Reno, Nevada
June 13, 1943
UNITED STATES ARMY AIR FORCES
Dear Howard,
Well I got your letter the other day after it had been around the U.S. Well you probably know by now that I was moved to Reno, Nevada out here in the wild west. We’re right up here next to heaven. We are at an elevation of about 6,000 feet and are surrounded by snow covered peaks. The first day we were here we had a big sand storm and the next day we had a snow storm on the 3rd of June. They tell us that in 1902 they had snow in Reno on the fourth of July so I guess we can look for about anything.
All that is in these part of the west is barren hills where no grass for trees will grow. All that is here is sage brush and sand, mixed in with the jack rabbits and rattlesnakes.
Well I got a letter from home yesterday with the news that Shorty Bennett had been killed. Well that sure is awful. I guess they ran into a storm and I got a couple letters from North Carolina and they say they really had some awful storms down there. Well I guess that is the first causality of World War Two.
I got a letter from Mom this morning and he is still in the hospital. He has been there for over a month so he should be getting out soon.
Well I guess quite a few of the boys are get-ting furloughs these days. I hear Phil Silbery and Tommy Frazier are home now. I guess Crowd saw will have to lay low for a while now.
Do you ever hear from Hall. I haven’t heard from him for a long time now. I don’t think anybody hears from him too often. We were in Kansas City for about an hour and a half on Saturday night when we were coming out here.
This town of Reno is a real wide open town. The big excitement this is gambling. All they have is silver dollars and it is nothing to see some hundred of them on a craps table and a lot of these old westerners who make their living that way. I hear an slot machine in every business place and I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t have them in the Church itself.
Well news is scarce so I think I bring these lines to a close.
Your pal
Willard
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