November 12, 1942 – Aviation Cadet

Thursday Evening

Dear Mom + Dad,

Well I’m now in the air corps for real and ready to embark on my new career. My address is as follows:

Av./C. Robert E Haring
San Antonio, Air Cadet Center
Cadet Classification Squadron 104
San Antonio, Texas

Of course the Av/C stands for aviation cadet my new title for the time being anyway. I’m here for the express purpose of being classified. I have to take several exams before they decide my fate. As the tests unfold and they go along they lead to 4 different classifications. 1. Pilot 2. Navigator 3. Bombardier 4. Ground Duty. Of course I can’t tell which one of the four I will end up in as only time and the results of the tests will tell. I rather hope it will be pilot but to tell the truth anyone of the four will be all right by me. I’ve accomplished one of my main purposes of getting out of the medics and into the air corps. I made my own bed so from here in I have to lie in. Thus I have no complaints coming.

I’ll probably be here for at least a month. After you’re classified you have to await your appointment as to whatever they classify you. Then to it is very possible that you may stay here. It is just one of those propositions that you can’t tell from one moment to the next. But you can count on pretty near a month anyway. After that God knows what.

I reported in here this morning around 11A.M. I had a very nice time for the 3 nights in San Antonio. It cost me quite a little money but it will be worth it. I’m now confined to the company area and can’t even go over to the PX to buy anything. It sure is going to be sad but I can’t do anything about it. I can get some of the boys that can go to get stuff for me. I have to have a few things like soap, shaving cream but I guess I’ll be able to get them. Incidentally speaking of that how about shipping me a cartoon of Camels for my consumption. I think I’ll be able to use them.

This place is pretty rough. I’m called “Mr” again instead of Corporal. Here’s a few of the things I have to do: Cut square corners, eat with one hand, absolute silence during meals, marched everywhere I go, sit on the edge of the chair I eat off of, and all sorts of things like that. You’ve heard of the treatment a West Point Cadet gets. Well this place is very similar to that. It is going to be a little rough but I guess I can stand it. I’ve been able to take everything the army has thrown at me so far. I probably won’t like it but I’ve learned to stand things like that. I let them creep out every once in a while but I usually do pretty well. So I’ll probably take it out on you every now and then. I really feel pretty good about the whole thing now. I’ll have it rough but I have a chance to learn something and advance myself a little. In the end I know it will all work out to my advantage.

I have swell barracks to sleep in. Tables to write on. Closets for my clothes, and they are pretty swell. They are the nicest barracks I’ve been in since I’ve been in the army. It seems like heaven after coming out of the desert and what I lived in for the past months.

I haven’t received my barracks bags with all my junk in them. They are messed up as far as getting them but I guess they will turn up. I packed my radio in one of them. I bet it won’t be worth much by the time I get it. But I didn’t want to carry (it) myself. It isn’t worth much and I need a new one so I thought I’d take a chance on packing it away. I have just a bare minimum of clothes and I don’t think I’ll get any here, not until I become classified anyway.

Well I guess I’ve told you all the news. If there is anything that isn’t clear write me and ask about it. Write me soon.

Love

Bob

P.S. I’ll try and write as often as possible but I imagine they’ll keep me pretty busy so _____

PS2. You will receive a letter typewritten from me. It is a form and you have to send it out. Take it for what it’s worth.

November 12, 1942 - AFCC Arrival Form Letter

Apparently Poops was required to send this upon his check-in. Note his "this wasn't my idea" comment on the bottom of the letter.

November 11, 1942 – Tomorrow

Wed Eve

Dear Mom + Dad,

I’m staying over at the hotel until tomorrow morning when I’m going to turn in and start my career as a flying cadet. I won’t get out for a long time as I’m having fun. This is a terrible place to write on the arm of a chair in the hotel lobby. Oh well, I didn’t write you today. I’ll write air mail for sure tomorrow evening. Wish me luck.

