Garner Field - Thursday March 5, 1942

Dear folks,

Today was my turn to do the clean up, and this afternoon they paid us, a dollar a day. I still don't know my grade on the test. Today we had a medical exam which they do once a month. OK.

Friday 6th - I've become a phenomenon. I made 4 landings and very soon now the first solo flights will start and I hope to be among them. Tomorrow there's another exam, this time on airplane engines. There's a lot to know and as soon as we have the theory down, we'll start in on the practical, that is to say smearing ourselves with grease and tightening nuts so that the next guy in line will take them off and put them back on. I think I've gained another pound even though I'm an inch smaller in the waist. That's from the exercise and the food. I did great on the test. Since I got 19 out of 20 questions right, I got 95 points. There were two guys with 100 and four with 95. Among the Argentines, there were two with 95 and two with 90. We are phenomenal.

Saturday 7th - This afternoon we had an exam on engines used in aviation. It was pretty easy. I got a 90 on it and I finished this week without a single "gig". Those are the demerits they give here: for a button that's undone, one gig, for a shou that's left out of line, one gig, late for formation, another and so on. If you get more than four in a week, you have to walk one hour for each gig over four. For example, 5 gigs, one hour. 6, 2 hours and so on. When you get four per week, they let that go. There's a Cuban lieutenant here who today has to walk about four hours because he had 8 gigs - At night we went to the movies, it's the only place to go in this town - There's not much to see or do - Because of that, you wind up studying more since on Sundays you stay in your quarters.

Sunday 8th - Today we slept until 9:30, after breakfast we thought about walking to town, some guy with a car offers us a ride, good for us. In the drug store, we ran into some girls (the lure of the blue uniform, being Argentine and sub-lieutenants), they take us for a car ride, take us to the country, we look for some records and we're going to teach them the Tango. I teach them the conga and they teach me some new dance steps for the foxtrot. They bring us back right as out time off is finishing up. We're classy gentlemen and the girls were great, we'll see if they finish teaching us the foxtrot and we finish teaching them the Tango. We made plans for them to come on Sundays.

Monday 9th - Today four solos went out, all Americans with their degrees already. We southamericans have to have 9 hours before we can solo. Today our situation as officers got clearer. Since a lieutenant from Cuba walked his gigs in dress uniform and later protested that they made him do it, a fight ensued and now they don't give gigs to the officers or they give them but they don't have to walk them. Good for him.

Thursday 10th - Today makes two weeks that we're in Garner Field and I'm the first southamerican of those that got the scholarship to go out on solo. I've done 28 minutes of solo flight. It cost all the guys I know one regulation shower and a Coca-Cola. I had come back to the barracks to study, I have an exam tomorrow, and I have to do well, keep up my average. Besides, if you keep up an average over 80, you get invited to a free film offered by the owner of the theater to the cadets with that average.

Wednesday 11th - I took the test, and passed. Scraped by but passed. Good for me. It was a brain buster, 60% flunked. So, on Friday they'll give another and todays test won't count. They're a bunch of pigs, I bust my tail and now I have to take another exam. Oh, well. We'll take it, get another grade and there you go. At night we went to the movies, it cost us 3 cents. It's the tax. Here everything has a tax, 10%. The rest of the cost of the ticket was paid by the owner of the theater.

Thursday 12th - Today it was hot right from the morning. Whatever we have on is too much. I wonder what the summer will be like. This morning another Argentine went out on solo. In this letter I'm sending an extra sheet for Uncle Luís. Please make sure he gets. Because of the weight and postage, I'll send one photo in this envelope and in the next I'll send another for grandma and Uncle Roberto. They sent me a telegram to arrive March 2. Today I got two letters, one from each of you. Please thank Francisco for sending his regards and give him mine. I'm already making precision landings in which one has to hit a line on the ground with the wheels. That way you learn to land exactly where you intend, rather than where the plane wants to. It wasn't me in the photo of the scholarship recipients that came out in Critica. I already had that photo, they sent it to me to see if I was in it. We haven't shown up in any news or anything. Only the ones that went to New York did. From the study, call 62-2902, that's Mr. Rossiter's number, and find out if you can get Guillermo Rossiter's address. I don't know where he is and I and a guy here named Dolan have to send him some letters. Sorry about the bother. Say hello to everyone, within and without the family. I'm fine. I know youtwo are also fine. You're coping with the hot weather and I am too. I'm putting it on record that I've got the same hot weather here that you do. So, everybody's happy. Till next time.

Kisses,
Ito

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