September 12, 1945 1200

Dear Mom, Pop, Mary, Jerry and Mat,
   I was suure glad to receive Mom's letter on the 7th, yesterday. I have been here a week and it has been my only connection to civilization.
   My flying time is now sic hours. Sometime next week I should solo. The other day we were practicing spins. Oh are they hot stuff. You cut the throttle and slowly pull back the stick. The nose of the plane climbs up and up until you lose flying speed then the plane turns over ans starts straight down. The first spin you don't know where you are buty slowly you recover your senses and pull the plane out of straight and level flight. It's the pulling out that really gets you. It seems as if ten men are pulling you down into the seat. Your cheeks are pulled way into your head and your arms are like lead. I bet Jerry would get a kick out of it.
  Last Monday we didn't do any flying because the instructors were free for Labor day. As in true Navy style, rather than let us have a few hours off, we had a "field day". No, we didn't go out and play games or the like. Instead all of the cadets had to clean the rooms until there was not a spot of dirt anywhere. Gene and  I, much as we disliked it, scrubbed the walls, scrubbed the desks, scrubbed the floors until we thought we wore out our brushes. everything  in sight was dusted, redusted and reredusted. The plastic Venetian blinds for our windows were a pain in the neck. Getting in those corners really knocked us out.We even took apart our beds to make sure we did not miss anything.
  Then the big moment came. The officers of this station came around to make the inspection.  The first place the senioe officer went was to the blinds. Gene and I were sure confident but low and behold the some of a gun found dust. I still say he had dust on his hands when he came in the rooms. Then what does he do but get down on his knees, crawl under one of our desks, sticks his had on the wood supporting the drawer and bawls us out for having dirt there. That was the last straw.
   Some of the fellows claimed that he used his white hankerchief to find dust in their rooms.
   Gene and I have decided that all the cleaning isn't worth it.Next inspection we aren't going to touch a thing and just sit around or sleep. Might as well, we will get demerits anyway.
   Jack Burns, Bob Condon, Gene and I just spent a "big" sunday afternoon in Las Vegas. We went to see the big show in town "Bataan". There are only three movies in town but dadets are oonly permitted to go to two of them.
   Coming back we stopped in for a soda at the local "confectionary shop". We were all trying to figure how four "healthy" young men like us ended up in a forgotten ( or yet discovered) country like New Mexico.
    Off the main drag (street) you always see someone riding a horse. Jerry would get a great kick out of seein all the cowboys, bowlegged as ever, high boots, ten gallon hats and all. Coming back from the airport yesterday we watched cowboys trying to corral a horse, jsut like you see in the movies. Boy, this is some country.
    Received a letter from Bobby yesterday. He seems to think that he will stay in Pocatello for the winter.
   Thanks for Geof"s address. I will try and drop him a line in the next spare time.
   Hint. If you could possibly scrape a few crackers together they would certainly be appreciated by everyone here. The storekeepers here won't sell us any food. Last night we practically had to beg a bottle of milk, for four of us, last night.
                       
                                                   Will close now sending
                                                                     Love to all
                                                                                  Jim
P.S. Please excuse Army Air corp writing paper but I found this in the drawer when I got here.
  

September 3, 1945

Dear Folks,

  Finally have a few minutes to write.
  Arrived here in Las Vegas about noon yesterday.We walked up to the school and were assigned quarters. Boy are they hot stuff. Gene Cole and I were lucky enough to be put together. The room is swell and clean as a whistle. I see where I will have to do a little dusting. Plenty of space and a whole bureau to a man. That is something we never had up in Troy.
  What meals we have here waitresses serve you and you can have all the food you want. That's one consolation.
   Believe it of not I was up today hardly in the air ten minutes when he told me to take over. What a thrill. Boy- you can't beat flying. It's a great. When you go into those banks and slips, your stomach tightens up and your heart goes in your mouth.
   I thought I was crampped for time when I was in R.R.I. Well this place makes Troy look sick. I have only a few minutes before show so that is how I can write this letter.
  I think I had better close now. Will write again Sunday.
                                                                          The Navy man,
                                                                                      Jim
PS Don't send my blues or whites. There's no place you can wear them.

Just came back from chow. The meal was swell only the cook forgot to take the Indian's arrow out of the Buffalo meat. Have a few more thins to clean up so I will close again.

 
  

September 2, 1943-Postcard

Stopping here at Raton New Mexico for breakfast. Should be in Las Vegas within three hrs. Boy is it cold in these parts.
                                                                       Jim