Month: August 1942

Dear Jocie,

Hello Jocie-how are you darling-just fine I hope. I am so sorry I haven’t had time to send many pictures home-but you will have to realize how busy I am out here. I have your picture, along with mother’s and dad’s in my billfold. I think of you a lot Jocie. I bet that when I see you again you’ll be quite a young lady. All of my boy friends wish you were a few years older so they could have a chance. They really are swell bunch of fellows.

I wish you, Thelma, mother, and dad could come up here to see me-but, that’s out of the question I guess.

You should see the funny haircuts everyone has out here. They call them the west point haircut. They shave your head way up on the sides and cut the hair short on top-you’d laugh yourself sick if you saw me.

We had another gas mask and drill yesterday. Gosh! They are really tough. We have to march an hour at a time without taking them off. At the end of an hour it feels pretty darn good to fill your lungs with fresh air. We have to put on our gas masks in three seconds flat. Boy, that’s really moving isn’t it.

We have just about finished all of our classes now so I think we will be moving off for primary training pretty soon. Gosh! I hope I can fly an airplane. You know, some fellows just can’t fly at all-if I washout I know you’ll still think I’m a pretty good brother (I hope). I really miss you Jocie-I didn’t realize how much you meant to me until I left home. I am so lucky-I have a swell girlfriend, lovely parents and the nicest little sister anyone could want. Well Jocie I am running out of paper so please write to me darling. Your big brother will really appreciate a letter from his sister.

Loads of love,

Jim

P.S. Work hard in school darling. Make mother and dad proud of you. I’m trying to make good for them! We are so lucky that we have such nice parents.

Hello darlings-

I hope you aren’t angry because of my slack in writing-I just didn’t have time last week due to our schedule. We have school in the daytime now so we can write it at night anyway.

We finished our math course yesterday and believe it or not I have an average grade of 92% in all my tests. That was third highest in her class. If I can do as well in physics as I have in math everything will be okay.

Tell Dad that a fellow cadet in my squadron was washed out because of stomach ulcers yesterday. Gosh-you can’t be sure of anything here. He was a swell kid too-they put us through a pretty tough grind and it’s survival of the fittest I guess. I’m worried so darn much about my math and then found out I have the third highest grade in the class. I don’t think worrying does anybody any good but, you know us Mother-if we haven’t something to worry about we aren’t happy. My code is coming along beautifully so far my average is very high. I can take down 10 words a minute now.

Some poor fellows just can’t get it through their heads. Take the cadet in our next room for instance-he’s worried sick thinking about washing out due to his code-he can’t get those dots and dashes through his. The instructor told us that it comes easy to some and hard for others.

We had mail calls a few minutes ago-we all rushed madly to the mail orderly’s tent. Thelma sent me some goodies and a letter-I also got a letter from you and Ed Schneider. Everybody is so swell about writing me.

Say, mother you said in your letter if I wanted anything to ask. Well, here I go, if you could find a little radio-the smaller the better-about 6 inches by 4 inches if possible. If you can find one I’d appreciate it very much. It’s very lonely without any companionship except cadets at all and I think a radio would help. Remember Mother if you can get a small one it’s a lot handier. They charge you 100 prices out here for a radio! You tell me how much they cost and I will send you the money as soon as we are paid.

I will write tomorrow

Your loving son, Jim

P.S. The pictures were cut out of a Los Angeles paper.