Basic Training - Air Force
Pvt. Roy N. Van Arsdall 15306087
59 Tng. Group, 81 Class
Keesler Field, Miss.
July - August 1943
July 12, 1943
Dear Mother,
We swam from a wharf like you see in the distance. Water is too warm, but pretty. Long moss hangs from trees. Have huge trees like across from B. church. Everything is made from shells instead of rocks. Also, all land is sand.
Love,
Roy

First swim in salt water
July 12, 1943
Dear Rog,
The runways are rite on the beach here. They have mostly P-39 and trainers. But they have a few P-38, P-47, B-25, B-26, and some transports. There’s always several planes up. Yesterday nine B-17 and twenty P-39 went over. What a picture!
Roy

Get ready, kid brother!
July 16, 1943
Dear Mother,
We’re still here (woe is me). And is it hot. We’re taking basic over, how much I don’t know. We have a cadet system with cadet officers. We really have to be on the ball. Work harder than infantry, but it leads to more, I hope.
It’s hard to keep from getting gigged with the living conditions we have. It’s just crowed to overflowing. Over 1,000 using one small latrine. Have mess lines over 200 yards long, four deep.
We did get off Sunday afternoon. Went down to the Bay. Current is really strong, but there is rigid life guard control.
We still battle mosquitoes. They get under my net in spite of me.
There’s not much to write. All we do is eat, work, and sleep. Mail call for 256 guys takes about one hour. Sometimes I wait and sometimes I don’t. However, don’t stop writing. I always like to get letters. There are lots of forts going over. Rog would like to see them. There’s always planes in the sky.
All my envelopes are sealed by the heat.
Love,
Roy

Downtown Biloxi Mississippi
July 17, 1943
Dear Mother,
Not much use writing because I don’t have anything to say. Nothing different happens here. We’re just working and waiting now. Going thru the same stuff that we had in the infantry. (One of the fellows just got word that his kid brother was drowned last week. ‘Course it’s too late for him to go home now. Tough).
Just write me the news from home because nothing of interest happens here at present. Plenty of planes, of course.
Love,
Roy
July 20, 1943
Dear Mother,
Kinda slow on my writing, aren’t I? Well, Saturday (may have told you) we had to pass in review. Were out for more than three hours. Lots of guys passed out on the hot ramps of the field. I don’t know how many guys were in it, but they were further than I could see. There are more than 80,000 in camp. Quite a little gathering.
I thot we were having it too easy today. Just had one formation this afternoon, and then some of us sneaked off to the Bay. Today is almost impossible to swim against the current. And the jelly fish, there were hundreds of them about the size of a baseball. They are nearly clear. The water was so thick you couldn’t swim without hitting them. Each one you hit stings you. Doesn’t hurt, but itches when you get out. I’d hate to swallow one, too. Well, when we got back we found KP for tomorrow. Here that’s an ordeal. We get up at 2:00 and go on duty at 2:30. And they never get off before 9:00 PM. That’s at least an 18 hour stretch. They feed 24 hours a day.
It’s still as hot as ever, but not so bad. Rains nearly every afternoon about 5:00.
Haven’t seen any plane crashed yet, but several P-39’s have had close calls in landing. One came within inches of missing the runway this afternoon.
Later I’ll probably send for some money out of my account. We signed the payroll Sunday. There were over 1,600 ahead of me so I would have been in line more than two hours. Not me! I wanted to swim. Get it all next month, tho.
Got a couple of letters from Janie at college. She’s been really nice.
Love,
Roy
July 22, 1943
Dear Mother,
We’re under very unordinary conditions so I’m lucky to be able to write at all, however, I try to write to everyone I can. Whenever I can I’ll write home, tho. Weather seals all envelopes and I haven’t had a chance to buy a pen, so you’ll have to take pencil. I know the routine you have at home, but I’d much rather have it than the one I’ve got. Ours is more endless than that and the guys don’t give a damn what gives.
Didn’t you know that I was going to college? Thot I’d told you. That’s what we’re waiting for now. I will get six months of college somewhere. They don’t even tell you when you leave. From what I gather it’ll be rather tough. We’ll be restricted closely, too. There will be a rigid physical course along with it.
If a fellow is busted out of cadet training he is sent back to some camp such as this. He is a private and starts basic all over as if he’d never been in the army. He is usually made a drill sergeant, lecturer, etc. At any rate, it’s nothing good. There are millions of things that can happen. You go out even if someone notices that you don’t show the proper attitude. I’m not intending to bust!! I’ll finish college Christmas. About September of next year I’ll be a pilot if I make it. They want quality; not quantity now.
Didn’t you know that a soldier caught with even an empty brass case is subject to severe court martial? If I were caught with one I would lose my cadet status, restricted, fined, and maybe get a stretch, so don’t ask for souvenirs. We get it worse than others because we’re all pre-service men.
I would like to see a black berry or a tomato. We don’t get them and can’t buy them.
We may get ten hours of flying in college--in a Cub, etc. I don’t know. Otherwise we wont see a plane till afterwards. The training gets tougher and stricter as it goes on. Even a second lieutenant catches H... But if he makes out he’s OK.
You will not get a call from here. I haven’t even seen a phone. As for pronunciation of Biloxi, they call it both. Being pretty? I don’t know. What I saw coming in was the regular dump around the yards.
One fellow here has been in Panama, Cuba, South America, Africa and Egypt. He says that this is the hottest and worst place he’s been in yet. Says that even camps they set up over seas are better than these tent cities. And natives wash their clothes.
Bay is full of jelly fish, sea weed stickers, and rays. Virtually impossible to swim and keep from getting stung.
Love,
Roy
July 25, 1943
Dear Mother,
Just a short note. No use writing much till I get away from here. We worked all day Friday and then went on 24 hour guard duty at 5:30. I’m pretty tired now. My post was a curve in the road three miles from camp and down by the Bay. On from 8 PM--2 AM; and 8 AM--12:00 . Still had to do some stuff when we got back. Mosquitoes were tough there.
Saturday 172 boys went clear out. They dismissed physical training and classes. Hospital was full and had them lying all over the yard. Some are pretty bad off. Not hurting me, tho.
Got a picture from Janie today. Real nice one, too. She’s a swell girl. Wilma has written almost as much as you have, too.
Don’t worry about the Bay. I can take care of myself. Besides, the jelly fish, sea nettles and sting rays are so bad you can hardly swim. In fact, I quit. I got out of that KP. Too far down the alphabet. Wont need money; am getting paid. Don’t send much till I leave here. Then send anything you wish.
Love,
Roy
July 26, 1943
Dear Rog,
I guess they’re just about working your little tail off about now, huh? Did you try to raise a watermelon patch this time? I saw one at a distance the other day. We have practically no liberties here and there are only 4 PX’s for 80,000. So when they turn all those lose at the same time we don’t have much chance to get anything. You’re lucky to get ice cream after at least 1/2 an hour in line. Well, I guess it’s just in the bill of goods, so to H... with it.
Planes are more common than cars here. They have every kind. I saw about 25 AT-7 and AT-9 on the line the other day. Just yesterday they got in a bunch of new type P-40’s. They sure look swell. They run them around like kids with new toys.
When I get to college (if nothing happens) I will get 10 hours flying. Now we’re still doing the same or worse than infantry work.
Let me know what’s going on at home, boy. You know I’m no mind reader.
Roy
July 30, 1943
Dear Mother,
Can’t write much now. My head is about to split. Had a little this ...... and must have gotten too much gas. Went thru five kinds. Had to work all day just the same. Got off 8:30 tonite. Had KP yesterday from 2:00 AM to 9:15 PM. Got $ from Dad. Bout shot rite now. Write more later. Ship soon I hope.
(this letter I could not fully decipher)
Love,
Roy

