STUMPY'S LOG

Communications Specialist patch

4 Jun 45 - I have been visiting our good relatives since last Thursday. What a grand time I had! By Tuesday I had waded through all the red tape and hopped a ride part way the next morn. (To Barrackpore) In the afternoon (from DumDum) I hopped the rest of the way and stayed at camp that night. Thursday morn, I went to the missionaries' home. There are soldiers coming and going from their house all day, like open house. (No, not a great many, just one or two there most of the time.) The town is well-developed for India and there are not snakes crawling all over the house as Mom would like to believe. Friday night we had a song fest in the living room with GI's and English civilians. One looie, Pete, had a very good tenor. We had planned to go swimming but it was officers day at the pool so we didn't bother. Saturday night we saw A Tree Grows in Brooklyn at one of the camps. Pete took us. We stayed up and ate till midnight. Yesterday I went to Sunday School in the morn. After lunch I gazed through their photo collection, got a couple of them and took pictures of them and the church. Then I packed up, gave them a tin of chocolates (Whitman's, rationed) and took off. Another box came from you before I left. Everything was in fine shape, cookies, stuffed dates, automatic pencils and film. Thanks very much.

8/9 Jun 45 - No. 33- � to Luliang-9:15-Pilot Rider

10 Jun 45 - Written in day room--took trip day before---Berky and I did shopping day before that--Sarkar appreciates the photo you sent--Berky and I opened one of my cans of cranberry sauce and had it with fried or stewed chicken this noon. Nice feast. When I went through Calcutta on my way to Kharagpur, I bought some individual Nestles mixes and we make chocolate drinks every now and then at chow. Pineapples are in season here now so you know what I'm getting my share of lately. Can get grapefruit juice unrationed also. Another plentiful commodity here-abouts is heat. Whew! Whenever you think you have it hot there this summer, just add 20� F. and 30% more humidity, take away the electric fans and you've a fair example of pre-monsoon days.

11 Jun 45 - Luckily, I got a small tea kettle this evening and managed to boil some water. With the vapor generated, I opened some of my new envelopes which had stuck solidly--written at 7:30, going out about midnight--ice cream cut out at snack bar--they never keep the good deals--got a haircut--told Indian barber to leave an inch and a half--all he remembered was the half.

12 Jun 45 - No. 34- � to Luliang-9:30-Pilot Weisbruch, others Pelton and Koller.

13 Jun 45 - Last night, barely keeping my eyes open, I watched a far-fetched show named "Escape in the Desert" in the rain. While we sat in the downpour waiting for the show to start, a recording by Al Jolson came drifting out of the loudspeakers. Its title: "It's Raining Violets!"-monsoon approaching--rains longer, and as a drizzle--sunsets are beautiful

15 Jun 45 - No. 35- � to Chengtu (Hsingching)--14:30-Pilot Elmore, Copilot Beattie--Stopped at Myitkyina.

17 Jun 45 - Rain holds off till show time--Berky gone to radio school--Payne transferred here two weeks ago--Gigstead and I attend church--time goes faster when busy flying--two or three flights a week make a week seem about two days long--want cheap sunglasses--I'm on the alert now and will again be up all night. What a way to live. They say in the papers that we "fly at night as well as by day", but to a lot of us, it goes "fly by day as well as by night". Sarkar, the bearer, likes American music. I gave him the words to "Three Blind Mice" and "Good Night, Sweetheart". You should hear his interpretation of them and "Sunday, Monday, or Always", a la Sinatra.

17/18 Jun 45 - No. 36- � to Luliang-10:35-Piot Lyemance

20 Jun 45 - Won film in PX drawing--going to dentist--need record needles--also a good flashlight--need dehumidor for tobacco--everything damp--new electric lines in--waiting for American bulbs--Payne had to borrow my pen--was writing to a girl who had given him one and he had lost it--things turned out OK--he won a pen at PX--skeeters thick

. 21 Jun 45 - No. 37- � to Barrackpore, then Kunming-11:20--Pilot Lyemance

23 Jun 45 - No. 38-- � to Chanyi--10:40---Pilot Arnold

24 Jun 45 - About half finished with about 375 hours in--flying C-109 gas tankers and C-54 transports (the kind I took to Scotland). Since I got back last night at one thirty, I slept through church time. Our Sunday lunch wasn't up to par. The steak needed about five hours of cooking or hammering to soften it. Time for a couple cokes so as to spoil my appetite so I won't have to eat the Spam they most surely will have for supper. A guy got a package a couple months ago with two cans of Spam in it. Did he feel good!

24/25 Jun 45 - No. 39-- � to Luliang--10:55--Pilot Ferguson

27 Jun 45--They flew me again since my last letter and then I had to run a little. When we get done flying we aren't through. They like us to do details and stand retreat--anything to keep you from resting up for the next trip

28 Jun 45 - The weather is much better lately even if it is wet. There is not much sunlight so it stays relatively cool. Everything sticks or molds. I spent an hour today steaming loose envelopes and stamps and powdering them. Morale good--two cans of Whitman's chocolates per year (ration?)

29 Jun 45 - No. 40-- � to Kunming--9:35--Pilot Ferguson


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