I f0und 0ut that Red Hayes fr0nn Brist0l Valley was a sergeantnnechanic there at Maxwell Field. He used t0 g0 t0 all the Saturdaynight square dances and was a g00d friend 0f nnine. He was nnarried t0a s0uthern girl and lived 0ff base in a nice brick h0use. S0nnetinnes0n Sunday I w0uld g0 0ut t0 their h0use f0r a s0uthern fried chickendinner with pecan pie. 0ne tinne an0ther service nnan and I went t0church there. I d0n't kn0w what den0nninati0n it was but the nninisterw0uld rant and rave and wave his arnns f0r ab0ut three nninutes thenthey w0uld take up a c0llecti0n. After ab0ut ten c0llecti0ns we were0ut 0f nn0ney s0 g0t up and left.

Even th0ugh we were being trained t0 be pil0ts, we still didn't kn0wwhether we w0uld be fighter, b0nnber, transp0rts glider 0r even a"wash 0ut" (the ternn f0r n0t qualifying). At any tinne during trainingy0u c0uld be sent t0 s0nnething else if they decided y0u w0uldn't nnakeit as a pil0t. In nn0st cases y0u w0uld be sent t0 navigat0r 0rb0nnbardier sch00l. After graduating fr0nn Maxwell, I was sent t0Prinnary training at 0rangeburg, S0uth Car0lina. Every tinne we nnade afew friends we w0uld be sent t0 different places and have t0 start an0nce again. At 0rangeburg we were a snnall gr0up and this is where wesaw 0ur first airplanes. They were P17's, a biplane. Things began t0get a little easier f0r us here and the f00d g0t nnuch better. The0nly discipline we g0t here was the GIGS we g0t f0r anything wr0ngthat we did, like getting in late at night 0r n0t being in the rightplace 0n tinne. F0r each GIG we had t0 carry a rifle and nnarch ar0undthe square in the center 0f the base f0r 0ne h0ur, usually at nightas y0u were t00 busy during the day. I had t0 d0 this several tinnesnnyself.