow was turned loose in the sqn because we have too good a record.  The 1st day he didn't flunk anyone but the next day he put 2 out of 3 up for Army re-rides which are re-check rides which can lead to an E-ride.  This fellow will be going over the sqn for the next week.  I guess we have a case for worrying.  We also have some Army standardization ride coming up which may prove fatal to anyone who gets them.  ( I don't know why I keep coming back to the subject of elimination.)

A couple of weeks ago I selected single engine fighter as my first choice of an advance school.  Today we got the report that 146 were washed out at the school we will be sent to.  I don't know what the average percentage of wash outs that could be; it may be 1% or something but it just don't look good to me and some of my friends here.  We don't know how big the school is but 146 looks like a lot of lee way to catch up with anyone who is not a "hot pilot" and I don't think I am any more than "luke warm".  I guess all we hear around here is wash out and elimination and no one likes the sounds of the words.

 I don't know if I wrote about the bivouac we went on last week.  We went out on Friday afternoon and came back Saturday about 1100.  We carried our own tents and sleeping equipment (blankets).  We even got out on the desert. They gave us C rations for supper and breakfast.  All they were was a couple of cans of bean soup and a couple of cans of dry biscuits.  So for supper we had the opportunity of eating bean soup with a lot of corn beef as flavor with a couple of dry biscuits.  But for breakfast we had Biscuits and a can of corned beef with bean gravy for flavoring.  We slept on the ground as well as we could which is very well.  In fact I got a lot more sleep than I generally do Saturday morning.  Of course we camouflaged all of our tents and equipment so that the next day (Sat.) when some of the B.T.s buzzed us they only saw 2 fellows.  You can bet we appreciated the swell hot bath we got when we got back.  I also went swimming so it wasn't such a tough way to spend a Friday night and Sat. fore-noon.

C-Rations

Maybe you wonder why I don't go to L.A. anymore.  Well in the 1st place you can stay at home and save money for a day when you may want it.  It is also a lot easier on the nerves and the humor.  I also find it a lot more easy to fly Mondays after a quiet weekend.

By the way, what has happened to my drivers license.  I sent it for renewal at least 3 weeks ago and haven't got it yet.  It was probably sent to the house and has got in some pile of junk you must still have on the buffet.  Please look it up and send it along as soon as possible.  I don't know what would happen if I should get caught driving with the one I have at present.  Some of the fellows rent cars in L.A. and I may do likewise when we get a 3 day pass ( I hope a hope).

Pretty soon I will send home a package which will contain all kinds of odds and ends, class books, pictures, and a few things I put away for memories.  I wonder if I will remember what they all mean.

I was thinking the other day that I am getting my traveling out here while I am still younger than he was. Of course he had a lot more education and was a lot freer to move but still I guess I am getting around.

Well I guess I better sign off for a while.  I hope I will be home for next Mother's Day.  If not I guess you know how I feel about it.

With love

Austin

February 12, 1944

Tucson Ariz.

Feb. 12, 1944

Dear Mother:

I guess I never wrote from a U.S.O. before but while I wait for my friend form Kentucky I use the paper and ink provided for such occasions.  This is the second trip to the town and I hope I do not get as disgusted as I did before.  I guess I can have some fun if I look around for it.

I flew 2 hours today and got in an hour and 5 minutes of "Link" trainer so I am rather tired.  The "Link" is the harder of the two because it requires much close study and the little dials on the instrument panel are not too interesting.  Today I did precision turns maintaining air speed and altitude.  The turn is made with a gyrocompass because a magnetic compass is not too reliable.  If you can maintain a special type of turn called a "needle width turn" you can make a perfect circle.  However if you vary the turn the slightest it does not come out right, the way you like to have them.  The instructor in charge said I maintained my speed and altitude very well.

You know you get some very peculiar sensations while flying "blind".  When you have the cover down, as it is most of the time, you often feel that you are climbing when you are gliding and turning after you have stopped.  As you have no visual reference points pressure means a lot.  When you stop a  turn you feel like you are starting one the other way.  This must be rather boring to you because you don't know enough about the subject.

I have 28 hours of flying now but I am still a long way from being a "hot pilot".  Even so I am working up to the point where the time is beginning to count.  I have enough time for a solo pilots license and soon (at 35 hours) I can get a private pilots license.  After that you can carry passengers with you so maybe after I get home you all may get some free rides.

It is time for me to get a few check rides but each time I get cheated out of them some how or other.  I wish I could get them over because then I could start on something else.  It is getting bearably boring to go up and do stalls, spins, 'S' turns, figure 8's, and the like every day.  I have been doing them solo for the last 12 hours and although I don't have them down perfect I am coming along.  

