Collections

This collection contains 212 letters, postcards, greeting cards, and telegrams that Second Lieutenant Arthur Richard Roussin ("Dick") of Durand, Michigan, sent to and received from his parents during his service in the United States Army, February 1944-August 1946. Roussin wrote about life at Fort Benning, Georgia; Camp Stewart, Georgia; and Camp Robinson, Arkansas, from February 1944-April 1945, and about his experiences traveling to and serving in Yokohama, Japan, from October 1945-August 1946. His parents shared personal and local news and discussed their store in Durand.

This collection contains 212 letters, postcards, greeting cards, and telegrams that Second Lieutenant Arthur Richard Roussin ("Dick") of Durand, Michigan, and his parents exchanged during his service in the United States Army from February 1944-August 1946. Roussin wrote about life at Fort Benning, Georgia; Camp Stewart, Georgia; and Camp Robinson, Arkansas, from February 1944-April 1945, and about his experiences traveling to and serving in Yokohama, Japan, from October 1945-August 1946. His parents shared personal and local news and discussed their store in Durand. Roussin also received a few letters from other acquaintances.

The first letter, from Durand's high school, pertains to his academic affairs (May 21, 1943), and the remaining correspondence relates to his time in the military. The bulk of the collection falls within two time periods: February 19, 1944-April 25, 1945 (120 items), and October 12, 1945-January 31, 1946 (98 items); 6 additional items are dated February 4, 1946-August 24, 1946. Roussin wrote 122 letters to his parents, received 90 letters from his parents, and received 13 letters from other correspondents. Some envelopes contain multiple items or letters written over the course of several days, and some letters enclose newspaper clippings.

Roussin's earliest letters home concern training exercises at Fort Benning, Georgia; Camp Stewart, Georgia; and Camp Robinson, Arkansas, where he was stationed from February 1944-April 1945. He described specific tasks, such as his work with machine guns, and the everyday occurrences of camp life during infantry training. He sent his parents 3 picture postcards of sights in and near Camp Stewart, Georgia, in the summer of 1944, and commented regularly on his training experiences until mid-March 1945. Between March and April 1945, Roussin's parents wrote almost daily about their lives in Durand, Michigan. Their letters include updates on their son "Gene," war news, descriptions of social activities, and discussions about their store. On March 20, 1945, a friend sent Arthur R. Roussin a postcard depicting the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C.

The Roussins resumed their correspondence in October 1945, when Arthur, then a second lieutenant with "Infantry Company B, 4th Platoon" (his mail traveled through the 194th Quartermaster Detachment APO), anticipated his deployment to Japan. He mentioned his duties as his unit prepared to sail from California, and described his journey from the United States to Japan onboard the USS General George M. Randall. After his arrival in Tokyo on November 1, 1945, he traveled to the Naval Air Facility Atsugi and to Yokohama, where he was stationed until the following August. While in Yokohama, Roussin wrote to his parents about his daily activities, such as bookkeeping duties for a post exchange (PX) store, visits to Tokyo, and his social life. He sometimes reported on his drinking habits and explained the army's rationing system for alcohol, which divided drinks into several classes before distribution. During this period, he occasionally received letters from his mother and father, who continued to discuss their daily lives and local news, including the possibility of labor strikes. On December 29, 1945, Roussin mentioned a fire in the PX warehouse, and on February 4, 1946, reassured his parents that he had not been seriously injured in a recent car crash, though a friend had been killed. He also sent postcards of Mount Shasta (California) and of a Japanese building. His final communications are three telegrams from late August 1946, in which he shared his expectation of an imminent journey home.

Arthur Richard Roussin often wrote on decorated U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, American Red Cross, or personal stationery. One letter has a humorous printed illustration of a family of birds (June 15, 1944), and Roussin drew a picture of a cyclone in his letter of October 22, 1945.

This collection is made up of letters that Cecelia Jones of Kenton, Ohio, wrote to her son Daniel from 1943 to 1944, while he served in the United States Army. She provided him with updates on his siblings and on other soldiers from Kenton, and offered medical and emotional advice.

This collection is made up of 30 letters that Cecelia Jones of Kenton, Ohio, wrote to her son Daniel from May 14, 1943-March 5, 1944, while he served in the United States Army. His brother-in-law, Herbert L. Fish, sent him 1 letter (February 18, 1944).

Shortly after Daniel left home, Cecelia inquired about his experiences in camp. She shared news of Daniel's sisters, Louise, Ruth, and Grace (a nurse), and provided information about other soldiers from Kenton, Ohio. These soldiers included a man who had lost most of his hearing and another who had received a dishonorable discharge for recurring absences without leave. Many of Cecelia's letters from 1943 concern her attempts to receive benefits from the U.S. War Department as a dependent.

