Parks Air College, East Saint Louis, Illinois July 20, 1942 9:30 P.M.

Dear Mother,

Well here I am shipped out of J.B. at 4:00 P.M. and arrived here about 7 P.M. We have barracks to stay in here. Two decker bunks. We will go to school from 4:30 P.M till 12:30 A.M. then come into East St. Louis on a bus to our barracks. The barracks has been made over from an old shoe factory.

I don't know anything about my schooling yet as we just arrived today. Was placed on shipping and was to leave J.B. in half an hour after our names was called. All I know is what one of my buddies named Henry Fox told us. He has been here about a week. So you can give everybody my new address.

I am glad I am away from J.B. it was so unhandy. We had a quarter of a mile to go to the latrine. 1 mile to chow. Here it is all located in one building. We get up at 11:00 A.M. roll call and 15 minutes of exercise, 30 minutes of drill and then chow. After that we clean up the barracks and study until 3:30 or 4 and take a bus out to Parks Air College about 3 or 4 miles out from here.

We have cupboards or lockers to hang our clothes in. Don't know how the town is here. Just across the river from St. Louis.

School is 6 nights a week and we are off Sundays. Maybe I can get to church now. Hardly any army work and restrictions connected to it. I will know more about it after a week or two of it.

We came over on a truck convoy. There was twenty five of us. Was sure glad to get out of J.B. It was a hole in the ground. So many of the men were sick from the climate out there.

I was sure surprised when we got to Parks Air College. Freeman use to get literture from here. Well I guess I can't think of much more to say so I guess I will close and I will let you know later how everything is going. Tell Cliff's, Harold's and Luella and everybody esle my change in address. I don't know if it is correct or not. But I will receive them if sent here.

Well goodnight. You will here from me later. Send the big picture of Irene to me now. Right away. Wrap it so it won't get broke or bent.

Love
Ralph


Background Information:

• Freeman was Ralph's youngest brother. He had turned 17 on June 10, the date of Ralph's first letter to his mother.
• Parks Air College was founded in 1927, 2 months after Charles Lindbergh's Atlantic flight. During World War II, Parks and its subsidiaries trained one of every ten Army Air Corps pilots and and thousands of aircraft mechanics. (http://parks.slu.edu/)
• This is the new stationery Ralph used to write his letter.

The next post will be on July 22nd.