Next I shall learn how to do chandelles, lazy 8's, pilon 8's, loops, snap rolls, slow rolls, etc.  These are acrobatics and will be a lot of fun.

You would be surprised at the caution they use around here.  I guess the Army wants all the pilots they can get but they want careful pilots rather than hap-hazard H.P.'s.  Before you can go up alone you must be able to recover from a spin or most any other position the instructor can put you in and they really know a lot of them.

I have got both of the boxes that were sent.  Esther's other came the 10th.  I opened them both when not too many were around and still have some cookies left.  I will finish them when I get back to the post.  Have my war bonds been coming through?  If not please write as soon as possible so that I can get the situation clarified on this end.  It seems they have had a lot of trouble in Chicago where they are shipped form and if I am behind too many I can get them sent home a lost at once.

I hope Grandpa is getting better.  He seems to have come through an awful lot in all his years.  He is such a grand person I could really enjoy coming home to see him.  As far as that goes who here in this U.S.O. would not love to come home.  This is rather a poor substitute for home.

I guess I am getting to write a book here but as long as my friend doesn't show up I guess I can continue to write.

As long as Esther is going to read this letter I can thank her for the candy.  What I got of it was really swell and I can guess just where you got it.  That doesn't detract form it's taste does it.  It sure is swell to get such things from home.  You can't guess how much they are appreciated.

Those cookies sure are good too.  They were somewhat of a surprise.  I expect a small box but that is a little on the larger size.  They are packed so close there are a lot of them in a small place. (as I look at what I have done I guess I have written a book)

If I can ever get around to it I will send home a box that ought to interest every body but you especially.  I won't tell you what it is but I will get it off as soon as possible.

I am going to get my name and serial number; and address engraved on my watch so that if anything happens to it I have a chance of getting it back.

Also if anything happens to me they will have some means of identification other than my "dog tags".  It's such a swell watch I would hate to have anything happen to it.  Do you think I ought o have it cleaned oftener than is prescribed because of the dust we have out here.  I can see traces inside already.

Well I will close now because my friend is here.  His name is Charles E Rowland.

With love

Austin

February 3, 1944

Ryan Field

Tucson Ariz.

Feb 3,         

Jan 2  , 1944 

Dear A.P.

You were not home when mother wrote her congratulations for the solo.  Well I guess your letter will be along soon so I will be a little ahead of you.  Yes, it was quite a victory but it was not so great as you think.  It is much the feeling of learning to drive so that after you do get so that you can go alone it gets to be an old story.  In getting to be an old story you also get very sloppy and don't learn as fast as you could if under instruction.  However you do learn confidence and self reliance.

All the time you are learning you are under constant tension but up alone you can really relax and get so that flying becomes second nature.  You no longer feel wrong to dive at the earth, or see it above you instead of beneath you.

Around and around and around you go

I never got sick until I had my first unsupervised solo the other day.  I went up to do stalls and split S out of several.  When you pull out you are going so fast that it feels like your stomach is going out through the seat.  I got sick after a while and had to come down.  I had never been sick before.  you really want to get out.

Video on how to do a split S turn

You can't get too laxy up there because your will to live is stronger than your laxness.  Unconsciously you keep looking for other planes, beside you, above you or climbing up beneath.  You never can tell if some dumb son of a gun isn't looking for you.  I really keep away from the others.

Now that the lower class is doing a lot of solo work the junk yard out back is getting larger.  Broken wing tips are out there galore.  One fellow spun in from 500' and luckily wasn't killed.  The airplane absorbed most of the slack and he only lost a few teeth on the head safety.  One other fellow nosed over on a forced landing and broke a prop and tail.

To see more airplane boneyards, click here.

There really is no need for anyone getting seriously hurt because the planes are practically fool proof.  They can completely pull out of a spin if you keep your hands off the controls.  They will fly themselves.  They are unpredictable but if you can climb, dive, fly straight and level, and can turn or recover correctly from either of those altitudes you can flit a P.T.  Of course wind makes a difference on landings but the only thing you can do there is drag a wing.  

I get a heck of a kick out of flying.  You are really free to do what you want within reason.  If only the plane didn't make so much noise you could really live while you fly.

Today I really scared the wits out of myself.  I had to make a cross wind landing and consequently nearly scraped a wind.  When I had recovered completely I took off again and wished to heck I hadn't after it was too late.  After I was up 300' I wished I had stayed on the ground instead of coming around again and trying to figure out the wind.  Well it all worked out O.K. because the next landing was very good and no trouble at all.  It was rather a victory for me.

