Dear Mom:

No one seems to know why the orders were cancelled or how long we will be here, but here we sit, not knowing what comes next.

Higgans and I are still trying to get into fighters but don’t see much hope for any luck, guess we are doomed to four – engine bombers. Meanwhile, we go on flying bombardiers day in day out as we have done for the past year now.

I can hardly realize that the 8^th of next month I will have been commissioned a whole year.

Mom, do you remember John Rhyme, I think he wrote you a letter when we first left Decatur. He made bombardier and went to Europe sometime ago. I wrote him a letter not long ago and his Mother wrote me back. I am enclosing her letter, it will speak for itself.

Hig and I plan to fly up to St. Louis next week-end and to go somewhere every week-end there after while we can. We have been told that Feb. 24^th is the absolute dead-line for us here as the school will close and our service will no longer be needed here. We figure on getting all the flying time we possibly can before we move out. I have already passed 1000 hours in the air and have nearly 1100 so I am not longer a junior birdman.

Still like fling just as much as I did the first time I ever went up. So far I have never felt the least murmer of airsickness, have never had the slightest accident of any kind; never even scratched a ship yet. Higgans had his first the other night. He was taxing out to take-off position a guy driving a tug (little go-cart like a small tractor) ran right out in front of him. Hig slammed on brakes but too late and it damaged the wing of the ship a little. The tug driver was completely to blame.

Be closing for now. Give my love to all and by the way, I am sending you my watch again, the stem fell out. Please take it down and have them fix it just once more. I think I will sell it or maybe throw it away if they won’t give me a refund, and by me a good watch somewhere out here.

Love to all,

Roy