Year: 1939

Editor’s note:  On November 30, 1939, the Soviet Union attacked Finland by bombing Helsinki.  The Finnish population had been divided between Soviet supporting “Red Finns” and those who did not.  The invasion by the Soviet Union had the effect of unifying the country.  This “Winter War” lasted until the Finns surrendered a significant amount of territory in March of 1940.

12/3/39

Randolph Field, Tx.

Darling:

Hey!  Where are you?  No letter since ages ago.  I hope I get one in the morning.

The week-end is over, and I feel fine, and all set for another week of work.  Saturday night, or most of it, was spent in the temporary quarters of the Cadet Club at the Gunther.  The set-up there is quite nice, and our new quarters there will be quite fine.  Tom and Don and another fellow and I went in in the afternoon to go there and to a show.  After finishing a bottle (pint) of Black and White, we decided to eat.                                     

Then I bumped into several of the upper class from Chicago and their dates and really went to town.  Tom and the rest of the gang went slumming, but I was much too comfortable.  They picked me up later and we came home.  Saw “Disputed Passage” this afternoon on a four couple proposition.  ’Sfunny, I can’t seem to have much of a good time with one girl anymore.  I have much more fun as an odd man.  Darling, I miss you a great deal.  One thing that makes it nice is that the news that both Tom and I are engaged has been well spread about, so no one is getting funny ideas.

I seem to be acquiring a double reputation around here.  The first is for dressing very conservatively, and the second is for unlimited capacity for scotch without showing it.  I approve of both, although I keep careful tab on the scotch and don’t ever try to get very much of it down.

I haven’t soloed yet, but there is no reason to worry.  Had an interesting little experience last Friday.  I got half way down one of the auxiliary fields on a take-off and the rudder seemed to be partially jammed.  It seemed to be all the way to the right or all the way to the left, with no intermediate setting.  The same thing occurred flying around the field and was present when I landed.  It was hard as hell to keep a straight course at eighty miles per.  When I finally got it down, the instructor asked what was wrong, and I told him something was jammed on the rudder controls.  We got out and found the tail wheel support bent about 20 degrees, and the aluminum housing jammed against it so that that the wheel wouldn’t turn.  By the time I had fixed it, it was time to go back to the field and get to my next class, so no solo.  Hope I get off in the morning.

One of the favorite remarks around here when approaching Randolph after a weekend is to spot a plane and say, “Gee, there must be an airport around here!”

Tentatively, I am sending Doc $40 and putting the same into savings.  I think that will leave me enough for expenses this month.  The present set-up on Xmas is one day for Xmas and two for New Year’s.  We are behind on flying, and may lose more time due to bad weather in the future.

If things go as scheduled, I shall take an exam in radio code in the morning and be exempt from further attendance.  Also, we start a course in radio communications, which is a simple technical course on the operation of a radio circuit.  Gosh, I wonder if I can pass it!  From talking with the upper class, the only ground work I shall have here, which isn’t a direct repetition of the work I did in primary or in college, is map making for meteorology and military law.  I don’t anticipate much trouble in either.

Gee, Toots, if you could only be here now for me to hold and talk to and make plans with.

Just to keep us out of trouble we have seventy-five questions to answer tonight on cadet regulations.  Also three verses of the air corps song to memorize.  Also, on my own hook, I have about five pages of notes to type up.   I’m being very conscientious about it this time, and shall continue to be so until I get too rushed.

Darling, I shouldn’t weaken so soon, but let’s use air mail again.

Well, time to go to work.  I love you oh so much.  So far, outside of “nice people,”  Texas has nothing to offer of interest.  I’m afraid you’re stuck with me, for neither the East, Middle-west or Southwest seemed to shake the idea of mine that marrying you is a swell idea.

Tell Jack Scovel I shall write when I get time.  Regards to Bill, Wayne, Spaukin [sp?] etc.                 Love darling,  Cy.

12/5/39

Randolph Field, Texas

Hi Honey:

Slips on the typing.  Gee, was I glad to hear from you today!  I’d about given you up for lost.  I’m behind on my notebook work so this will be short, and I hope, sweet.

