“Already I have cooked a few meals and so far there haven't been any deaths reported. In fact they seemed to like it.”

Saturday, 15 November 1941  (D411115)

Cookin' in Mississippi

November 15, 1941

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Well at last I'm located here in Key Field and am a full fledged 1st cook for the 12th pursuit squadron. Already I have cooked a few meals and so far there haven't been any deaths reported. In fact they seemed to like it. Last night I made pineapple cream pie which was very good. We have about 250 men to feed in our mess hall. I work from Thursday noon until Friday noon then don't have to go back to work until Sunday noon. I work till Monday noon then rest until Thursday noon. Then back to work again Sun noon. That is pretty soft. There are about 12,000 men here at Key Field. We all live in wooden barracks and have a nice barracks for a recreation hall and library. The food is good and I like all the fellows in my squadron just swell. The only thing is that I wish I was closer home now that I have this spare time. Meridian is about 2 miles from the field and has a population of 40,000, about 26,000 of there are Negroes but it's one of the better towns in the south. They have a civic center where we can go to swim, play ping pong, basket ball etc. The fellows want me to be on their Squadron basketball team and I will if my work doesn't interfere. I had a very nice trip up to Selfridge Field then back down here. The people are all very polite and interesting but still rather resent the northerners beating them in the civil war. The land down here is very red and flat it grows pine trees but not much else. About 100 miles north they of here they have good cotton and Johnson grass hay which they were cutting when I came through. We don't know if we are to be stationed here permanently or not. I suppose it depends on conditions over there. The Russians are putting up a splendid battle and I feel that we should go over and help them if we possibly can. The headlines in our paper this morning were "Nazis retreating under Russian fire". I think that sounds promising.

I surely hope you are all well and happy there please give my regards to our friends.

With Love

Stub

Leonard Talcott

50th Pursuit group - 12th Squadron

Key Field

Meridian, Miss