Wednesday[1]
Dear Bob[2]-
Too
bad I had my other letter in the mail before I got your last one. I’m sorry “you
qualification bombs weren’t your practice ones and vice versus” but I shall
temper my being sorry to the amount of disappointment it is to you[3].
You wrote a very nice letter – and don’t feel that you’ve wasted an entire year
since that year of training has “grown you up” enough to take a disappointment
in the proper spirit. Maybe you can’t notice it so much yourself - but I can.
Your letters in the last year have shown how you are growing up[4] –
being away from the family & Fresno and being entirely on your own has been
good for you. So don’t feel you have spent a year to no purpose.
I
know you’re disappointed at being so close to your “wings” – that’s natural. I hope
you have a chance at navigation now – I have always wondered how the army
arrived at bombardiering for you. I can’t see you in radio work somehow – and what
is A.M.[5]?
Is it up to you to decide which you’d like to do? – I hope you can get your
chance at navigation – or, as my Walt has always said, you should be in some
staff work such as intelligence[6]
rather than in combat duty. Well, you’re in the army, so it will probably be
pretty well decided for you.
Maybe
I’m just rationalizing (as I perhaps am) but this may be the best thing after
all. Remember how Walter thought the end of the world had practically come when
he didn’t’ get his coveted Navy commission? It’s understandably better for him
where he is now – at least, he certainly has no complaints to make. And anyway,
ten years from now it won’t matter and it won’t make any difference as to how
you spent your time in the army. If you were to make it a life job even after
the war – or even if you hoped to carry on with airplane work in any form it
would be different. I don’t imagine you do, do you?
And
if you say “unknown unknown” when considering aerial gunnery it doesn’t seem
that bombardiering was you proper milieu any way. Let me know what goes on.
Don’t
worry about the family being disappointed in you – we’ll be disappointed fro
you but that’s all. It’s really a relief to a certain extent – for there are
many safer jobs for you. As you say, it’s a form of life insurance[7]. I’ve
been wondering whether I’d prefer having you sent to Europe or to the east[8]
and have had a hard time trying to decide where you’d be safest. I’ll relax for
a time.
Have
you written home? Let me know what happens to you and if and where you might be
sent next. Do you really like flying and want to stay in air crew training? If
so – I hope you can. There are enough inconveniences in being in the army
without being in a section you aren’t greatly interested in.
This
is not much of a letter – I know. Just chin up – and see how it all comes out.
We’re all proud of you no matter what turns up – so don’t worry about what
people think – just consider your own attitude.
Love
– and good luck
Lydia[9]
[1]
Wednesday was on March 8th in 1944.
[2]
Addressed to: a/c Robert B Richert 19111319; Cadet Detachment K69; C.A.A.F.;
Carlsbad, New Mexico.
[3]
Robert failed bombardier qualification.
[4]
Robert was 21 when he left for the army.
[5]
Aircraft maintenance. It is often forgotten of the immense support crew each
combat soldier requires.
[6]
Robert would later earn a PhD.
[7]
Air crew life expectancy is certainly a function of missions flown. If he had
qualified, he certainly would have flown more combat missions, thus putting his
life at risk that many more times.
[8]
In addition to missions against the Japanese mainland, there was also the
China-Burma-India theater of operations that was a potential duty station.
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