Harold Young letters, 1942-1943
6 items
This collection contains 6 letters that Private Harold Young wrote to Faye McIntyre of Elgin, Oregon, while serving with the United States Army at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, and Camp Butner, North Carolina, during World War II.
Initially, Young expressed surprise that she had found his address and initiated communication, though later letters indicate that Young knew McIntyre's parents and had many acquaintances in common with her. He first responded to a letter on August 28, 1942, and confirmed that he was a member of a noncombatant unit, though he had the opportunity to volunteer for a dangerous active service unit; he later wrote that he was "looking to die at a young age" by participating in overseas service (September 5, 1942). These first two letters urge McIntyre to follow her impulse to come east to visit him and allude to a liaison the couple enjoyed in San Francisco. In 1943, Young reported that he had married another woman, though he declared that his "heart belong[ed] in Oregon" (June 3, 1943).
After volunteering for the Signal Corps, Young wrote four letters from Camp Butner, North Carolina, detailing the unit's training as an amphibious invasion force (June 3 and June 25, 1943). Additionally, he expressed his distaste for the hot weather and inadequate social activities, his increasing disenchantment with his military placement, and his hope of returning to the West Coast (July 19 and August 21, 1943). Two of his letters bear graphic letterheads from Camp Butner, depicting soldiers in action.