Keywords

WWII;George A. Greenspon

Rights Management

All rights retained by Bryant University

Transcription

[Transcription begins]
Thursday
January 18

Bryant Service Club
Providence, Rhode Island

Dear Members:

Its not that I like to type especially, its just that I rarely have the occassion [sic] to use the machine, so when the opportunity presents itself, I take advantage of it. This all means that I’m Officer of the Day today, and right now its 7 at night and I’m in Headquarters, all alone, getting caught up on my correspondence like crazy.

I received your Christmas letter in tact [sic], even though it had to be shuttled back and forth [across] the country a couple of times. Let me warn you here and now, that I’m a very poor correspondent (and even a worse typist)….see what I mean.

From the address you sent the Christmas letter to, I better try to get you caught up on my doings the past year. It seems that I was at Basic when I last sent you my address. Well, I graduated from single engine advanced in Jackson, Miss. Last May. From there I went west to Arizona where I took a two week gunnery course. Then up to Victorville, California, which is about 100 miles from Los Angeles, where I stayed until October flying the P-39 Airacobra, made a couple of ferry trips to Texas and up to Seattle, Washington. You see, the Russians use the P-39 quite extensively and I guess they picked them up in Seattle. Aside from that, I just hung around getting in the way while I tried to get into an RTU (Replacement Training Unit). I guess they got tired of seeing me mope around because they shipped me down to Williams Field, Arizona where I stayed until November doing some more ferrying—this time of AT-6’s. I reported to Lemoore, Calif. On the 15th of November. This is the processing in center for the fourth air force, of which I now am a member. I stayed there for another two weeks, and then on December 2nd, I finally arrived at my goal—RTU, here at Santa Rosa. I’m to get 120 hours in the P-38 and then overseas. Its been a long struggle, but now that I’m here, I’m amazed that I’m not dissappointed [sic]. The Lightning is everything that its cracked up to be, and I like it head and shoulders above the other fighters that I’ve flown so far.

I guess that brings me up to date, and at the same time, just about runs me out of conversation. Let me again express my thanks for not forgetting me, and if anyone there cares to drop me a line occasionally, I promise to answer within a respectable period.

As ever
George Greenspon
Class ‘42

Lt. George A. Greenspon O-831535
T Squadron
Army Air Field
Santa Rosa, California
[Transcription ends]

Download
COinS