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Start Over You searched for: Subjects World War, 1939-1945--United States. Remove constraint Subjects: World War, 1939-1945--United States. Formats Newsletters. Remove constraint Formats: Newsletters.
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Collection

Emanuel Levy collection, 1941-2007

2 linear feet

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.

Collection

Roland F. Kerner papers, 1942-1946

1.5 linear feet

The Roland F. Kerner papers contain correspondence, documents, printed items, and ephemera pertaining to Kerner's service in the United States Marine Corps and Seabees during World War II. He wrote letters to his mother and received letters from his fiancée while he was serving in the Pacific. The additional items concern various aspects of his military service.

The Roland F. Kerner papers are made up of correspondence, documents, printed items, and ephemera pertaining to Kerner's service in the United States Marine Corps and Seabees during World War II. The Correspondence series (256 items), which includes manuscript and typed letters, V-mail, telegrams, and postcards, contains Kerner's incoming and outgoing correspondence with his mother and his fiancée. From November 1942-May 1945, Kerner wrote to his widowed mother about his travels, training schedule, leisure activities, and military duties in the United States and the Pacific Theater. He also commented on her work and encouraged her not to overexert herself. Occasionally, Kerner mentioned developments in the war, such as the D-Day invasions. In a letter of September 7, 1943, he discussed island residents' desire to marry off their daughters to American soldiers, and his letter of April 1, 1945, reports his courtship with and engagement to Louise Stevens. Kerner wrote infrequently after May 1945, when he again went overseas; his later letters concern his travels in the Pacific and, in one case, a conflict with his brother-in-law, Paul Dieter (October 1, 1945).

From May 1945-October 1945, most items are love letters from Louise Stevens to Roland F. Kerner. She wrote about her daily life and social activities in Wheaton, Illinois, and shared her joy after hearing about the end of the war. Her letter of September 29, 1945, is written on illustrated stationery celebrating the Allied victory, and at least two of her letters enclose photographs. Far less frequently, Kerner received letters from his mother and sister, who wrote about housework and family life. Ray [Bilter], another soldier, wrote a letter about his experiences in Germany near the end of the war and shared his negative opinion of Germans after seeing concentration camps (April 29, 1945).

The Documents and Reports series (24 items) is made up of receipts, military records, and other items pertaining to Roland F. Kerner, such as a receipt for work on his car (June 2, 1942), a document about Kerner's approved leave of absence from the navy (May 17, 1945), documents about his eligibility for postwar education benefits (April 23, 1946), and 5 lists of naval personnel. An undated form about Kerner's military service encloses photographs of him in uniform.

The Printed Items series (21 items) mostly contains newspapers and clippings, often about the Pacific Theater of the war. Issues of Yank, the West Chicago Press, and servicemen's informal newsletters are included. Other items are two books with religious devotions and a map of the Pacific Ocean. The Ephemera series (15 items) consists of 4 wage slips, a letter fragment, photographs, 5 photographic postcards of scenes from Melbourne, Australia, and other items.

Collection

Schlereth family collection, 1930-1945 (majority within 1941-1944)

0.5 linear feet

Mary Virginia Hewitt was interned at the Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila, Philippines, with her husband, Howard Joseph Schlereth, and their two children, Hewitt and Linda, during most of World War II. This collection is made up of correspondence, newsletters, and newspaper clippings that Mary's parents, Guy H. and Vivian C. Hewitt of Columbus, Ohio, received and collected during their daughter's imprisonment.

Mary Virginia Hewitt was interned at the Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila, Philippines, with her husband, Howard Joseph Schlereth, and their two children, Hewitt and Linda, during most of World War II. This collection of 140 items consists of correspondence, newsletters, and newspaper clippings that her parents, Guy H. and Vivian C. Hewitt of Columbus, Ohio, received and collected during their daughter's imprisonment.

The Correspondence and Newsletters series comprises the bulk of the collection. The first 7 items are personal letters that Howard Joseph Schlereth wrote to Mary Virginia Hewitt from August 26, 1930-March 1933. Schlereth first anticipated his journey to the Philippines, where he worked for the Standard Oil Company of New York (later the Sandard-Vacuum Oil Company), and later wrote brief letters about his life there. He commented on his separation from and love for Mary. His letter of November 7, 1930, has a manuscript floor plan of the cabin he shared with an acquaintance during a voyage from San Francisco to the Philippines. Mary Virginia Hewitt Schlereth wrote a letter to her family on December 1, 1941, about the expected delay of the family's planned trip back to the United States from the Philippines, where they had been living for several years.

From December 11, 1941-March 1944, Guy H. and Vivian C. Hewitt compiled around 100 personal letters, official letters, circular letters, telegrams, and newsletters about the internment of American citizens and other expatriates in the Philippines following the Japanese invasion of December 1941. They corresponded with representatives from the Standard-Vacuum Oil Company, the United States Department of State, the United States Department of War, the United States House of Representatives, and Relief for Americans in Philippines, who responded to the Hewitts' requests for information about their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. Correspondents reported general and specific news about American internees as it became available, and the Hewitts first received definite news of their relatives' safety in May 1942. The letters concern possible evacuation efforts, the inability of United States officials to communicate with people in enemy territories during a state of war, procedures for sending mail to interned Americans, and living conditions in the Santo Tomas Internment Camp. A society called "Relief for Americans in Philippines" regularly sent newsletters about the internees and about prisoner exchange efforts and occasionally provided receipts for the Hewitts' donations. Some exchanged internees who had returned home provided news of the Schlereths from their own personal recollections, and acquaintances sometimes wrote letters of sympathy. Around three items are copies of the Schlereth family's brief communications from Manila, which bore news of their good health.

The final items in the series are personal letters and greeting cards sent to the Hewitt family by acquaintances in early 1945. Writers expressed relief upon hearing that Manila had been taken by the Allied forces and after learning that the Schlereth family had survived the war.

The Printed Items and Ephemera series includes 13 pages of newspaper clippings about the Schlereth family and about the Japanese internment of Americans in the Philippines during World War II. Most pages have several pasted clippings, and the majority of clippings are dated 1942. The series also has an article entitled "Yankee Girl: Adventures of a Young American Who Spent Five Months in Jap Internment Camp at Manila," in which Frances Long recollected her experiences at Santo Tomas Internment Camp. The article was published in Life on September 7, 1942. Other items are a check that Guy H. Hewitt wrote to Relief for Americans in Philippines and 2 Philippine stamps.

Collection

William Seifermann collection, 1942-1943

32 items

This collection pertains to William Seifermann's work at the Kaiser Shipyards in Vancouver, Washington, from 1942-1943. Seifermann wrote letters to his wife in New York City about his work and daily experiences, and collected newsletters from his dormitory complex, Hudson House. He enclosed newspaper clippings and advertisements in some of his letters.

This collection (32 items) pertains to William Seifermann, who worked at the Kaiser Shipyards in Vancouver, Washington, during World War II. Seifermann wrote 24 letters to his wife from November 7, 1942-[June 14, 1943], commenting on his work, health, and fellow workers. He occasionally discussed Hudson House, the dormitory complex in which he lived, and often complained about the weather. His letter of March 5, 1943, includes remarks about a man who had been jailed for raping a married woman. He enclosed newspaper clippings with humorous cartoons, articles about sporting events, and articles about the military in his letters. He also sent a religious pamphlet and a blank housing questionnaire for war workers. The collection also includes 8 issues of The Hudson News, a publication for dormitory residents (March 12, 1943-May 28, 1943). The serial contains brief articles on social events, local news, and notices for residents; some include photographs.