OK on the papers.  I shall try to get at it sometime soon.  It will probably have to go through official channels now.  Hope the MG stuff goes down with the ship.  I wouldn’t care to have that popping up later in life, although there was nothing in there that couldn’t be disproved.

I put $40 in Postal today and sent $40 to Doc Sheaf.  I shall probably need about 10 from the postal for running expenses.  As we shall only have a few days, I won’t be home Xmas unless I flunk out, which is still a possibility.  One of the upperclass did it today on final check—after doing ok up ‘til now.

Gloves for Chuck and Picture for Sis.  Think we’d better hit the slip for Mom and the ties for Pop, as they need them and we shall have to be a little practical.  Plant for the Scovels definitely.  We owe them a lot for their help.  I guess we’d better not send cards together this year for people would think you were here at Randolph (Please send cost estimate).  I shall try to think of everyone.  Got letter from Aiken today.  Nice one.

The pictures had better be good!  OK and fine business on bargain purchases.  They sound good, and we probably won’t be able to do such things in the Army.  Parachute license yet under consideration, but heaven knows when I’ll get a chance to do anything.  I can’t do it here.  Half of Texas has gone nuts about Burt—nice gals too! Oh, me.

Speaking of gals, Tom was elected our class rep to the social committee, and as such had to have a date for the dance coming up the 16^th.  Neither of us wanted one, so what we are doing solves a lot of problems.  We’re taking a date between us.  While he is “committeeing”, I amuse date.  It works nicely, as anything that goes on after dance will be very involved with both of us checking each other.

These guys are driving me nuts arguing about whether “private A” excited a mutiny or not in a military law problem.  I’m going to incite a riot pretty soon if it doesn’t stop.

I think that about answers your letter, except for the closing “How’s that!”  Frankly, I think that was swell, and I got all weak inside when I saw the familiar crimson.  You’re an angel, Martha.

Now for the daily bedtime story, which happened this morning.  Strange as it may sound, this is absolutely no exaggeration, even if I am telling it.

One of our class stalled this morning at 5000 feet and fell off into a spin.  As he was spinning to the right, he applied full left rudder and then full forward stick.  This will always break a spin, but it didn’t.  He put his controls back into the spinning position, full right rudder and stick back, and tried again.  Still no reaction.  Then he saw the ground coming up at a tremendous rate and instinctively pulled back on the stick.  This is all wet, for it puts the ship in a flat spin, which is really dangerous.  He got scared and decided to abandon ship, so he unfastened his safety belt and opened the canopy.  Seeing that he had 3000 feet under him, he decided to take one more crack at recovering from the spin.  He pushed the stick forward.  The ship nosed over and threw him right out of the cockpit.  He came down safely in his chute.  Now the funny part is this.  The ship landed itself in a damn good field and if the engine had cut out in time, it wouldn’t have been damaged at all.  As it was, the damages were only minor!

All the love I have to my darling girl.   Cy.

Enclosure (for “the women” or something). [This probably refers to money enclosed for Christmas presents for  Nena and his mother]

12/10/39

Randolph Field, Texas.

Martha Darling:

Thanks for your nice long letter.  It really helped a great deal.  Air mail helps, but special doesn’t do any good to speak of.

I haven’t heard anything from J.H. on the young lady for some time, so I guess he can’t be taking things too seriously.

Present appearances indicate that if I can take the radio exam, I shall pass it with ease.  But it also looks like I shall have to instruct an elementary code class if I do!  So I’m just not going to say anything more about it.  As it now stands, I don’t attend the regular class, but go down to another room and do pretty much as I please.

It would be fine if you could come down for the graduation, but that is counting on luck a little too much.  Let’s wait until we know I’m going to graduate before we get too enthusiastic.

Marje may come down in January, but I’m not at all in favor of that.  The emotional strain is frankly terrific and any upset in it would probably be disastrous.  Honey, don’t feel that I don’t want to have you here, but having to see you go home would be a little more than I could take.

Tom and I took a couple of pictures yesterday.  I’ll try to get some to you in a week or so if they turn out.

Hey, Toots, how about that Christmas cost estimate?  Perhaps you had better not send Jack anything until you meet her.  Sure, I want a frame for your picture!