Love
Bob

November 10, 1942 – Betwixt and Between

Tuesday Morning

Dear Mom + Dad,

Here’s that letter I promised you on the card I wrote last night. I can’t promise you that this will be any good because I’m in a peculiar mood. I just can’t make up my mind if I’m happy about this deal or not. I really have no particular ambitions as far as the army is concerned and yet my pride makes me try to get ahead. So you can see I’m rather betwixt and between. Then to I don’t like jumping around all over the country. That is one thing about the army I’ll never get accustomed to. You get acquainted in one place and then they drag you out. I’m not too worried about my difficulties as I know they will straighten out in a few days. I’m anxious to take my tests so as I can determine just what my course will be for the next few months. I guess if I do get through I will have it pretty rough for awhile. I guess I can take it though so I’m not worried about that yet either. I guess it is breaking away from all my friends and going into something new that makes me feel this way. Undoubtedly everything will work out in the end.

I’m going to check in to the Classification Center sometime tomorrow. That will get me there just a little before Thursday my reporting date. I’m now staying in a hotel. There are eight of us fellows all staying in the same place. We are touring the city to see the sights. San Antonio isn’t a bad town but it is a soldier’s town and they are never what they should be. Too many G.I.’s. I’ve seen the Alamo where the slogan came from in the war of 1812 “Remember the Alamo’. It isn’t much but a monument and a few old buildings. The ones in New Paltz are much more interesting.

We pulled in here last night around 7 P.M. which wasn’t too bad time. In fact it was much better than I expected. The train ride was dull and uninteresting. I’ve found the only way to travel for seeing the country is by car. Trains go through the rotten part of cities, towns, + country.

You can write to me if you wish at Air Force Classification Center (A.F.C.C) San Antonio, Texas. I’ll probably get it. Of course as soon as I get out there I’ll send you my address air mail.

That’s all for now. I’ll try and write as often as I get the chance but if I don’t you’ll know I’m busy and I trust you’ll understand.

Love
Bob

November 9, 1942 – Arrived in San Antonio

Dear Mom + Dad,

I’m now in San Antonio. I have until Thurs. to report in so I’m spending a few days in town. Once I get in I don’t imagine I’ll have much time so I’m taking advantage of this opportunity. I’m staying at a hotel and as yet haven’t any definite address. So hold off until I notify you of my new address. I will write to you tomorrow morning. If you want to write you can take a chance on the address on this card. I’ll probably get it sooner or later.

The trip down here was very unexciting and nothing unusual occurred. San Antonio seems fairly nice. I think I will like it. At least it’s better than the desert. Until tomorrow.

Love
Bob

November 8, 1942 – In Arizona, Orders Enclosed

Grandma Nor Note: “Mailed from Douglas, Arizona”

Sunday Afternoon

Dear Mom + Dad,

I don’t know how this letter is going to turn out as the darn train won’t stop bouncing up and down. However I’m going to try to give it a try anyway. I’m now somewhere in Arizona, out in the wilds between Phoenix and Tucson. We should be pulling into Tucson soon and I’m going to try and mail this there.

I wrote you a card last night and mailed it in Indio on which I gave you a little of the dope. I’ll try to enlarge on that now. I finally left camp about 2P.M. and arrived in Indio a little after 3. We then tried to get tickets for the 20 of us that are going but they couldn’t make room for us on the regular trains. So after much bickering they finally decided to hook another coach on the troop train for us. Well after spending a very boring evening in Indio and hours of waiting at the station, we finally got off at 3AM in the morning. Naturally we piled right into bed to try and catch a little sleep that we missed. The train isn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. The air cadets have a pullman car all to ourselves. (Here’s Tucson so the letter won’t get off here. I’ll try the next stop. I’m going for a little walk pardon me) Here I am again after a short break. To continue where I left off. We also eat on a dining car so we didn’t do so bad. The train consists, outside of us, of all new rookies who are going to Kentucky to get a little training. However we are segregated from them and don’t have much to do with them. I suppose that our car will be taken off when we hit San Antonio. I don’t know just when we’ll get there. We should pull in some time tomorrow but these darn troop trains don’t make very good time so I don’t know.

