10 February 1944
Dearest Mom and Dad,
I received your wonderful letter yesterday and decided that I would answer it immediately, even though it will be a great accomplishment if I can manage to talk this civilian typewriter into behaving.
You two must be really doing up the town, by the tone of mothers letter. Watch out now because youre alone in a big city and be careful not to let any of the city slickers take you for a ride. On second thought I doubt that there are many of the sharks left as the great majority of them have been drafted.
I have another overnight this weekend but am not going any place. I'll save my money and try to make it home the following weekend to see you over my birthday. That is, of course, if I earn the overnight which I don't think will be to extra difficult. (I hope)
Mary wrote and said she'd come up and see me sometime which wouldn't be bad at all. Maybe she could come home next weekend and everybody be there. But it is probably a exceptionaly long trip for her and time plays an pretty important part. If she can't arrange that we can go ahead and plan a time to meet either in Chicago or Indianapolis or Muncie sometime. [page break]
School is coming along fairly good and I'm taking nineteen words a minute in code, although I have another test today and anything can happen in a code test. Sometimes one can take the code fine and maybe the following day it seems as if his ears are clogged. Anyway I'm confident that I can stay the same if not improve a little today. Also the par test is at twenty words a minute and that shouldn't be too difficult.
I'm also taking direction finding which is not only a lot of fun but interesting at the same time. The equipment isn't the best but everything is copied from exact scales used on shipboard. We do have a few of the real big long range finders but not everybody gets a chance to operate them. We usually take bearings on local Chicago stations or Millwaukee. Yesterday (that's supposed to be a comma) I located Goshen, Indiana although it was kind of weak. Not another bad course is the lab where the inside of the radios are explained and we learn how to operate the receiving sets like those used at sea. All in all the courses are interesting and will no doubt encourage lots of of men in making ham sets after the wars over. At least I think I will.
The swing band that has been going along so fine the last few weeks seems to be destined to break up next week when company eighteen graduates. Almost the entire band is composed of men from that company. About five of us will remain unless [page break]
a miracle happens and the band is made ships company. But if the miracle doesn't come the best we can do is to try and locate replacements from the men we have and then wait untill a new company arrives possibly bringing new musicians. Otherwise the future is kind of dismal.
In only six more weeks I'll be crazy enough to be classified as a full fledged radioman. Only persons who are willing to lose their minds become radiomen.
Time is growing short now, so I'll sign off for now and get ready for school.
Lots of love,
me