LETTER #41 - 17 OCT 1944

My Little Notes:
Well this is the last letter from Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois.  He now leaves for Boca Raton, Florida Army Air Field for more technical training.  Stay tuned!

On a sad note, his Army buddy Alvin Lloyd received a telegram from his mother that his younger brother was wounded in France.  According to my research, this would be his younger brother, Robert Harold Lloyd.  I have no military data as of yet on Robert Harold, but I know he died at the age of 65 in 1990.  See his memorial below from Find-A-Grave:

Link to Memorial on Robert Harold Lloyd

1949 Poster for Armed Forces Day - The picture reminded me of brothers like the Lloyds.  There were 5 boys and I know for sure that 4 of them served our Country; 2 in WWII and 2 in Korea.

LETTER #40 - 13 OCT 1944

My Little Notes:
Sounds like Uncle Louie will be shipping out soon.  He mentions about passing the "sweat box".  I tried to do a little research on it and I am thinking it is training to get used to being confined in the glass dome area that they will be in as an aerial gunner.  Or possibly training for this type of torture treatment as it is more commonly known.  If anybody has a better description please let me know.  I found this picture (see below) from Wakeman General Hospital in Indiana.  It was a big Army hospital and training center during WWII.  Here is also a link for more information on the history of Wakeman General Hospital. 

WakemanHospital/HoosierTrainingGround/HoosierTrainingGround.htm

A "sweat box" from Wakeman Hospital ~ undated.

LETTER #39 - 4 OCT 1944

Sounds like Uncle Louie, Ward and Al had a fun time in Chicago, despite the fact they had no time to visit his family.  I am sure the family is not too angry over it.  And what a prank to pull on a kid with the pepper gum! 

Morrison Hotel (Chicago)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Morrison Hotel was a high rise hotel in downtown the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It was designed by the architectural firm of Marshall and Fox, and completed in 1925. The hotel was demolished in 1965 to make room for the First National Bank Building (now Chase Tower).
Standing 526 feet (160 m) high, the Morrison Hotel was the first building outside of New York City to have more than 40 floors. At the time of its razing, it was the tallest building to have ever been demolished anywhere in the world.

The movie that he saw with the Waves.  I think I may have seen this movie once.  Funny, how Katharine Hepburn can be Asian! 

Link to 1944 Dragonseed Movie info