We have to pay $1 a meal for our eats. They messed that up to as we aren’t getting the $5 a day advance until we get there. We should have it in advance. So we pay out of our own pocket and I suppose it will be worth your life to collect the $5 per day we’re allowed.

I’m going to enclose a copy of the orders that we given to me. I have 5 of them. God knows why but I have them. They will give you most of the details that I know. We report to AFCC (Air Force Classification Center) on the 12th. We’ll have a few extra days but I think I’ll report in as soon as I get there. The quicker I get underway the better I’ll feel. I guess that AFCC San Antonio Texas is my address. However, I’ll write you air mail and give you all the dope as soon as I get there.

The war news is beginning to look better everyday. I only hope it keeps up as good. I still want to get home and teach school even though at present I rather like the idea of what I’m going in.

This is a long boring trip. I’ve ridden this section of the country quite a few times and it is barren and desolate and very uninteresting to look at. After we hit El Paso I go on a different route than I’ve ever been before but that will be all through god awful Texas.

This is shaking so much I can hardly read it myself. I guess I’d better quit. I’ll write again when I get the chance.

Love
Bob

November 8, 1942 – A Troop Train

Dear Mom + Dad,

I guess the government decided to really fix me up so instead of 1st class travel they have showed up with us on a troop train. It will probably take us about 5 days to get there via those darn things. What can you do about it. The train is supposed to pull in here around 2 A.M It is now after 12 and I still have to wait. Nothing like the good old army. Until I can write again

Love
Bob

November 7, 1942 – Ready to Go

Saturday Morning

Dear Mom + Dad,

I neglected to write to you yesterday so I’m sending this out air mail today for that reason and because I’m leaving. It is now about 11 AM and at 1 P.M I leave camp here for San Antonio. I’ve been running around all morning getting packed and so forth and now have a few minutes to scribble off a few lines. I turned in practically all of my equipment. There is a mess up on my records somewhere but I hope in the end everything will turn out all right. It usually does so I’m not worried. I got all my clothes back from the cleaners and salvage so I can leave with that off my mind.

I went into Palm Springs last night as a final goodbye to this place. I had a very good time and arrived here in camp at about 2 A.M. I was a little tired until I took one of our special deluxe Camp Young showers. They are ice cold and I mean cold. So after getting out of there I woke up and felt like a new man. So here I am writing to you and all ready to go. I’m looking forward to the trip. Of course I go a little east of here. I expect to pull in San Antonio about Monday. I will be the closest to home I’ve ever been since I left Upton. Only about 2200 miles. However you can make N.Y. in a little over 2 days and a lot easier than from here. I don’t know why I’m worrying about coming home as I don’t think I’ll get there for quite awhile. But as least I’ll be a little closer to home than I am now.

I received your Tuesday night letter and was glad to hear from you. If you don’t mind I’ll close now as I’m a little on edge with all this moving and stuff. I’ll get in touch with you as soon as I possibly can and let you know my new address. Until I arrive at San Antonio then

Love
Bob

November 5, 1942 – Getting Things Ready Before Leaving

Thursday Evening

Dear Mom + Dad,

Your Sunday letter finally arrived today and I was glad to hear from you. Last night I not only received the news of my departure but I also received all my back mail. It has been laying here and I didn’t know it was here. So everything worked out fine. I think I told you I received a letter from you dated the 19th of October. Just a little late but at least I got it.

As far as I know I leave Saturday but it is possible that I may leave Friday or tomorrow. Of course it will be either one of the two. I’m rather inclined to think it will be Saturday as our reporting date is the 12th and it will take about 1 ½ to 2 days to get there according to how we go. I’m still excited about the whole deal. I really expected Santa Anna and then I’m ending up in San Antonio. There are several air fields there but I think I’ll go to either Kelly or Randolph Fields. I don’t know if I’ll stay there or not but at least I’m embarking on my career in the air corps. Of course I’ll write and let you know all about it as soon as I get there.

I got paid today. It took me almost five hours to wrangle around to getting it but I managed it. I was paid $60. I’m going to hold off sending you the $25 until I see if I get paid at the end of this month or not. I imagine I’ll be messed up for awhile so rather than send it and then have to come back and ask for it again I’ll hold on to it. I have about 80 bucks in my pocket now and it sure feels good.

