Dear Mother,

I'm in Pre-Flight School now as you most probably know and will be located here for nine weeks. Really, the hazing that goes on here isn't quite as bad as most people think. So far, I've been able to get plenty to eat and haven't been in too many braces. The most that I've been in in one day has been about twenty. But, I can guarantee you that twenty braces in one day is plenty.

Our school is about one mile from the classification center and for the first 4 and 1/2 weeks here I'm to be known as an underclassman. During this period I'm subject to all types of hazing. However, an upperclassman is not permitted to touch an underclassman bodily without the underclassman's permission.

One of the many rules governing my life now is that I'm not permitted to laugh or smile at any time. Sometimes it's pretty difficult to keep from smiling. In my barracks here there are 13 underclassmen and 26 upperclassmen, so we are well taken care of.

In pre-flight, we have only two men to a room. I'm with a fellow named Ray Calenburg - he's from Chicago and a swell guy. From here on in I don't have to do K.P. - the school hires some Mexicans to do the dirty work around the post.

For the first two weeks, we have physical training, drill and lectures. After that, we have 6 weeks of classes. This includes physics, code, maps and charts, etc.

Well, before I close, I want to tell you something about San Antonio. One thing is the colored situation. All colored people bow to the whites. They have certain seats in the rear of buses for colored people, and certain theater, restaurants, etc. I have yet to see a colored and white person together. A colored person will step off of the sidewalk to allow a white person to pass. Naturally they have separate schools.

Well, I must close for now, but will write again soon.

Love,
Jack

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