Tagged With: War Letters
Hopes of Seeing Stanley Soon
June 13 and 14: A V-Mail and a regular letter from Anna. As with the letters that were written close to each other, for the purposes of narration and storytelling I will treat them as one. Anna writes the V-Mail “as a go-in-between before you get the regular Bible which I write. This may be … Continue reading
We Aren’t Here on a Picnic
June 9, 10 and 11, 1945: Dad writes a few short letters home to let his family know that he is “in very good condition.” He comments that “The boat trip sort of wore me down but that is behind me. I’m looking forward to the one which will being me home to you folks … Continue reading
All My Work is Finished
June 1, 8, and 11, 1945. We have three relatively short letters from Stanley to Dad. With VE Day having come and gone, the 401st has long since wound down their bombing operations in Europe. At this point, they have completed their post-engagement missions of flying POWs to processing bases in Western Europe as well. … Continue reading
This is Quite the Place Now
May 28, 1945. We have a V-mail from Dad to his family back home in Albany. Also, in a departure from the usual, we have a letter that Dad wrote to his brother Stanley. A far as his note home, he mentions that he is “getting hot meals and they taste pretty good.” He also … Continue reading
Out of a Clear Sky
May 23, 1945. There are two documents from Anna to Dad; one a V-mail and another three page typewritten letter. In the V-Mail she confirms receiving the first two V-mails that Dad sent since “he has landed on dry land.” She notes that “We are all very glad that you got there safely Anthony and … Continue reading
I Have to Laugh Now
May 23, 1945. Dad is settling in at Northwest Field on Guam and has a chance to write a letter home to share a few of the details of his trip to the Pacific Theater. He notes that he is “fine and things are improving…by the day. I am now getting a suntan and getting … Continue reading
On Land in the Pacific Somewhere
May 13 and 14, 1945. Having finally arrived at his destination, Dad writes two V-Mails home. It looks like a letter from home dated April 10, 1945 was waiting for him and he received a letter from Stanley which he “read by the campfire”. He reports “I have my two feet on dry land” and … Continue reading
You Probably Never Heard of the Place
May 18, 1945. Now that VE Day has come to Deenethorpe, certain restrictions on the 401st Bomb Group have been relaxed. Among them, is the censorship of letters. As such, in the first letter that Stanley writes to Dad after censorship requirements have been diminished, Stanley is able to share some of the details about his … Continue reading
I Am Sending You a Blessing
April 3, 1945. Mama writes a letter to Dad just prior to his deployment to Guam. I do not have the actual letter, but I have evidence of it in the form of a letter that Anna wrote to my mom in 1994. Being that my grandmother never learned to speak or write English, the … Continue reading
The Letter You Might Have Been Expecting
April 6 and 11, 1945: Dad writes two letters home. From all indications, it looks like the day of his deployment overseas is at hand. On the 6th he gets right down to the business at hand. “Well, this is the letter which you might have been expecting for quite a while, in which I … Continue reading