Some of the fellows are riding the old "Maytag Washer".  None seem to know just why they are up there except that they give pretty enough rides or that they continually or occasionally break regulations.  They are given a good chance to prove themselves because they get 4 check rides before they are washed.  They get 3 civilian check rides and an Army ride.  If they flunk all the civilian but give the Army a good one they pass them all.  If they flunk the Army and pass the civilian they still stay.  Right now I do not worry too much but everyone worries about them at some time or another.  You wouldn't be normal if you didn't.

Today I got an hour of training that is worth about $25 an hour if you tried to buy it.  I rode for an hour in a Link Trainer, an instrument worth $25,000, often called the "infernal machine" because you could go bats if you stayed in there too long.  You probably know what they look like from pictures.  You get in and pull down the hood and you could swear the plane is diving, climbing, turning, or anything but the dials don't move which means you are going straight and level.  They are a lot of fun but will be a lot of work to figure out the new instruments.  There are a lot of misconceptions of instruments made but get straightened out after a few rides.  You can see that the training I am getting is invaluable right now.

Link Trainer controls taken from this rebuilding effort.

Not much room here!

A tight fit!  I hope you're not claustrophobic.

I sure would like to come home and give you a ride in a plane.  We could really get a ride.  I guess planes are scarce right now so there is not much sense in coming right now.  I could give you some low level flying that would make your hair stand on end. (Here I am talking like a veteran.)  Well anyway I could have some fun.  The more you fly the more confidence you get and the quicker you learn to make decisions.  That's what makes pilots I guess.

With love

Austin

September 25, 1943

Beloit College

Beloit Wis.

Sept. 25, 1943

Dear Mother,

I just got your letter and the box.  What a wonderful surprise.  The first thing I see in the box is the layer of cookies.  As yet I haven't got below that.  Your letters are also very interesting because they give the latest developments.

Today I finished all the flying that is given to the C.T.D.s.  I am glad it is over because it is a strain on the nerves and physically tiring.  I have lost about 7 lbs while flying and many hours of sleep that I could easily do with.  But yet I am not in such poor condition.  I still weigh a lot more than when I entered the army.

Flying was a lot of fun but don't give anyone the idea that is just like play.  It is really hard work. After one flight of 45 minutes I always feel like a good nap and the day that I had two flights was a bad day.  On the 2nd flight I just wasn't "on the ball".  My reactions were too slow and the plane got ahead of me.  I tried to do stalls and spins but just couldn't make the plane work for me.  I did the right thing at the wrong time.

Yesterday I was really the "hot pilot".  I did forced landings and made several perfect ones.  The landings at the airport were very good in fact they were the best the instructor had seen in some time, not a bounce or a bound.  It would have broken an egg if they had been all over the plane.

Today I had one flight and a check flight which finished one up.  As usual I got tense in the test and didn't do too good.  I do know however that I passed and have been recommended to go on in my air training if I pass classification.

I haven't said much but we are going to leave Beloit Oct 2 or 3.  Just a week or so from now.  We are going to Santa Ana and will be there from 3 weeks to 8, no one knows.  You had better send a list of my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th cousins along so I can get in touch with them out there.  You had better send me some information on how I shall address them.  It will be funny if I write "Dear 3rd cousin" when she may be "Dear 5th cousin".

I just dug down in the box some more.  The first thing I see is the jelly from our own vines.  What a treat.  "Jerry" Pozen my roommate still thinks I am a "hick".

It's too bad you wrote about the girls especially on the night of our Graduation Dance.  I have been all dated up and we are going to get "hip" tonight.  Oh well!  I guess I can have some fun tonight and it won't effect me too much.  The girls name is Barbara Burling.  I will write all about her tomorrow.

 (Note: The space I give to flying and "the girl".)

I think it is about time I send along the pictures I took while here.  There are not too many but you can get an idea what I look like from them.  There are also pictures of my roommate as well as the last boy from Mass. with me.  His name is Anthony Toschs and is from some town just outside of Boston.

Please wish many happy returns to Mary for me even though it is rather late.  I wanted to send her a present but didn't know what to send.  Anyway I was thinking of her on the 23rd.  I hope she enjoys her job as much as I enjoy mine.

Those hats (caps) you see are not G.I. but you buy if you post commander allows you to.  If I get around to it I will answer all the rest of your questions later.

Love

Austin the hot Pilot

(I guess we know where all that art talent in the family comes from.)