Tues. 22 Jan :46
My dear Fran:
Well honey we finally hit Hamilton Field safe and all in one piece. I should have written yesterday but was keep pretty busy processing. Our trip was quite uneventful as every one behaved very well our own little group, 5 fellows, had 3 half pints of Schenely’s and one case of beer the whole trip. We were keep on the train pretty much the whole trip getting off only a few minutes at each stop excepting a two hour lay over at Chicago and two hours at Barstow, Cal. We had dinner at Washington before leaving and breakfast at Chicago in the station all the other meals we ate in the dining car and they were very good. We took the southern route out here so we didn't see very many points of interest. We passed some pretty snow capped mountains in Colorado and Arizona of which we took pictures. Bob M. had the camera and he took several pictures of the scenery and us fellows so when he develops them I'll send a set home so I'll have something to remember my trip west. California is very beautiful and its just like summer only it gets quite chilly at night. I'd really like to live here and I'm sure you'd like it also. I hope some day we can enjoy seeing it together. We landed at Hamilton Field around 6:30. We came over the San Francisco-Oakland bridge and the Golden Gate bridge seen Alcatraz Federal Prison. The city is beautiful at night much prettier than N.Y. I think. After we got here we were issued bed clothing, had chow and then we all hit the hay early. Yesterday we were processing all day. We had a medical check including a plague shot, a medical briefing (in the event the plane is forced down at sea) we had another clothing issue, a personal affairs talk, and a talk by the postal clerk. We will leave here possibly Wednesday 20 men at a time. Every day at 10:30 A.M. and 4 P.M. to see if we are on the shipping list. We travel aboard a C-54 transport boy are they big. I'm not scared yet but I'm afraid I will be when I get on that plane. Enroute to Tokyo we stop at Hickam Field, Wake Island, and Marcus Island. I don't know for how long but I guess just long enough to refuel and eat. The field is 26 miles outside the city of Frisco and it takes one hour to go in by Grey hound 75˘ round trip. Everything closes at 12 o'clock in California. We don't have a thing to do all day but we dare not leave camp until 5 P.M. We pass a lot of our time watching the planes come in and take off. Its a very nice camp they have any thing and every thing. You will probably receive your birthday card the same time you get this letter. The card isn't very nice but its the only one they had at the P.X. it doesn't convey all I mean it to but I'm sure you know you have all my love. There isn't much here in the way of a present so may be when I get in Japan I can send you something nice. I bought myself a nice "Eversharp" pencil so you can tell Verna I got it with my birthday money that her and David gave me. It retails for $3.75 but I paid $2.10 in the P.X. Honey I hope you're not sitting home worrying because I don't want you to do that, just so long as you're a good girl I want you to enjoy yourself while I'm away. I'll be a good boy and when I get back to you I don't ever want to leave you again. I love you more than any thing in the world and I miss you very much but we'll hope and pray it won't be too long before I can be back in your arms again for good. I dropped postal cards to mother and Verna on my way out but didn't say much so tell them I'll write later and you can tell them most all this letter contains. I hope all my folks are well as well as your folks too so tell them all I sent my love and I'll write them from Tokyo. Once more I don't want you to forget I love you very much. Write the minute you receive my address because I want so much to hear from you. Be good and god bless you.
With all my love,
Your honey.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY XXXXXXX and a million more.