The collection is made up entirely of notes and essays written by Hale while he was enrolled as a trainee at the Army Air Service School in Austin, Texas in 1918. The subject matter deals with military topics and says nothing about Hale’s life.

The topics are listed in alphabetical order and include the following; administration and organization of the U.S. Army, army regulations, artillery observation, camp sanitation, court martial, engines, gas defense, instruments, Lewis Gun, maps, Marlin Aircraft Gun, military courtesy, military hygiene, modern warfare, paper work, and rigging and meteorology.