Dear Dad,

I'm very sorry to disappoint you. I didn't get a single look at the Ozarks. You probably know that my group traveled by way of Kentucky and Tennessee. Personally, I would have preferred the other route, but I'm not the commanding officer. I have completely finished all of my exams here at the classification center and am expecting my classification as a pilot any day now. Al Brigham was classified as a navigator and Charles is a pilot.

As I told you previously, Dick was grounded because of a chronic sinus condition. He is to be sent along with other draftees to the regular Army in the Air Force ground crew. This has been rather a hard blow to Dick. However, he is planning to request an operation or some sort of treatment and if it proves successful, he can get back in flying duty in 90 days.

Dad, you would be surprised at the climate down here. It averages 95-100 all afternoon, but is cool enough at night to provide for good sleeping. There hasn't been rain for more than a two hour stretch since I have been here. I'm going to enjoy the whole thing very much.

When it comes to calling home, that is practically an impossibility. You see Dad, no calls are allowed to leave the post here and because of the "women" in San Antonio, us cadets are not allowed to have open posts - only on exceptional cases.

I just received some news, both good and bad! It is a rule around here that an unclassified man cannot be put on K.P. or guard duty. I just received word that I'm on K.P. all day tomorrow. In other words, I've been accepted for flying duty. I'm rather proud of this because it took me exactly 7 days to receive the news, while the average time is 15 days. Pretty good, huh? Also, I was the first man in my barracks to be classified, 90 men in my barracks also. From now on in I will either be on K.P. or guard duty every day until I leave for Pre-Flight School.

Dad, this place where I am now located and will be located for approximately 2 months is called, "The West Point of the Air." What do you think of that? All cadets here are subject to the same rules and regulations as a cadet at the real West Point. I just was told this today by a Lieutenant Wilson, my commanding officer.

This letter has been written off and on since 5:00 p.m. this afternoon and it is now bedtime. This is how much spare time I have had today. The time certainly passes rapidly, because we have so much to do. And everything here is really strict. It is just what everybody said that it would be.

Well, time to close, but will write again at my next opportunity. Take care of everything and write soon.

Love,
Jack

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