Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

This collection contains 118 letters that Private Charles W. Lund of Edgerton, Wisconsin, wrote to his family while serving in the United States Army during World War II. Lund trained at bases in Wisconsin, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee, and later served in the European Theater.

This collection (122 items) contains 118 letters that Private Charles W. Lund of Edgerton, Wisconsin, wrote to his family while serving in the United States Army during World War II. Lund trained at bases in Wisconsin, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee, and later served in the European Theater.

The Correspondence series (119 items) comprises the bulk of the collection. Lund, who addressed the majority of his letters to his mother, frequently inquired about his siblings and other relatives in his correspondence from November 26, 1942-August 1, 1945. At Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, and Fort McClellan, Alabama, he commented on basic training and other aspects of camp life. Two of his letters from December 1942 concern members of the 100th Infantry Battalion, a regiment comprised of Japanese soldiers, and Lund reported one lethal fight in which a Texan killed a Japanese man (December 14, 1942). At the Mississippi Ordnance Plant and at Camp Forest, Tennessee, Lund wrote about the weather, family news, and his health.

After his arrival in England in February 1944, he discussed his finances, as well as ongoing health problems and hospitalization. During the summer of 1944, his regiment was stationed on an island where they encountered Italian prisoners of war. Lund was hospitalized again for back problems in September 1944. After rejoining his unit in 1945, he described his experiences in Germany. In the summer of 1945, he oversaw prisoners of war at a submarine factory in Mönchengladbach, and he anticipated a furlough and possible transfer to the Pacific Theater. Lund sent 2 greeting cards home in December 1944, and the series also includes a V-mail letter and a postcard regarding address changes. The final item is an undated letter that a soldier named Robert wrote to his mother from the United States Naval Air Station at Norfolk, Virginia.

The Visual Material series (3 items) contains a color photograph of a soldier with a dog and 2 pages of Sad Sack comic strips.

This collection contains 27 letters and 1 postcard that Private Earl H. Hobson wrote to his wife Maybell while serving at Camp Devens, Massachusetts, and in France during World War I, as well as 1 letter that he wrote to his mother-in-law, Harriet A. Kingsley. In addition to describing his experiences while working behind the front with the 301st Ammunition Train, he reacted to news of his wife's pregnancy and shared his excitement about fatherhood.

This collection contains 27 letters and 1 postcard that Private Earl H. Hobson wrote to his wife Maybell while serving at Camp Devens, Massachusetts, and in France during World War I, as well as 1 letter that he wrote to his mother-in-law, Harriet A. Kingsley. In addition to describing his experiences while working behind the front with the 301st Ammunition Train, he reacted to news of his wife's pregnancy and shared his excitement about fatherhood.

Hobson wrote his first letter on illustrated stationery from Camp Devens, Massachusetts, shortly before embarking for France in July 1918, and sent Maybell a printed form postcard announcing his safe arrival in mid-August. He composed his remaining letters while serving with the 301st Ammunition Train near Montrichard, France, between August and December 1918, and while working for a classification camp in Saint-Aignan-des-Noyers between December 1918 and February 1919. He commented on aspects of military life in France, including his visits to the Y.M.C.A. He also described the scenery, weather, and some of the differences between life in France and in the United States. After the armistice, he shared his disappointment that he had not been sent to the front before the end of the war.

In September 1918, Hobson received news that Maybell was pregnant, and many of his later letters reflect his thoughts about fatherhood. He expressed his joy about the prospect of becoming a father and the ways the news affected him. After receiving a letter from his mother-in-law that Maybell had lost the baby in early 1919, he attempted to provide consolation and support (February 27, 1919). Hobson transferred to a classification camp by 1919, one of the last stops for American soldiers leaving France for the United States. He discussed aspects of the discharge process and expressed hopes that he would be returning home soon.

This collection contains approximately 50 letters that Private First Class George W. Ingram wrote to his mother and siblings in Boyne City, Michigan, while he served with the United States Army between 1943 and 1945. Ingram corresponded with his family while in training in the United States and while stationed in North Africa, Italy, and southern France with a military police unit. The collection also includes a document, 2 postcards, photographs, a photograph album, and ephemeral items.

This collection contains approximately 50 letters that Private First Class George W. Ingram wrote to his mother and siblings in Boyne City, Michigan, while he served with the United States Army between 1943 and 1945. Ingram corresponded with his family while in training in the United States and while stationed in North Africa, Italy, and southern France with a military police unit. The collection also includes a document, 2 postcards, photographs, a photograph album, and ephemeral items.

The Correspondence series contains George Ingram's letters to his family, as well as 2 postcards and 1 document. He wrote regularly to his mother, Sadie Ingram, and less frequently to his siblings, Bob and Guy, between January 1943 and February 1945. In his earliest letters, he commented on his experiences at Camp Grant, Illinois, and Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, where he attended basic training. By March, he relocated to Camp River Rouge, Michigan, and anticipated being sent to military police training. In July 1943, he reported that he had been deployed overseas as a member of the "149th Prov. M.P. Det.," and that he would help guard prisoners of war.

Ingram wrote about his service in North Africa, Italy, and southern France, and he frequently responded to news of friends from home. He occasionally mentioned his religious habits. After his return to the United States in late 1944, Ingram discussed his wife Betty, expressing hopes that his family would approve of her and inquiring about their opinions of her. He shared some of his postwar plans and related his efforts to obtain a medical discharge from the army. Ingram spent much of early 1945 as a member of the Army Service Forces at Camp Peary, Virginia. Throughout his service, he occasionally wrote on illustrated stationery, and he sent his mother 1 postcard from Wisconsin, which includes an image of two Mongolian pheasants. The series holds a "War Savings Bond Pay Reservation Application," signed by George W. Ingram in January 1943.

