January 23, 1943 - Pressure Chamber - Oxygen Training

   

Saturday Evening

Dear Mom + Dad,

I have a little more time to myself tonight and so I will try to add a little in lieu of that short note I wrote last night.  Probably the most important thing is tomorrow up comes our second open post.  I have nothing definite planned but I will manage to entertain myself well.  I have a few phone numbers maybe I can get a date.  I’ll let you know Monday.

I was up in a pressure chamber the other day and it was a very interesting experience.  They take you to 18,000 ft without any oxygen and the everyone put on oxygen masks except two who go as high as possible.  Due to the lack of oxygen they get a sensation similar to being drunk.  It really isn’t so much except coming down your ears bother you due to the change in pressure.

I had my final battleship test today and I thank God that that course is through.  I don’t think I got a good grade but I think I passed it all right and that’s all I ask for in that subject.  A thing where I have to memorize something is hard for me and that’s all it was.  We now substitute a maps and charts course for it, which should be fairly easy as I’ve had a course in that in New Paltz.  I passed a 7 word a minute test in code today with ease.  We only have to take 8 words a minute before we graduate.  I can do that now.  Yesterday I tried taking 12 words a minute to get an exemption from the course but that was a little stiff right now.  However I’m no longer worried about that as I can pass the minimum requirements with ease right now.

You mentioned sending me a subscription to Readers Digest.  I have never seen a copy of it at all.  So you had better check up on it and see what the score is.  I’d sure like to have that subscription and I’d try to find time to read, even though I don’t have much.

It sure feels good to be free tonight as I have no tests to worry about.  I’m passing everything.  My hardest course is behind me.  Open post tomorrow.  It seems that is the first time I’ve been able to relax all week.  Believe me they really keep us on the go all the time even as upperclassmen.

Well I guess that’s it.  I’ll write again Monday.

Love

Bob

P.S. I’m sending you a copy of the Tale Spinner.

PS2 I got 157 out of 100 on my battleship, a real achievement for me.  I’ll have about a 90 average in it.

January 22, 1943 - Haven't Much Time - Inspection/Test Tomorrow

 

Friday Evening

Dear Mom + Dad,

I haven’t much time to write tonight but I want to scribble off a few lines in answer to your letter received toady.  Tomorrow’s inspection, and then we have our final test on battleships tomorrow so I haven’t much time.

I got a kick out of reading that old letter.  Now you can see why my mail is messed up.  In regards to my insurance – In the army (G.I) you pay for your own insurance.  As a cadet they give you a $10,000 policy while you are in training and pay for it.  Your old policy is then discontinued, the ($2000 I had in the army.)   When I finish I pay for it myself, but for now the government pays it until I graduate.  Don’t change the name (maiden).  I’m sorry I made that mistake.  Terrible isn’t it.

I passed my physical test with a 94% and I was worrying.  Should have had a 100 though.  Went up in the pressure chamber today.  I’ll tell you about it later.  Sorry I haven’t more time to write but I really must go to work.  I’ll write more tomorrow

Love

Bobby

January 21, 1943 - Feet per Second per Second

  

Thursday Morning

Dear Mom + Dad,

Here I am on barracks guard again this morning.  I don’t mind this job at all as it give you nothing to do but sit around all morning and write letters, study, and generally relax.  I neglected to write to you last night and so I will take the available time I have to catch up.

Today is our day for a physics test and it will probably be a pip.  The darn instructor we have is no good at all and as a consequence we are suffering.  I’m glad I have has physics before as it makes it that much easier for me.  I don’t think I will have too much trouble with it if I don’t make any silly mistakes.  I’d hate like the devil to fail it as if you are deficient in a subject on open post days you attend a review class and it ruins your whole day.  I’m not fixing to stay here for that if I can possibly help it.  It is very easy to make foolish mistakes, for example, we had a 10 minute quiz in it about 4 days back and I got only a 75.  Here’s why one of the problems answer can out in “feet per second per second”  I had the correct figure in working the problem and I put down ft per second instead of feet per second per second.  I knew better but anyway for leaving that off I got 25 points off.  Thus you can see how easy it is to make those little mistakes where you get full credit taken off for a silly mistake it really hurts.  I’ll just have to be more careful and I’m fairly certain I can get a good grade.

Things otherwise are running along fairly smoothly.  Our underclassmen are slowing coming around and are beginning to know what is expected of them.  There are certain good points to this class system.  I’m really swinging over in favor of it.  It really does teach you discipline and that is what the army needs.  Of course I try to make it as easy for the underclassmen as much as possible.  You can rack them back for something or you can trust them diplomatically.  I try the latter as I find it gets better results.

It won’t be long now before I will be moving to primary school and actual flying.  I have a tough job ahead of me but I sincerely think flying will be fun.  I wouldn’t want to flunk out of the cadets now for anything.  However in primary about 60% are washed out because they can’t fly in the time the army allots them.  I hope I can remain in that 40% and stay out of the 60%.  There is nothing to do but wait and see. 

I guess that’s the news from here.

All My Love

Bob

January 19, 1943 - Open Post Has Come and Gone, Underclassmen Arrive

 

Tuesday Evening

Dear Mom + Dad,

Open post has come and gone and the old routine comes around again.  This time brightened by the faces of our underclassmen.  Yes, they finally arrived last night at about 4AM.  We were on our open post then but we took our toll today.

I had a lot of fun yesterday but didn’t do anything particularly exciting.  I spent most of the day in the Gunter Hotel.  We have the use of several of their big dining halls as cadets.  They have a reading room there.  It cost us $2 a month as a member of the cadet club for the privilege.  It is very nice as it gives us something to do and a nice place to go.  I met several girls but no one in particular.  I bought myself a pair of O.D. pants which set me back $10.  I needed an extra pair and I got a good one.  I’ll get my money’s worth out of them.  One of my pair shrunk away to nothing when I sent them to the dry cleaner.  I have to exchange them for another pair as soon as they have an exchange day.

The underclassmen are here and they sure look like a scared bunch.  I imagine I looked that way too though now it doesn’t seem possible.  The poor boys will have a hard time for a few days but it really isn’t so bad all the baloney they have to go through and we went through.  I guess they’ll survive and chalk one up to experience.

They are really pouring it on to us in our classes.  In naval identification we are having a test about every day.  We get about 10 to 15 ships a day, then you have to learn them for a test the next day.  It is really enough to drive a man crazy.  We have terrible pictures of them and the ones we identify are worse on the test.  However I’ve gotten them all right in two test before.  But it is really keeping me on the go.  Then too we have a poor physics teacher.  I’m thankful I’ve had physics or I’d be lost.  They really rush through things and it just about puts you in a nut house to keep up with them.

Your Saturday letter arrived today and it was good to hear from you.  Well guess that is all the news from here.

All My Love

Bob