March 24, 1943
Wed 3:30 P.M.
Dear Folks:
I am writing this at the U.S.O. Club in San Antonio. I finally got to town. There isn’t much here though. There is a lot of drinking and that is all. I am pretty disgusted from watching these fools.
I guess I haven’t written you for quite a while. I have been pretty busy. The under class men came in Mon. and since then I have been pretty busy putting them “on the ball.” They are having a pretty rough time of it. The poor guys don’t know whether they are coming or going. They are not supposed to for the first few days. I get more tired than they do though because when I make one of them throw his shoulders back and chest out etc., I show him by doing it myself. So I walk around in a “brace” about all the time.
I am now in E flight instead of A. This is a new flight. The barracks haven’t been lived in before so they are cleaner.
The only thing is we don’t get any wall lockers so that isn’t so nice.
I had my picture taken this morning right after I hit town. I first had my blouse fixed a little. After having my picture taken I went to a restaurant and ate. Then I walked around a lot. I don’t get enough walking I guess. Like so much fun. I then sat down on a couch in a balcony at the hotel where the cadets hang out. Some guys who were half drunk made so much noise that they woke me up after about 1/2 hr. So then I came over here. It is nice and quiet here. They furnish all the writing material etc. too. I’ll be heading back after a bit. When the rest of them come back, I am going to chase anybody who is drunk upstairs. I’m not going to let any drunks bother the under class men.
We haven’t any flight Lieut or Sarg yet so another fellow and I have sort of run the place so far. He will probably be drunk, so I will chase him up too.
I passed my 8 words in code (I think). I had an 86 on a physics exam. This was pretty hard for some of the boys.
It has been raining off and on all day so everything is muddy. Down here we are either eating dust or getting mud all over everything.
The room I am in overlooks a canal or creek. It is a very nice view from here. There is green grass along the banks and everything.
It seems like about 2/3 of the people here are either Mexicans or Negroes. These Mexicans are awful small and sickly looking. A boy Jim’s age would be about the size of Meredith. Jim is about the size of a 15 or 16 yr. old Mexican. And they look pretty sneaky too.
Well you folks should be getting some eggs pretty early next fall. Are the cows and chickens making enough to keep you folks? If not I want you to say so. You never had any chicks as early as these did you. Which reminds me, I tried to get some fried chicken for dinner but I didn’t have any luck.
Well I better close now. I will write as soon as possible. I got a letter from Aunt Hattie yesterday.
Well so-long,
Alva
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