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

This collection contains roughly 400 letters that Corporal Edwin Stetson Holland wrote to Jane C. Anderson, his fiancée, during his service with the United States Army Air Forces 43rd Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion during World War II. Holland reported on his experiences while training from June 1943 to November 1944 at Fort Devens, Massachusetts; Camp Davis, North Carolina; and Camp Stewart, Georgia. He also wrote from the Hawaiian Islands, the Ryukyu Islands, and Okinawa between November 1944 and November 1945. In addition to responding to news from his home in Worcester, Massachusetts, and to sharing his love for Jane, Holland discussed his health, fellow soldiers, training exercises, and the scenery.

This collection contains roughly 400 letters that Corporal Edwin Stetson Holland wrote to Jane C. Anderson, his fiancée, during his service with the United States Army Air Forces 43rd Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion during World War II. Holland reported on his experiences while training from June 1943 to November 1944, at Fort Devens, Massachusetts; Camp Davis, North Carolina; and Camp Stewart, Georgia. He also wrote from the Hawaiian Islands, the Ryukyu Islands, and Okinawa between November 1944 and November 1945. In addition to responding to news from his home in Worcester, Massachusetts, and to sharing his love for Jane, Holland discussed his health, fellow soldiers, training exercises, and the scenery.

The Correspondence series is comprised of Holland's letters to Anderson throughout his military service. His first letters from Fort Devens, Massachusetts, concern his stay in the camp hospital in June 1943, after he contracted the chicken pox. He transferred to Camp Davis, North Carolina, later that month, and regularly wrote to Anderson throughout his time in training. He discussed many aspects of military life, such as the scenery and climate, training exercises and hikes, duties around the camp, and his fellow soldiers. He frequently wrote of his love for Jane and reminisced about their times together. After transferring to Westhampton Beach, Long Island, around February 1944, he attended automotive classes. He spent most of April-November 1944 at Camp Stewart, Georgia, where his training included bivouacs and hikes.

Holland often wrote while traveling, and described his accommodations and the passing scenery. His itineraries included stops at Chicago, Illinois, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, in late 1944. He spent a few weeks at a camp in the west before arriving in Oahu in November 1944. He frequently commented on Hawaiian scenery, the local people, and visits to Honolulu. Between July 1945 and October 1945, he wrote from the Ryukyu Islands and Okinawa, Japan, where he served in the final days of the war. He remarked broadly on his military experiences and described the life of American soldiers stationed in the Pacific theater. On one occasion, he reported in depth on the effects of a recent typhoon (October 11, 1945). After mid-August, he shared his feelings about the end of the war, and his expectation of a discharge. He arrived in California in early November, and by November 28, 1845, had returned to Barre, Massachusetts.

• Camp Davis, North Carolina, including images of soldiers with antiaircraft guns
• Camp Stewart, Georgia, including images of soldiers, the camp's buildings, and antiaircraft guns
• Fort Devens, Massachusetts
• Kilauea Military Camp, Hawaii
• United Service Organizations (USO)
• United States Army Air Corps
• United States Red Cross

The Ephemera series has 6 items: 2 change-of-address notices that Holland sent Jane during the war; a bank form inquiring about the respondent's postwar financial plans; a printed program for a religious service held onboard the Sea Bass on October 21, 1945, during Edwin S. Holland's return from the Pacific; and covers once used to house groups of Holland's letters. The correspondence series includes 1 printed program for a religious service held at Camp Davis, enclosed in Holland's letter of December 19, 1943.

This collection is made up of correspondence, soldiers' newsletters, and other items related to Emanuel Levy's service in the United States Army Signal Corps during World War II and his involvement in veterans' reunions. Levy corresponded with family members and friends in Brooklyn, New York, while serving in in the United States and the Pacific Theater from 1941-1943; he later received updates from fellow veterans. The collection also includes Levy's war reminiscences, and sheet music and manuscripts of Levy's musical comedy, Hey Mister Satan (1942).

This collection is made up of correspondence, soldiers' newsletters, and other items related to Emanuel Levy's service in the United States Army Signal Corps during World War II, and to his involvement in veterans' reunions.

