DIY History | Transcribe | Nile Kinnick Collection | Nile Kinnick and Nile Kinnick Sr. letters to William C. Stuart, 1941-1983

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Nile Kinnick and Nile Kinnick Sr. letters to William C. Stuart, 1941-1983

1989: Page 13

I was down there.  My brother finished at Los Alamitos a couple of weeks ago and is now at Corpus Christi.  The youngest Kinnick offspring is captaining a pretty fair B.H.S. basketball team.
kThat about covers all the gossip I know.  My error, one more item--did you know Chuck West got married?  Rec'd a notice from him while I was at Jax, and it wasn't Julie; whats the story?
"Now just  a bit of advice William--first don't let those physical culture maniacs wreck you, take it rather gently.  And
when you get into the flying end of it, be always on the alert and keep that air speed above stalling; that is the old life
line.  If you concentrate in primary on learning to control your airspeed, the rest will follow rather easily.
Hope you will write again Bill.  It was good to hear from you.  Give my best to your family & tell your pappy I'm looking
forward to another game of golf at Chariton C. C. some day
Yours,
Nile
I was in pre-flight training at Del Monte California the spring of 1943.  The X-rays taken upon my entry revealed  a
calcified deposit on my lung.  As they suspected TB, they sent me to the Naval Hospital at Oakland.  The spot proved to be an old pneumonia scar which did not prevent me from continuing the course.  While I was at the hospital I heard over the radio that
on June 2, Nile had been killed when his engine quit because of a lack of oil pressure on   a   routine training flight.  The shock and grief were very difficult to bear without anyone to share it
with.
I was never able to get over the feeling of great respect and awe that I felt toward Nile.  It was really hero worship in the   best sense.  As a result I missed a wonderful opportunity to become even closer to him.  Had I written more often and expressed my personal feelings more openly, I would have been able to share more of the caring and wisdom of this remarkable young man.

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I was down there. My brother finished at Los Alamitos a couple of weeks ago and is now at Corpus Christi. The youngest Kinnick offspring is captaining a pretty fair B.H.S. basketball team. kThat about covers all the gossip I know. My error, one more item--did you know Chuck West got married? Rec'd a notice from him while I was at Jax, and it wasn't Julie; whats the story? "Now just a bit of advice William--first don't let those physical culture maniacs wreck you, take it rather gently. And when you get into the flying end of it, be always on the alert and keep that air speed above stalling; that is the old life line. If you concentrate in primary on learning to control your airspeed, the rest will follow rather easily. Hope you will write again Bill. It was good to hear from you. Give my best to your family & tell your pappy I'm looking forward to another game of golf at Chariton C. C. some day Yours, Nile I was in pre-flight training at Del Monte California the spring of 1943. The X-rays taken upon my entry revealed a calcified deposit on my lung. As they suspected TB, they sent me to the Naval Hospital at Oakland. The spot proved to be an old pneumonia scar which did not prevent me from continuing the course. While I was at the hospital I heard over the radio that on June 2, Nile had been killed when his engine quit because of a lack of oil pressure on a routine training flight. The shock and grief were very difficult to bear without anyone to share it with. I was never able to get over the feeling of great respect and awe that I felt toward Nile. It was really hero worship in the best sense. As a result I missed a wonderful opportunity to become even closer to him. Had I written more often and expressed my personal feelings more openly, I would have been able to share more of the caring and wisdom of this remarkable young man.