January 19 and 24, 1943

                                                Jan 19
Dear Folks:
            Surely got cold here last night. The paper said the thermometer read 17° above this morning. The sky was clear except for a few high clouds from which a few pebbles of sleet fell. Our quarantine was lifted somewhat to-day. The men meet all formations with the rest of the squadron. They cannot be put on Guard or K.P. or go to P.X. but eat with the rest. Will have the usual physical examination every day. The bombadiers and navigators in this barracks signed the payroll today so they will probably get shipped out very soon. Thanks for the cake. Haven’t cut it yet. It arrived in good shape. The pay was for time up to Jan 1 or about 6 weeks. My base pay is $75 a month and $1.50 a week is deducted for laundry and $1.50 a month is taken out for the Cadet Club in S.A. Net should be about $67.50 a month. Got the vitamin pills also.

Jan 24. It is cloudy and warm today. Two men that went over to pre-flight with the last shipment were over here to visit Mouse and I. One was Martindell, a boy from Hutchinson. The negative I’m sending is I and 2 more cadets and was taken on Jan. 17 when we had a free hour and were lying in the sun. The next morning the temperature was down to about freezing. Got a letter from Harry Willman last week. Also a birthday card from Cora and Aunt Lou.
            The men from 1700 have been showing the rest of the squadron up lately. The other morning 1700 and a bunch of men transferred here from regular army were being drilled by the Cadet Captain. When he was through he remarked to our corporal that our bunch was a good deal better than the rest but they should be, because we were old army men. Our corporal of course got a big kick out of telling the captain that we were former civilians. We call the men transferred here from the army “GI men.” We also outlast the rest in calisthentics. Have drilled & played by ourselves so much that there is a sort of team spirit. We also took most events at the squadron track meet yesterday. Will probably be here at least until Feb 20.
                        Yours truly
                                    John