Thanks for the humor you enclosed.  The poem attached* came from Sam Marks in Lafayette, and the telegram**, for Willy’s benefit, is an approximate duplicate of one found on our bulletin board over at the hangar.

Tell Gordon–your one and only wrinkled a wing tip on a BT-9 on Friday.  I had it down to correct for a cross-wind, and when I tried to lift it, the wing stalled and smacked the ground.  It was pretty hot for a while, but full right rudder picked it up before became a major accident.  No damage done (except a new wing tip), and no one but spectators scared.  Routine hospital check, a 40 minute dual check by my  instructor, and then a solo hop shows how simple it was.  Incidentally, tell him to steer clear of low-wing taper-wing monoplanes.

That is about all for now, darling.  Everything is all Christmas down here, but I can’t seem to get into the spirit of it.  We have temperatures of 80 degrees, and my face is getting sun burned!

Grades in military law have all been above 90, so I must be doing fairly well.

Angel, I still remember that perfectly gorgeous mental picture I took away with me, and I’m going to have you some day.

Your husband, Cy

P.S. You’re still mine and I love you.

*Poem:

Here’s to America, the land of the push,

Where a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,

Where wise men know, and women understand,

That a push in the bush is worth two in the hand!

**Telegram:  Washington, D.C.  International Intelligence Division—Confidential reports indicate that the Germans have taken Saultz on the Dutch border, but military experts doubt their ability to hold it.  Consistent pressure from the rear may break their resistance, and the Dutch fear for the dykes if such occurs.  The Nazi high command insists that the German troops will never stoop, but the indications of an impending inside job may make the continuance of their present stand highly uncomfortable and improbable.  The Dutch troops have for their motto, “Saultz will out!”  [Editors note: I really had trouble getting the punch-line of this little story, which I assume is supposed to be humorous collection of little sexual innuendos.  I could not find any actual town named “Saultz” so I have to assume it’s a made-up name to sound like “salts”.  I could find no expression such as “Saultz will out!” but I did find the expression “Blood will out,” which means that a person’s background or education will eventually show.  If anyone has insight here I’d love to hear your thoughts!]

 

12/12/39

Randolph Field, Tx

Angel:

Jack* is showing the right attitude inviting his “Santa Claus” to dinner.  DeVry personnel generally seem to be ok.  Heaven knows when I’ll get a chance to write to the kid, but I will.

Well, what’s new?  This is hell week.  The upperclass are leaving next Monday, and we shall take over.  We have already had about 10 wash-outs out of 250, so as usual, security and peace of mind are yet around the corner.  The upperclass have so far left me alone.

Military rating drill looks like I may come out of the squabble with some rank, although not much.  In the two occasions I’ve commanded the company, I’ve apparently done all right.  Grades + flying also count.  Grades, as usual, are in the top brackets.  Flying is about average.

C Company lost another ball game today.  I played 3 innings at catcher and 4 in right field.  I’ve played all of every game so far, which is a record for a lowerclassman.  My playing was good until today.  I have a sty appearing in one eye lid and I couldn’t see worth a damn.  If I go to the hospital, it will mean at least a week’s loss of flying time.  So if it doesn’t get any worse I’ll forget it.  As usual, I picked up a stiff hand when a batter stepped backwards & hit it, and a charlie horse from a collision with 1^st baseman.

We start night flying tomorrow night.  This is in addition to 2 hours in the morning.  I also have a half hour on the jeep at 7:30 P.M.

As I expected, I am assisting the instructor in radio code, it’s a mess, but better than having to take the course as a student.  Today, for the first time, I really felt like I was flying the BT-9.  If I can keep up my present progress, I think I shall come through ok.  These ships are tricky as hell, and although they don’t kill people, they can sure give one a long rest in the hospital if you  don’t stay on the ball.

Don Weidhardt, Burt’s room-mate, fainted in ranks Monday and is in the hospital for a week’s observation.  I’ve seen dozens of men do it before, but they just aren’t take any chances.  We were held at attention for 15 minutes.  Add to this, all of us hungry and a temperature of about 85 degrees, and you can see the reason.