The Correspondence series (244 items) contains Emanuel Levy's incoming and outgoing correspondence from January 1941 to June 1943, and a single letter written in September 1945. "Manny" received letters from family members and friends in Brooklyn, New York, who discussed the family news and, less frequently, politics and the war. His correspondents included women named Muriel, Evelyn, Alberta, and Frances. In his letters and postcards, Levy commented on his experiences at Camp Upton, New York; Camp Shelby, Mississippi; Camp Beale, California; Camp Butner, North Carolina; other bases; and in Hawaii and the Pacific Theater, where he was stationed for most of 1942. He described his life on base immediately prior to the Pearl Harbor attack, discussed finances and allotments, and responded to news from his family's letters to him. He occasionally used stationery from the Jewish Welfare Board, USO, and various military installations.

The Military Transmissions and Communications series (8 items) consists of official communications sent during World War II, primarily related to the signal corps and the Pacific Theater. The series includes Irving Strobing's transmission reporting the surrender of Corregidor (May 4, 1942) and a separate order to stop American vessels bound for Corregidor, a communication from Franklin D. Roosevelt to the United States Army forces in the Philippines (beginning "Personal from the President to Lt Gen Wainwright…"), and an undated notice of the German surrender.

The Reunions and Postwar Papers series (94 items) includes materials related to reunions of the 303rd Signal Operation Battalion, the history of the unit, and Emanuel Levy's involvement with veterans' organizations. The 303rd Signal Operation Battalion held reunions from 1947-1993. Items include Emanuel Levy's postwar correspondence with fellow veterans, invitations, address lists, newspaper clippings, and ephemeral materials. Several incoming letters to Levy inform him of fellow veterans' postwar lives and deaths.

The Writings series (8 items) pertains to Emanuel Levy's service in the United States Army Signal Corps during World War II. Three personal reminiscences, written sometime after the war, recount his work for the 101st Signal Operation Battalion and 303rd Signal Operation Battalion in the United States, the Pacific, and Europe during and just after the war, with details about military communications operations, his movements, and specific incidents. One item is a list of the posts where Levy served between April 1941 and September 1945. The series contains an article that Levy submitted to Harper's Magazine in 1957 ("Two Ugly Beasties") and typescripts and manuscript sheet music for Levy's musical, "Hey Mister Satan," written with George H. Johnston and C. W. Erdenbrecher.

The Printed Items series (20 unique items) contains multiple copies of soldiers' newsletters. The Burpee, by the 303rd Signal Operation Battalion, related news of the battalion's activities while at Camp Crowder, Missouri, and in Sunnyvale, California (August 5, 1943-November 18, 1943). The Taylor Maid chronicled events onboard the General Harry Taylor at the close of the war in the Pacific; the series holds a marquee "War Ends" issue (August 15, 1945) and a signed souvenir issue (August 18, 1945). Other items are a copy of The Message, a professional newspaper produced in Camp Crowder, Missouri (September 9, 1943), and a published volume, 303rd Signal Operation Battalion: An Informal Unofficial History, April 17, 1943-February 25, 1946. The publication is a unit history comprised of photographs and essays by several of its members and a unit roster.

Three World War II-era newspaper clippings pertain to Emanuel Levy's promotion to master sergeant, a Women's Army Corps member's visit to her dying soldier son, and the 303rd Signal Operation Battalion's service in Europe, including participation in the Battle of the Bulge.

The Jennie Nutter correspondence contains letters that Nutter's former students wrote to her about their service in the United States Army, Army Air Forces, Navy, and Marine Corps during World War II.

