Guide to the Blimp Training Diary, 1946

The unidentified author of the Blimp Training Diary enlisted, most likely in the United States Naval Reserve, on March 6, 1943, at the age of seventeen. The author received lighter-than-air flight training and ground schooling at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in Jackson, New Jersey throughout the spring and summer of 1946, where he trained on G and K class blimps, as well as balloons.

The Blimp Training Diary, comprising a single, unbound, thirty-five page journal excerpt, spans from April until July 1946. The diary, which alternates between handwritten and typewritten, is a first-hand, daily account of the author's lighter-than-air training and social life at Lakehurst Naval Air Station.

Many of the entries throughout the diary make brief mention of the author's training experiences, such as training flights, basic blimp and balloon operation, and ground school classes and curriculum, as well as the author's opinions towards specific instructors and ground school classes. The author also makes frequent mention of various aspects of military life not specifically related to his training, such as meals in the mess hall, laundry, payday, and ongoing efforts to receive a "fogie/fogy" [longevity pay raise]. However, the bulk of the entries pertain to the author's social life and recreational activities. Among the activities and events the author describes are various dances, cocktail parties, movies, and trips to Philadelphia. The author also frequently discusses socializing with women from nearby Georgian Court College and his experiences with his 1936 Plymouth.