Honey, do you realize that in another week I shall be half-way through and shall have passed 90% of the obstacles!  Keep pushing me on honey.

Darling, now that the initial excitement has dropped off, I am beginning to miss you with a dull, persistent pain.  I miss you so much emotionally, more as a companion, and a great deal physically; the latter no so much from past experiences as from what we could enjoy were I through.  Darling, save little bit of you for me, just as you are.

The second page is for Bill & Jo.  I haven’t any envelopes and Gerrity only has a few.  You might read it before you give it to him if you care to.  Say hello to Spaukins and Scovels and Nancy, but don’t give them my love for that’s all for you this letter.

Goodnight, Darling.     Cy.

*I believe this is a friend of Cy’s who got a job a DeVry.  Cy designed some components for DeVry when he was working for John E. Fast Co.

12/15/39
Randolph Field, Texas
Darling:
One month has pasted since our arrival. Angel, I miss you terribly, but it just has to be for a while longer. I’m afraid I am very jealous of the young married officers around the post. Even without the very pressing reasons of wanting to play with your hair, hold you tight, talk to you, and make love to you, if I don’t get some of your cooking pretty soon I’ll go nuts.

Your last two letters about scared the pants off of me, but I guess everything will be ok. I’ll bet that chicken was good! Say “hi” to Wayne for me.
Well, I’m doing a little better now. Eye trouble is all cleared up, and baseball sore spots are gone. We had an hour of night flying Thursday, and it was great sport. Landing by floodlight at night seems to be easier for me than daytime landings. Over half of the hour was solo, and I made 5 solo and 2 dual landings. After all this time, they exempted me from the radio code class. I spent the period yesterday giving the final exam to the upperclass! I only have to go back once a week as a formality. My other grades seem to be 95 or above, as all of our scholastic work to date has been a push-over.
So you’re getting a tree for us! I guess the small one will do for the next couple of years or more, until it becomes imperative that we get a real one, if you know what I mean.
Time out for mess.
Boy, if I could capture the spirit of the bull-session I was just in in a play, we’d make a fortune. All of us from Chicago have stuck together, and we congregate a couple of times per week. O’Brien damn near made me die laughing. Because of his oversize abdomen, he has been taking a beating from the upperclass. Today, he put 25 yards of thread in his pocket and fished an end out through a hole. One of the upperclassmen, while looking him over, tried to remove the “thread”. You can imagine the result.
While standing at attention, one’s eyes are supposed to be focused on a point. One of the upperclass yelped at Donaldson, and caused an uproar. He said, “Mr. Donaldson, are your eyes on a point?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Donaldson.
“What point, mister?”
“That spider on your neck, sir,” calmly answered Bill. Even though there wasn’t a spider, it was pretty good.”
I was looking up Mother’s niece’s phone number tonight, to get the address, and the instructions for use of the dial system here, printed on the inside cover of the phone book, were pretty good. They might be useful in Chicago, so I shall copy them herewith for your personal use.
Quote:
There are a number of exchanges in San Antonio. If you find “Sheetz zero-zero” to be the number you want to call, put your finger in the S hole and oh, oh! Likewise, if the exchange had been “Peace”, you would have put your finger in the P hole. Of course, there are a number of situations in which more personal attention is required. In this case, put your finger in the operator’s hole and turn once. If nobody comes, repeat the process until the desired reaction is obtained. As a last resort, call the manager, who is a fairy nice man. Unquote.
I bought a couple dozen Xmas cards like the one I am sending you and sent them to everybody and his brother. For once, I got my Xmas cards out before New Year’s. I yet don’t know where I shall spend my vacation until I check into prices to Arizona etc. It starts in a week and is five days long. We fly all tomorrow morning and every Saturday for some time to make up for the time off. This is a break for it ditches Saturday morning inspection and review. We’re having a big dress parade Sunday night. Boy, there are going to be some sad-eyed boys dragging their rifles around after the brawl Saturday.
Restrictions on the dance include no passing out, no gum chewing, no jitterbugging, and no green suits allowed.
Well, darling, lots of love to the sweetest little wife in the world. No pictures yet, but I’ll see what I can do. Cy.