February 3, 1945
Dear Sisters,
How are you all weathering the good old fashioned winter you are having? Plus the freight embargo, brown out, and any other out, you may have? I really hope you are all fine and dandy. Mary is fine but I can’t say I’m dandy for I have the trots in all there glory. Boy yesterday they were terrible but today they seem pretty good. I think I had a little grippe in my intestines but it seems just about cleared up today. I hope.
It has gotten very warm. We had a little shower of rain but the moon looks like it is going to come out. I made supper today as Mary is working until 9 PM or 2100 o’clock. I made mashed potatoes, cube steak, onions & boiled carrots for dessert. I made a little salad out of apples and oranges. Then she had a roast for the morrow so I got at it and I just turned the stove off as it is finished. You know I get a kick out of cooking for some reason or other. One of these days I going to try my hand at a pie.
Boy the civilians around here can’t buy cigarettes at all and they all ask soldiers to get them for them. Not me for there was a notice on the bulletin board that if they find that happening they will cut our supply. At the field we usually can buy any kind we want. We are allowed 2 packs a day which is more than enough. So if you are running short of smokes let me know and I’ll get you some. What brand Irma? And yours, Kathryn?
We are not too busy at the field right now but boy what work we have surely is the kind that makes you go nuts. We are doing a lot of trouble shooting for the different flights and they can [not] seem to put the trouble where it belongs and it takes a lot of time to get it where it really belongs. You now they can say what they want to, but there is dirty work going on around here. Today I found another bolt in an oil pump. I started up and didn’t get any oil pressure so I cut her out in a hurry and went after the oil pump and it was frozen tight, so I pulled it. Well I told the engineering officer about it and he said keep quiet about it to anyone else. I did and pretty soon I was called into the office and there were the S-2 officers or intelligence. I had to answer a lot of questions and told them the engine had 270 hours on it and it must have gotten in at the flight so that cleared us and off they went to the flight. That is the 3rd bolt in an oil pump since Thanksgiving. If it isn’t sabotage then they better get the aviation and tridents or gadgets the hell off of the line for each time before this it cost $32,000. Today I caught it in time and saved the engine.
I have
quite a few letters from you so I’ll get at it and answer them now. Your’s first, Kathryn. More snow, boy you surely are getting your
share of it. Charles
F. going to the Pacific. I
thought his outfit was in
Here comes yours Mildred. Yep one month of [8’s] is gone and I am not sorry either. Boy you really are getting terrible cold weather. I bet the old coal pile goes down. I guess Freddie Andreas has been in some rather rough places. I was glad to hear about him. Too bad Mickey Brochel was wounded and a shame he could not be home longer. Yea I guess a boat load of wounded must of come in again. I bet Billy Taylor doesn’t jet home in a hurry. I don’t know how I got out of K.P., but it didn’t make me mad. We have some winter but nothing to complain about. You had a good crowd at the lodge Irma, for the bad weather. Your ice cream sounds good Irma. You can brew me up a batch when I get home again. Yea I guess there are disadvantages to living on the coast. Thanks for the clippings. Well I hope this finds you all in good health.
So Long
Love
John