This collection contains 141 letters that Jennie L. Nutter, a teacher at the Good Will-Hinckley school in Fairfield, Maine, received from former students about their service in the United States Armed Forces from March 1940-October 1945. Nutter's correspondents, who were members of the United States Army, United States Army Air Forces, United States Marine Corps, and United States Navy, served at bases throughout the United States, including many in California, as well as in the European and Pacific Theaters. They described their training, coursework, and military life, such as a navy drill that tested sailors' response time for a simulated disaster (May 14, 1940). Many expressed gratitude for Nutter's instruction in subjects such as Latin and French; one letter is written in Latin (March 30, 1940). Others discussed their reading material, reminisced about their time at the school, inquired about Nutter's mother ("Ma" or "Ma Smith"), and referred to their correspondence with fellow Good Will alumni; one letter is addressed directly to "Ma." A few writers mention travels to locations such as Hawaii, Italy, and England, and offer opinions on the war. The collection includes manuscript and typed letters, V-mail letters, a greeting card, and a postcard. Clarence Perry enclosed programs from an Easter service at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Sacramento, California, in his letters of April 6, 1944, and April 10, 1944.

This collection is made up of about 400 letters Robert Showalter Hutto and his wife Eva exchanged while he served as a pharmacist's mate onboard the USS Joseph T. Dickman between January and October 1945. Eva wrote around 200 letters between December 31, 1944, and August 4, 1945, and Robert responded with approximately 200 letters, written between January 1, 1945, and October 19, 1945. Eva shared news of her social life and her experiences running the couple's pharmacy in Kokomo, Indiana, and Robert described aspects of military life and, particularly after the Japanese surrender, his movements around the Pacific.

This collection is made up of about 400 letters Robert Showalter Hutto and his wife Eva exchanged while he served as a pharmacist's mate onboard the USS Joseph T. Dickman between January and October 1945. Eva wrote around 200 letters between December 31, 1944, and August 4, 1945, and Robert responded, with approximately 200 letters, written between January 1, 1945, and October 19, 1945. Eva shared news of her social life and her experiences running the couple's pharmacy in Kokomo, Indiana, and Robert described aspects of military life and, particularly after the Japanese surrender, his movements around the Pacific.

Eva wrote almost daily letters that were typically between 1 and 3 pages. She met with other military spouses, discussed her religious life, and expressed her concern and love for her husband. Occasionally, she commented on national news stories, such as President Franklin Roosevelt's death (April 14, 1945) and the likelihood of German surrender (May 7, 1945). In his letters, Robert concentrated on his experiences aboard the USS Joseph T. Dickman, a hospital and transport ship, in the Pacific Theater. He initially wrote less frequently than his wife, but by mid-August 1945, he sent letters almost daily and provided her with commentary on navy life and his religious activities. Though censorship initially forced Hutto to be vague about his locations, he described the Joseph T. Dickman's travels between Boston and San Francisco in a letter dated January 17, 1945, and reported on his initiation as a "pollywog" who had traveled across the equator (February 9, 1945). On May 1, 1945, he announced that censorship had been partially lifted and that he was allowed to share some of his experiences, including travels to the New Hebrides, Guadalcanal, and Tulagi Island. In the same letter he gave a scant description of his involvement in the liberation of Okinawa. After the Japanese surrender on August 14, 1945, he openly shared his travel plans, which included trips between San Francisco and islands such as Enewetak Atoll and the Philippines. He also revealed that he had spent time in the Hawaiian Islands while the ship was being outfitted with medical facilities. After his ship anchored at Manila Harbor on September 17, 1945, he provided his impressions of the destruction around Manila, which included the sunken ships throughout its harbor. In his final letters, Hutto anticipated his discharge, which took place in mid-October.

The couple's letters reveal their affection for one another, as well as the effects of lengthy separation on their relationship. On January 20, 1945, Robert Hutto sent his wife a Valentine's Day card, and most letters end with professions of love or, on at least one occasion, a kiss from Eva marked in lipstick. Other items of interest are an anniversary card (July 16, 1945) and a card bearing a cartoon illustration of a Hawaiian dancer and a brief poem about Hawaii (June 24, 1945). Two of Eva's letters include enclosures: a piece of fabric (January 29, 1945) and a newspaper advertisement (February 7, 1945). In addition to Robert's letters, Eva received 1 letter from Captain Ward R. Kidder of the 29th Field Artillery Battalion, about his experiences in Luxembourg (December 19, 1944). The collection also holds an "Air-Speed Mail Kit" box for "feather-weight" letter paper.