The Photographs series includes 4 individual photographs, a photographic negative, and 1 photo album. The photo album (52 pages) contains snapshots and portraits taken primarily in and around Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, Michigan, between 1941 and 1943. Most pictures depict soldiers, young women, and a baby. Other scenes include St. Petersburg, Florida; Niagara Falls; and the United States Capitol.

The Printed items and ephemera series contains newspaper clippings of a poem and an image of a bride, a certificate for Bob Ingram's service in the United States Crop Corps Victory Farm Volunteers program in 1945, and a booklet illustrating methods for creating shadow illustrations with one's hands.

The Realia series consists of a pair of iron ice tongs.

This collection is comprised of 104 items related to Private First Class John Marshal Holcombe III's service in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Holcombe sent about 90 letters and other items to his parents and siblings in Farmington, Connecticut, while in training in Florida, South Dakota, and Utah in 1942 and 1943, and while serving in Africa between 1943 and 1945. He commented on various aspects of his training, the war, his health, and military life. The collection also contains 4 documents, 2 newspaper clippings, and 6 loose photographs related to Holcombe's military service.

This collection is comprised of 104 items related to Private First Class John Marshal Holcombe III's service in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Holcombe sent about 90 letters and other items to his parents and siblings in Farmington, Connecticut, while in training in Florida, South Dakota, and Utah in 1942 and 1943, and while serving in Africa between 1943 and 1945. He commented on various aspects of his training, the war, his health, and military life. The collection also contains 4 documents, 2 newspaper clippings, and 6 loose photographs related to Holcombe's military service.

The Correspondence series consists primarily of letters that John Holcombe III wrote to his parents, John Holcombe, Jr., and Marguerite Holcombe, and to his siblings, especially his sisters Ada ("Adie") and Gloria. Of the collection's 72 dated letters and other items, Holcombe composed 7 letters from the training center at Miami Beach, Florida, (June 1942-July 1942); 20 letters from the training center at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, (July 1942-December 1942); 4 letters from Kearns, Utah (December 1942-January 1943); and 35 letters from North and Central Africa between (February 1943-May 1945). Other items are a telegram, 3 letters from other soldiers to the Holcombe family, a blank record sheet for "Bombing Practise" [sic], and a speech that Holcombe composed in honor of his parents' 25th anniversary. Of the 20 undated items, 19 are letters from John Holcombe III to his family; the final item is a typed copy of his poem "Tropic Fever."

Holcombe's letters relate to many aspects of his life as a soldier, both in training and on active duty. An asthmatic, he frequently commented on his health; for example, his letters from late 1943 mention his stay in a hospital after he contracted malaria. Other letters describe the scenery in the United States and in Africa, as well as African cultures. Holcombe frequently referred to his experiences in training, which included drilling and attending technical classes, and he sometimes reported news of the war, such as Italy's surrender. He requested news from Connecticut and often wrote personal asides for his sister Ada. His later letters often concern his relationship with other soldiers, and increasingly provide more detailed information about his duties.

• July 6, 1942: Hand-drawn diagram of Holcombe's quarters, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
• August 20, 1942: Printed chart for weather reports, filled out in pencil
• September 14, 1942: Photograph of an unidentified soldier sitting on a bunk
• October 14, 1942: Photographs of a soldier punting a football and a soldier next to technical equipment and a chalkboard
• January 12, 1943: Printed cartoon of a soldier washing dishes
• March 19, 1943: 8 photographs of Africans
• June 14, 1943: Poem dedicated to Ada Holcombe on her 19th birthday
• April 7, 1944: Unidentified plant leaf
• July 17, 1944: Enclosed poem dated July 11, 1944
• January 25, 1945: Small drawing of a stickwoman
• Undated: Printed cartoon of a soldier writing

Additionally, several letters dated after October 1944 have a wax seal, often labeled "The Seal of the Clan & Huck Finn."

• United States Army Air Forces Technical School diploma for John Holcombe III's completion of a radio mechanics course (November 27, 1942)
• Travel orders for John Holcombe III and other soldiers, United States Army Headquarters, West African Service Command (March 20, 1945)
• "Salvati Africa" ticket stub (undated)
• Humorous certificate for John Holcombe III's membership in the Marching and Mayhem Club, illustrated with cartoons depicting Japanese and German soldiers being wounded (undated)

The two Newspaper Clippings are a copy of The Spectator Daily (March 22, 1945), and a copy of a John D. Rockefeller, Jr., radio broadcast entitled "I Believe" (undated).

Six black-and-white Photographs illustrate scenes from Asmara, Eritrea, such as a market, a horse-drawn carriage, and buildings.

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 is made up of over 280 letters that Sergeant Randall M. Stine wrote to his parents and siblings in Portland, Pennsylvania, while serving in the United States Army during World War II. Stine wrote about camp life in the United States and about his experiences in North Africa and Italy.

This collection is made up of over 280 letters that Sergeant Randall M. Stine wrote to his parents and siblings in Portland, Pennsylvania, while serving with the United States Army during World War II. Stine wrote home regularly from October 22, 1942-August 13, 1945, with a few gaps during periods of travel. His first letters concern his arrival and experiences at Camp Pickett, Virginia, and Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he was trained as a cook. He shared his impressions of the South, fellow soldiers, and camp life. In December 1942, he sent illustrated Christmas cards to his sisters.

After his arrival in North Africa, Stine wrote every few days about his work at the 105th Station Hospital; he continued to cook for staff and patients following the hospital's relocation to Italy in 1944. On one occasion, he complained about the soldiers' mealtime behavior. In his spare time, Stine read magazines, played checkers, watched movies, and attended USO shows. In one letter from mid-1945, he discussed his visit to a rest camp in Rome, and on August 11, 1945, he reported the news of the Japanese surrender offer.