CAMP BLANDING SERVICE CLUB
CAMP BLANDING, FLORIDA

Oct 14, 1942

Dear Mr. Hutchinson,

I am now greeting you from a little further south than I did the last time I wrote. I have been shipped from the Replacement Training Center at Camp Lee and assigned to a company here. Rather like the warm weather.

Before I left Lee, I had passed a company and a regimental board for O.C.S. and had only to pass a post board to be fully accepted. Why I was not made to stay back to complete the interviews, I dont know. Probably, shipping orders from higher headquarters had something to do with it. Just the same, Ive learned that there are three ways of doing everything, the right way, the wrong way, and the Army way. As soon as I arrived here, I went to my company commander, explaining the situation to him to see if I had to reapply. He said that all I would have to do to be accepted was to pass a post board here, but could not do this until I had been in his company for at least a month or two. The reason for this is so that he could better fill out a form of about forty questions concerning me which every company commander is required to do when one of his men applies for O.C.S. Now, rather than sitting back and just wait, I have been doing a little investigating on my own. If you recall, just before my induction, I was taking physics courses at Montclair to qualify as Aviation Cadet (ground duty) and had only four remaining weeks to complete them. Well, yesterday, I went to the Aviation Cadet Board at post headquarters and spoke to one of the officers, explaining to him all this to see if I could apply. He advised me very strongly to apply even though I did not complete the required physics. He also explained to me that my application would first go to the Service Command I am now in (formally called Corps Area) and then to Washington. Washing would have the final say.

Mr. Hutchinson, I realize that you are very busy and I hate to ask you to give me some of your time since you have done so much for me already but I need three letters of recommendation and I would appreciate it if you help me obtain them. Will you please write one and have Dr. Shaffer and Miss Kain write the others. In Dr. Shaffers letter, I would like very much to have him include the fact that I was taking the physics courses at the time of my induction.

Thank you very much. I dont think I shall easily forget the kindness you have shown toward me.

Sincerely,

Thomas Calcerano Jr.