Nice barracks at Keesler, but they were NOT our homes!
July 30, 1943
Dear Mother,
I wasn’t feeling too good last nite. Couldn’t hardly write. Went out and filled the ditch and felt better today, tho still have some headache. We don’t have too hard work to do but it’s just the conditions. We’re always dirty, hot, crowded, and are never off. If nothing else just standing around waiting for something.
They could have fairly good food if they’d fix it decent. Its just thrown at you. However, they feed over 2,000 each meal in each mess hall. I worked in the MP hall. They do rite well. Had beef, beets, potatoes, carrots, peas, salad, pie, chocolate milk, bread and butter for dinner. For supper they had tea, potatoes, macaroni, beets, pie, and I don’t know what else. Breakfast was cereal, milk, eggs, French toast with molasses and honey dew melon. We get them sometimes (little slice). I ate that all day long. They also had pears and I poured nine gallons of juice down the sink. They can’t use that. We also had plenty of oranges, lemons, etc. Never saw so much food. Had steaks if they wanted them. In our hall you take what you can get.
We’ve been here longer than rookies. I don’t know what they’re trying to do to us. Probably have guard tomorrow.
A busted cadet is the most pitiful guy ever. They’re completely broken. No one has the least respect for them. They nearly all come back here. They’re buck privates and may get to be sergeants, but have to go through same as a rookie. One guy had only three days left and got drunk. He was busted.
If a guy does make a pilot he gets plenty of money. Gets regular pay plus fifty percent flying pay. When he goes over he gets extra twenty percent. All together a 2nd Lt. over there gets nearly $400.00. By the way, Panama, Cuba, Hawaii are all over seas.
Love,
Roy

A freebie from Keesler
August 1, 1943
Dear Mother,
No use saying anything that useless. I’m shipping sometime Tuesday. Don’t know where, but I’m afraid we’re staying in the south. Will write as soon as we reach there. Got packages and papers OK.
Love,
Roy
August 3, 1943
Tuesday
Dear Mother,
I don’t guess we’ll leave until some time tomorrow. Still haven’t the slightest idea where I’m going.
I’m enclosing a $30.00 money order. Too much to carry around. I have $35.00 left so I have plenty. I get $37.50 per month.
When I get to college I’ll send some stuff home. Belongs to army, but I have it right now.
Don’t send anything unless I ask for it. I still have the strings that came in my civvie shoes, and GI strings are issued for my others when a pair wears out. Next shoes I get will be military strap shoes so wont need strings. The razor blades were the most needed, however, I can get all that stuff. Save your money.
I also have seven tubes of tooth paste that haven’t been touched. I sold two and sat on one, so I wont need any more. I’ll send you the empty tubes, but I now have a supply for the duration. When I first came in I bought two big boxes of powder. They last indefinitely.
You could hardly send candy here, other than that hard stuff because nothing stays solid.
Got Rog’s letter, but this will be the last from here.
Love,
Roy
Just found out! Last formation is 5:45 in the morning (Wednesday). Taking troop train. Over 1,000 men in my group. Rumor is north and east.
Recollections……
I remember little of Keesler except that conditions were bad that time of year. Temperatures ran as high as 120 degrees. Humidity was always near 100 percent. Mosquitoes were plentiful. We were in temporary housing.
The menu that night was shrimp - mountains of shrimp - and nothing but shrimp. We were on a night bivouac in marshy country. Something happened to the regular food supply so they brought in and boiled barrels of shrimp. Must have bought them at the local docks. That was my first experience eating shrimp in the shell. Mosquitoes ate us alive that night.