Band helped basic training swing

YOUR picture and article about the Air Force jazz ensemble gave me a jolt (“To Swing Is Also to Serve,” by Lynell George, Nov. 12). Sixty years ago, I was in the Army Air Corps, taking basic training in Atlantic City. Basic training is basic training in any service, and is not fun. We marched across town to the landfill that served as our drill area. The one bright spot was when we fell in behind the Army Air Corps Band. On those occasions, the trip seemed to be much shorter. You can only imagine how it felt marching several miles to “The Saint Louis Blues March.”

Bob Sklarz

Camarillo