November 6, 1944

Roswell Field

Oct Nov 6

Dear Mother:

I have just received your box.  I guess it came through about as you expected.  Even though most of the cookies were broken I really like eating the crumbs.  However they were not too badly broken up so that I couldn't recognize what you had sent.  I like molassis (you know what I mean) cookies and my room-mate likes the Toll-House cookies so I guess we can get ride of everything.  You can thank A.P. for thinking of the candy.  It is really very good.  Yes the box is being enjoyed by all. (The whole barracks).

I have got a bad cold again.  I have all kinds of nose drops and listerine and inhalers but it still persists.  One of my friends had to go to the hospital because he had a temperature.  He had a couple of swell days talking to the WAC's and nurses.

WAC Recruitment Poster

You may wonder how I spend my Sundays when I don't fly.  Well it is very simple.  I try to enjoy myself in a quiet sort of way as far away from the Field as possible.

Yesterday we went to church which is a swell way of getting away from it all.  I like to go and sing and just listen to the music.  I guess the services don't mean a heck of a lot as you can see by the types of places I go.  First the informal Church of Christ and then the more formal less radical Presbyterian Church.  I really enjoy the newness of the services.  However I would still much rather be at home listening to Mark and George.

We next try to get something unusual to eat.  I don't go much for hot Mexican food so I got half a fried chicken which was rather tough but not bad. There are about 5 good eating places in town so we kind of make the rounds.  One place you get steaks, another for supper.  Then we go to a little bakery that stays open Sundays and get whatever we take a fancy to.  Yesterday we bought cookies and a donut shaped fruit cake then went across the street  to an ice cream stand which is really the from of the town's creamery and bought a pint of ice cream and ate our cookies and cake along with some wonderful peach ice cream.  I'll bet it looks funny to people to walk by or come in to see a couple of 2nd Lts eating ice cream and cookies out of a box but a couple of 16 year olds at the counter goggling us.

We spend a rather simple Sunday so I guess we are getting simple minded.  Anyway we enjoy ourselves so what more could you ask.

Some weeks and when we get a little more time we are going to the next town of Ruidoso up in the mts.  They have all kinds of cabins and all kind of things to do.  Soon it will snow up there and they have quite a few winter sports.  All I want to do is see some good clean white snow again.  I haven't seen any in a couple of years.  I also want to see some ice and teach my buddies from Texas how to skate or slide on a sled.  They don't know what they have missed.

Click here to watch a live camera feed of the town.

We are really getting a flying schedule this week.  Fly every day but Tuesday and 2 days next week.  5 hours a day for 7 days straight.  That is kind of taking a good thing too far.  At the end of that time we will have about 70 hours and ready to solo out.  We are going to pull a couple of buzz jobs.  Maybe we will get caught and sent to B24 school but I doubt it.  B17s don't have any numbers on their bottoms so no one can catch us.

I am going to apply for instructor at William's field if I have a chance.  I will again be near Phoenix and near enough to the West Coast to go out on anytime I get off.  I will also begin to build up my flying time and get out of the Jamion Birdman class.  I am not anxious to get overseas but would like to enjoy myself for a few more years.

Well it is time to dose my cold up some more.  Here's hoping it gets better soon.  I won't be able to fly too well if I can't concentrate on flying.

Thank you again for the cookies and everything.  Say who's idea was the apples?

With love

Austin.

July 25, 1943

Boo to you too!

July 25, 1943

Dear Mother;

I might just as well tell you the first thing that I am on shipping again.  That means that you better stop writing and wait for my new address.  Monday we expect to leave and go to college.  This is probably a surprise to you but you couldn't be more surprised than I.  We were in Sq A no more than 20 hours and we were put on shipping.  That is indeed fast work even for the Army.

When you go on shipping in Sq A, you really get a break.  You get no more work but get a chance to catch up on lost sleep.  It also means you are confined to the area and that is not so good.  Every time you go anywhere you have to sign out and tell where you are going and when you will get back.  This is a lot of bother but is worth while considering that you get out a all kinds of work and details.  This is a lazy life but I can stand a little with out too much trouble.

I have a rumor about where we will ship.  We will go to a college in Wis. about 400 miles from here.  This is strickly a rumor so don't send my next letter to Wis. and trust to luck I get it.  People do such things.  One fellow got a letter with his name, serial number and Jefferson Bks, MO.  The people that handle the letters know how to find people or half the mail sent here would never reach the fellows.  

Something funny is slowly happening to me.  You may not believe this but I am getting so that ice cream does not have the old appeal.  The reason seems to be that I am getting too much of it.  I never thought I could get enough but now we get it every night and then I go get the biggest sundie you can get for a dime.  These sundies are the biggest you ever saw and you can't get them at home.  I still eat ice cream but may see a day when it won't appeal.  What a guy I'll be when I get home.

I still feel some times that I have just gone away for a short time and will come home soon.  It seems that when I do get home that things will be changed and things will be new.  It is as if every thing I wish was different has come true.

I don't know what I will write.  It is too hot and I have run out of ideas.  I could tell you that in this switch from one Sq to another I am now bunking with two mid-Western aircraft gunners, 2 fellows from Brooklyn, NY and one from Staten Island.  We also have a Corperal with us.  He is a 2 stripe general but a pretty good fellow.  The NY'ers are always fighting about the merits of Brooklyn and Staten Island.  We get quite a kick out of it.

How do the temperatures compare now?  You may have had some hot weather but do you get it steady the way we do with the humidity at 78% now?  Right now I wish I was back in nice cool, N.E.

With Love

Austin