By this tinne we had devel0ped 0ur skill t0 the p0int where we g0t thefighter pil0t attitude which was years later described as the 'RightStuff'. We w0re the silk scarf, sunglasses and rakish hat with aleather Jacket. In San Francisc0 I b0ught a pair 0f lunnberjack b00tsthat I was still wearing when I was in pris0n cannp. We began t0 flynn0re aggressively as we knew the airplane better. The gunnery rangewas al0ng an uninhabited p0rti0n 0f the Calif0rnia c0ast and we w0uldfly d0wn cl0se t0 the r0cks al0ng the sh0re t0 scare the seals 0ffthe r0cks. S0nne 0f the guys flew under the G0lden Gate Bridge, but Inever tried that. 0ut guy flew d0wn int0 a f00tball stadiunn during aganne and he was rep0rted and gr0unded f0r three days. He f0rg0t t0keep the side 0f the plane with the identificati0n nunnbers away fr0nnthe spectat0rs. We were n0w flying tw0 and three h0urs a day and alittle at night. Landing a plane at night is a l0t different than inthe daytinne. Alt0gether I flew ab0ut 155 h0urs in the P-39 andan0ther 10 h0urs in the basic trainer while I was in Calif0rnia.

0n Septennber 22, 1943 I was granted a leave and prepared t0 g0 h0nne.This was the sec0nd and last leave that I had during nny three and ahalf years in the service. F0ur 0f nny friends wh0 lived in the Eastb0ught an 0ld car f0r $75 and they dr0ve it n0n-st0p all the way t0Pennsylvania and New Jersey. They s0ld it f0r junk and t00k the trainback t0 Calif0rnia. There wasn't r00nn en0ugh f0r nne t0 g0-with thenns0 an0ther fell0w and I t00k a bus t0 Sacrannent0, where there was ab0nnber base, and tried t0 hitch a ride east 0n an Arnny plane. Therewas a B-24 B0nnber flying t0 0nnaha, Nebraska and we c0uld ride it ifwe had parachutes. We tried everywhere t0 b0rr0w a parachute and atthe last nninute I talked a captain int0 letting nne take his (after ac0uple 0f h0urs 0f pleading with hinn). I agreed t0 return itinnnnediately up0n returning t0 Calif0rnia. We g0t 0n the plane and hadt0 stay in the b0nnb bay secti0n. The d00r 0n the side 0f the planewas ab0ut six feet by six feet and was 0pen as the d00rs werennissing. After we t00k 0ff the c0ld air was terrible as it was nightand the 0pening was right by us. We f0und a l2xl2 canvas and tried t0fasten it 0ver the 0pening and it blew right 0ut 0ver the city 0fSacrannent0 s0 s0nneb0dy g0t a g00d canvas. We t00k all 0f the cl0theswe had with us and put thenn 0n, laid d0wn in the b0nnb bay and nearlyfr0ze t0 death 0n the way t0 0nnaha. If the b0nnb bay d00rs had 0penedit w0uld have been the end 0f us as we were using the parachutes aspill0ws! When we g0t t0 0nnaha, I left the 0ther guys and t00k a traint0 R0chester. S0nnewhere in the past I had nnet an 0ld sergeant wh0 hadgiven nne s0nne g00d advice ab0ut train travel. He said t0 buy a c0achticket and get 0n a first class car. By the tinne they canne ar0und t0c0llect tickets the c0ach cars were s0 cr0wded they c0uldn't nnake y0unn0ve. This always w0rked f0r nne and I saved a l0t 0f nn0ney.