I’m going to (get) messed up royally if I leave Friday. I have my coat in the cleaners and it won’t be back until Saturday morning. I have some clothes being salvaged and they won’t be back until Saturday either. I’m afraid if I leave tomorrow I’ll lose all those things. I hate to depend on them being forwarded to me. Then too my record in supply is messed up. I’ve turned in stuff and it isn’t checked off. I sure hope everything works out fine. If not I’m liable to be up a tree for quite a few bucks through no fault of mine. I’m doing all I can on it so I guess in the end it will all work out O.K. At least I hope so,

I’m still in a dither about this whole deal and I’m doing some running around trying to get things in shape before I leave. I have been all messed up since I left the 5th Fid. The wrong place, record mix ups, and so forth. I’ll be glad when I get settled to a little more (or) less peace.

Well that’s all for now. I’ll write from now on when I get the chance.

Love
Bobby

November 4, 1942 – Happy to Be Transferring to San Antonio

Wednesday Evening

Dear Mom + Dad,

Here I go for the second time today but this one will arrive first as it is going out air mail the first thing in the morning. I want you to know all about this as it is the best news I’ve heard in a long time. In fact the best since they told me I could have a furlough. I’m going to San Antonio, Texas and I’m leaving Saturday. I just received the word tonight and I’m really happy about it. I told you about the boys going there and that I wasn’t on the list. Tonight they called all the air cadets together and my name is on the list to go to San Antonio. I said when I left Texas, I didn’t want to go back but here I am just overjoyed at the chance to go. San Antonio is in the nicer part of Texas. Anyway it will seem so good to get out of the bowels of California. I’m really happy that my transfer has come through so soon. Now I can get started on my career as an air cadet.

I’m really too excited to write much more this evening. I’ll try it again tomorrow on my regular system. I’m leaving Saturday and have to be there the 12th. I’ll be there before that as it is only about 1700 miles from here. I don’t think I’ll ride a troop train at least I hope not. I’ll try again tomorrow. I think you have the facts. It’s just that I can’t think of anything else. You understand.

Love
Bobby

P.S. Don’t write again until you hear from me. They would probably follow me but – I just received all my back mail today. I got one of yours postmarked Oct 19.

November 4, 1942 – Out of Shape

Wednesday Afternoon

Dear Mom + Dad,

I rather expected to receive your usual Sunday letter but it didn’t arrive in this morning’s mail call. It will probably come in tonight but I usually write your letter before the evening mail comes in so I’m not going to change now.

I went to see Kay Kyser last night and I enjoyed him very much. I have seen him quite a few times but even so he is still good. It is not often out here on the desert that you get a chance to see a big orchestra. You know how I like music so I guess you picture my pleasure in seeing Kay.

I guess I’ll go to the show tonight as there is nothing much else to do. I’m also planning on going to Palm Springs again this weekend and at least getting away from here for a short time. Trips like that do your outlook on life a lot of good for a short time anyway.

All air cadets are going to meet outside of the orderly tent tonight at 6 P.M. I don’t think it is anything very important. I imagine they just want to get a list of the ones that are here and send it to the Corps Area headquarters. If it is anything real important I’ll write again and let you know about it. If not it will keep for tomorrow.

I ran into a friend of mine that I had when I was back in Beaumont. He came down here with me but was in the 3rd Field Hospital. I hadn’t seen him in about 3 months as we’ve been in different parts of the desert. It was good to talk over old times again.

I took a long walk this morning to some much needed exercise. I don’t get very much of that stuff anymore. I’m really in bad shape physically compared to what I should be. I know if I played a game of basketball now that it would just about kill me. Of course I’m accustomed to adverse conditions and feel fine, but I don’t think I could do any really strenuous exercise. If you know what I mean. Even when I was back in civilian life I always played ball and stuff at school and outside. Now I never do. Oh well, I’m in fine health so why should I worry.

I guess that’s it for now. I’ll come in again tomorrow.

Love
Bob