Mar. 6, 1945
Dear Mother:
I should have written again before this because we have been in the ground for the last few days because of bad weather. As it is I just don't get around to it and this finishes everything. Finally I get in the mood and I write several letters.
I got the big picture about 5 days ago and thought it was rather good but was a little disappointed. However I suppose you can't expect the photographers to take a picture of something you can't take and put in front of them. Anyway if I haven't mentioned it before I think they did a good job, in fact so good I shan't want it to be stuck up around my room here.
The snapshots from El Paso came in Sunday and I really got a kick out of them. They all came out swell. I was very surprised at all the snow you had. I kind of wish I had a chance to shovel a little of it and I suppose you wish I had had a chance to shovel some of it too. With your busy family I guess you had trouble getting rid of it. It really did come down and pile up in the flat spots. I wish I could have seen some of it but the pictures you took came out so well I almost feel that I was at home. I will send the negatives so you can have some printed and see what you got.
Now I must explain what I am doing by not sending the same kind of paper. You see I have a lot of this other stuff and must get rid of it some way. It is about the same as the other and almost the same size so I hope it won't be too noticeable.
I went to church on the post this week for the first time in more than a year. In fact I can't remember attending a post service since J.B. which was a long time ago, at least it's beginning to seem like a long time. The service was nothing to talk about. The chaplain was a bad wanderer or I was because I can't remember what he talked about. He is really supposed to be very good because I have had to listen to several lectures on morals since I have been here and the last half of the time is devoted to a few statements by the chaplain. He gave two very good talks and I was somewhat impressed but Sunday's sermon kind of put a pin in my little balloon. Maybe he just had an off day.
I have been checked out now so I can take the ship and the crew up alone now. They tell you that they are not checking up on you as a safe pilot but as one who knows what to do if the time comes. I guess I know what to do all right but I am afraid the crew will feel a few hard landings before I get too good here. Now I am supposed to start their training and see that they do what they are supposed to up in the air. Ground school is all taken care of so air training is my speciality.
Sat. we went up on a camera mission. We had a 3 ship formation each ship having gun cameras. One of those new P63s made passes on the formation the object being to let the gunners track him with the gun cameras. Most of the fellows did very well and got a lot of good pictures. We are trying to get them enlarged so we can send home some good pictures of those 63s. You know some of the pictures were actual close ups of the plane. He came so close to the ball turret at times he said he could have spit on him. It was a lot of fun watching all of it going on. He would come in and make a pass on our nose and look like we would hit and at the last moment, it seemed to me he would pull away 50 or 60 ft. away. I got some awful good looks at him if you consider 1/10 of a second a good look because he went under us that fast.
I seem to be writing uphill today. Maybe it means something but I guess it just is that I have my paper lopsided. I will try harder.
The tail gunner's folks were in town this weekend and we all went in to dinner with them. They are from El Paso and typical of the hospitable Texans. They have a farm 1 1/4 miles square and just a little thing they say. I don't know what they have on it except cotton and wheat but there must be something else. Anyway they are really wonderful people. They also have a beautiful 18 year old daughter!
I must go eat now so here's whats C.C.T.S stands for Combat Crew Training Station. Now don't you know a lot. Now see if anyone can guess what M.A.C. means. We use it every day in flying.
With love
Austin
{Ed. note - Austin had special stationery printed with his name and the US Army Air Forces emblem on it, as seen at the top of this letter. When he first got the stationery, he used it for each page of his letter. Now he uses it for only the first page of the letter and plain paper for the rest of the pages.}
Now I must explain what I am doing by not sending the same kind of paper. You see I have a lot of this other stuff and must get rid of it some way. It is about the same as the other and almost the same size so I hope it won't be too noticeable.
I went to church on the post this week for the first time in more than a year. In fact I can't remember attending a post service since J.B. which was a long time ago, at least it's beginning to seem like a long time. The service was nothing to talk about. The chaplain was a bad wanderer or I was because I can't remember what he talked about. He is really supposed to be very good because I have had to listen to several lectures on morals since I have been here and the last half of the time is devoted to a few statements by the chaplain. He gave two very good talks and I was somewhat impressed but Sunday's sermon kind of put a pin in my little balloon. Maybe he just had an off day.
I have been checked out now so I can take the ship and the crew up alone now. They tell you that they are not checking up on you as a safe pilot but as one who knows what to do if the time comes. I guess I know what to do all right but I am afraid the crew will feel a few hard landings before I get too good here. Now I am supposed to start their training and see that they do what they are supposed to up in the air. Ground school is all taken care of so air training is my speciality.
Sat. we went up on a camera mission. We had a 3 ship formation each ship having gun cameras. One of those new P63s made passes on the formation the object being to let the gunners track him with the gun cameras. Most of the fellows did very well and got a lot of good pictures. We are trying to get them enlarged so we can send home some good pictures of those 63s. You know some of the pictures were actual close ups of the plane. He came so close to the ball turret at times he said he could have spit on him. It was a lot of fun watching all of it going on. He would come in and make a pass on our nose and look like we would hit and at the last moment, it seemed to me he would pull away 50 or 60 ft. away. I got some awful good looks at him if you consider 1/10 of a second a good look because he went under us that fast.
I seem to be writing uphill today. Maybe it means something but I guess it just is that I have my paper lopsided. I will try harder.
The tail gunner's folks were in town this weekend and we all went in to dinner with them. They are from El Paso and typical of the hospitable Texans. They have a farm 1 1/4 miles square and just a little thing they say. I don't know what they have on it except cotton and wheat but there must be something else. Anyway they are really wonderful people. They also have a beautiful 18 year old daughter!
I must go eat now so here's whats C.C.T.S stands for Combat Crew Training Station. Now don't you know a lot. Now see if anyone can guess what M.A.C. means. We use it every day in flying.
With love
Austin
{Ed. note - Austin had special stationery printed with his name and the US Army Air Forces emblem on it, as seen at the top of this letter. When he first got the stationery, he used it for each page of his letter. Now he uses it for only the first page of the letter and plain paper for the rest of the pages.}
