Frank writes to his Mom the same night he wrote to Will about how tough the training is in Miami Beach. He shares a very intimate thought with his mother, about his oldest brother that surprises me, but perhaps it [...]
Frank writes in colorful language to his oldest brother, Will. Now where is it they're trying to stick that umbrella? He tells Will he's "CQ," which stands for Commander of Quarters. Frank doesn't go into much detail, but I found this description of CQ duties in a personal remembrance of another Air Force cadet: The CQ spent "the evening in detachment headquarters with a list of names and numbers to call if something went wrong. The CQ was given an alarm clock to awaken him; then he had to wake the detachment."
I love these vintage, gloriously colored post cards from decades past. I'm posting two here, showing places where Frank hung out during his basic training as an air force cadet in Miami Beach, Florida. Only one is dated, written on 8/25/1943, to his mother. The other is addressed to his dad, but you can be sure both were shared avidly among the family.
What eighteen-year-old kid hasn't lost money? Wasted it, spent it, been careless with it, overdrew the checking account, and so on. And what parents haven't been ready to rip out their hair as they tried to explain to the kid to be more careful. So it was with my grandmother. Although she had little education, she was smart enough to hold off until later in her letter to give some gentle advice and admonitions to her son about taking better care of his money. She front-loaded her letter with appreciation for his latest letter, home-front updates, and a sincere desire to know more about his life in Miami Beach.
Ebner and Cookie at Austin H.S. Prom, 1942 Frank Ebner's mom has received the birthday gift he sent her and tries to express her gratitude as best she can in English. Ebner's girlfriend, Cookie comes to visit with [...]