September 14, 1943

Dear Mom, Pop, Jerry, Mary and Mat,

   I am starting to get the hang of the schedule now so I can squeeze a few lines in here and there. Fifteen minutes before chow so I will write as much as I can.
  Received Mom's letter yesterday and was glas to hear what's happening way back in Old New York.
  I had better give you the list of clothes I will need to have out here.
               2 T shirts                 1 pr kaki trousers
               4 underpants            3 kaki shirts
               2 undershirts           1 kaki hat
               Pr black shoes         1 kaki shorts
               4 pr black socks      1 blue & gold sweater
   If you can spare a few crackers it would help fight off starvation for 3 young men.
   Didn't go up today. The two fellows before had a little longer lesson so I will go up first tomorrow.
   I have never seen so large a group of men that are so flat broke. I doubt if between the twenty five men in my platoon we can raise ten dollars. There has been a delay in our checks from New York, but the 20th we all should get 75 smackeronies. Gene and I are so broke we can't even get our laundry out Friday.
   Next chance I get I will drop Geof a letter. I hope you haven't forgot to send me Bub's address. I promised him I would write.
   They certainly do have beautiful weather out here. We have been here almost two weeks and I doubt if the sky has been cloudy for more than three hours straight.
   Bob Condon's birthday was yesterday, and he just received a package from home. They sent him a cake, candles, birthday party paper caps and candy so Saturday night we are going to have a party. We'll never grow up, weill we. There's nothing else to do that night. Last Saturday night Gene and I went to bed at 8:30 beleive it or not.
   Just came back from chow. Mashed potatoes, string beans, butterscotch pudding and something resembling meat. Oh is the meat tough out here. There's something peculiar about it though. If you yell giddy up the meat will jump off of the plate. I wonder why?
   It certainly is a good thing I brought my jacket with me. We hit the deck at 0500 and start flying at 0615 and believe me it is plenty cold at that time of the day.
   By the way, you wanted to know if I was living at an airport or a college. Well I live at the college and go to the airport by the school bus. The airport is about eight miles outside of town. They have no pictures of the school and we are not allowed cameras so there isn't much chance of me getting you any picture at all.
    I guess there's not much more to say and I will have to go to Aerology class in a few minutes.
                                                 This is the Navy signing off
                                                                               Jim