After January 14, 1944, the letters reflect Daniel's mental and physical health problems. His mother encouraged him to improve his outlook and to approach the situation with optimism, while his brother-in-law, Herbert L. Fish, took a harsher tone by reproaching Daniel for complaining and suggesting that he take care of his responsibilities (February 18, 1944). Cecelia Jones enclosed additional correspondence with her letters, including a typed letter from Louise to her mother (June 24, 1943) and a rebus from a woman named Mary (February 13, 1944). Daniel Jones also received newspaper clippings about overcoming shyness, soldiers from Kenton, military dependents' benefits, army life (humorous cartoons), and concept car designs.

This collection is made up of letters that Phyllis Okoniewski of Buffalo, New York, wrote and received during World War II. She corresponded with servicemen in multiple branches of the United States Armed Forces during the early years of the war, and wrote over 150 letters to her future husband, Richard J. Szymczak, from September 1943-May 1945.

This collection is made up of approximately 200 letters that Phyllis Okoniewski of Buffalo, New York, wrote and received during World War II, 4 manuscript writings, and 6 newspaper clippings..

The Correspondence series consists of Phyllis Okoniewski's incoming and outgoing letters. From February 1941-August 1943, Okoniewski received over 40 letters from members of the United States Army, United States Army Air Forces, and United States Navy. They wrote about aspects of military life at bases such as Camp McClellan, Alabama; Camp Croft, South Carolina; Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida; Camp Pickett, Virginia; Seymour Johnson Field, North Carolina; Sampson Naval Training Station, New Jersey; Camp Gordon, Georgia; and South Kelly Field, Texas. The servicemen discussed their classes, possible assignments, daily routine, and leisure activities. Okoniewski occasionally composed drafts of letters to these soldiers, in which she discussed her life in Buffalo, New York. The bulk of the series (over 150 items) is comprised of Okoniewski's letters to her future husband, Richard Szymczak, between September 1943 and May 1945. She commented on news from home, activities with members of the Okoniewski and Szymczak families, her senior prom, and her love for Szymczak.

The Writings series (4 items) contains 2 drafts of an explicit poem about Adam and Eve, a recipe for "love cake," a parody of Longfellow's poem "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere," and a typed joke about married women.

Five of the six Newspaper clippings relate to the Buffalo Bisons hockey team during the war. One of these lists war casualties from western New York on the reverse side. The sixth clipping is an image of members of the 95th Signal Company, 3rd Division, United States Army, surrounding a cow.

This collection consists of letters that Stanley Socha, a native of Oneida County, New York, exchanged with his wife Sophia while serving in the United States Army during World War II. He discussed his experiences during training at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, and during his deployment in the Philippines and Japan. Stanley Socha also received letters from family and friends.

This collection (3.25 linear feet) consists of letters that Stanley Socha, a native of Oneida County, New York, exchanged with his wife Sophia while serving in the United States Army during World War II. He discussed his experiences during training at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, and during his deployment in the Philippines and Japan.

The Stanley and Sophia Socha Correspondence comprises the vast bulk of the collection. The Sochas wrote over 700 letters to each other from October 1943-January 1946, most of which are Stanley's almost-daily letters to Sophia from Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, and from the Pacific Theater. At Camp Claiborne, Socha discussed military life and his training regimen, which included running obstacle courses and learning to tie different knots. In the spring of 1944, he described his experiences on a navy vessel while traveling to the Pacific, and he commented regularly on his health, surroundings, meals, and everyday life while serving overseas. Among other topics, he mentioned soldiers' interactions with Filipino women and shared his impressions of social class differences. Though he focused on his personal life and his feelings for Sophia, Socha occasionally commented on current events and war news. After V-J Day, he wrote from Tacloban, Philippines, and Tokorozawa, Japan, anticipating his return to the United States. He composed some letters on stationery bearing the logos of Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, and the United States Army.

Sophia Socha's letters to her husband are interspersed throughout the collection, becoming more frequent after his deployment to the Pacific. She commented on her life in Utica and provided news of her husband's parents and siblings, who lived in Oriskany Falls, New York. She occasionally enclosed newspaper clippings with her correspondence. The Sochas' letters from September and October 1944 concern the recent death of Stanley's mother.

The Letters to Stanley Socha series contains 54 items. Stanley's siblings, parents, and acquaintances wrote to him about life in New York, life in the United States military, and other topics. One letter from his mother is in Polish (July [11], 1944). The series includes Easter and birthday cards and V-mail.