September 1, 1943

Advance Ahhh!

How's everybody back home these wonderful sunshiney days? It certainly is a beautiful world. Well who wouldn't be happy? Here I am, at a far off place from the classification center. It certainly looks a hell of a way ahead of me when I started out, and it even looked further away in those rough days at primary.

Basic was a little on the hard work side of life, but it seems as if anythings is worth is as long as you get through. All the boys say that we have even less time for ourselves here. It was so close that even that doesn't bother me. Nine weeks doesn't sound so short to people, but with is the day may drag the weeks fly by (I hope).

When we get to be upperclassmen we get to fly P-40's. Those are planes that the "Flying Tigers" made a name for themselves with over in Chine by knocking down the Jap planes. There'n no Japs here but I imaging it will be a lot of fun.

The school end of the deal is a snap. We only have school four and one half weeks while we're underclassmen.

Oh yes! Our quarters are semi-private rooms. Not bad either, it's a good sized room with small lockers as well as foot lockers. We also have tables and chairs and a few other articles scattered about. My room mare is a fellow be the name of MacDonald. It's not the same one back in Basic. Geezil went to twin engine. Geezil's been with us from the beginning, so I guess we'll have to substitute MacDonald.

We haven't done much since we've been here, the usual red tape, forms to fill out, pictures to be taken, flying clothes to be drawn, etc. Tomorrow we start off for the flight line. They'll tell us the instructors are like buddies and I certainly home so. It will be a relief not to be called a dumbass every time we go up dual. We start by buying out officers clothes in a few weeks or less.

There's been only two eliminated in the last class. One was breaking flying regulations and the other for military reasons. If we get caught talking in route, that means they have to repost to their next station at the end of the days.

Our trip from Goodfellow took 36 hours and it's on a little over three hundred miles. That's how bad the transportation system is down here. I think we went about three hundred miles further than we were supposed to.

The camp here is a very pretty place, nice green grass with tropical bushed and trees all over the place. All the buildings on the outside are covered with white asbestos shingles. I don't believe the food will be as good here. I'm telling you the food at Basic will top all , except your home cooked food MOM. I'm making this a nice long letter because once we start our schedule I don't know when I'll be able to write again. I promise I'll write at lease once a week.

Love and Kisses to All

"I"