Collections

This collection consists of over 300 letters that Private Albert Starke Drischell wrote to his family in Baldwin, New York, while serving in the United States Army during World War II. The collection also contains letters and postcards that Drischell received during his military service. Drischell wrote about his experiences while training in various camps, participating in an educational program, working with army theatrical groups in the United States and England, and serving in Germany during the last months of the war and the first months of the occupation.

The bulk of this collection (1 linear foot) consists of over 300 letters that Private Albert Starke Drischell wrote to his family in Baldwin, New York, about his experiences in the United States Army from January 21, 1943-December 6, 1945. The collection also contains letters and postcards that Drischell received during his military service and a few ephemera items.

Drischell addressed the majority of his letters to his parents, and occasionally wrote to his younger siblings, Ralph and Ruth. He composed his first letters while at Camp Upton in Long Island, New York, soon after entering the service, and provided his impressions of the camp, his companions, military life, and training exercises. At Camp Swift, Texas, he wrote about his experiences at Texas A&M University, where he was among a group tested for entrance into a selective educational program. After being accepted, he moved to New Mexico and began taking college-level engineering courses at New Mexico College of Agricultural and Mechanical Arts. He and many others found the coursework difficult, and by November he had failed a course and was removed from the program. While in New Mexico, he shared his determination to succeed and gave his opinions of other men in the army, particularly his negative opinions of those who drank to excess (July 8, 1943). He also mentioned his moral objection to the war.

Drischell left New Mexico for Fort Custer, Michigan, where he attended courses in military government and occasionally guarded German prisoners. In one letter, he expressed his fear that soldiers would have difficulty readjusting to civilian life after being schooled in "mass murder" (January 23, 1944). In early 1945, Drischell moved to Camp Reynolds, Pennsylvania, where his unit awaited overseas deployment. He continued to describe his experiences, offered his opinions on the army, and mentioned trips taken to the surrounding towns while on temporary leave. In mid-May 1944, Drischell arrived in Scotland, though he was transferred to England soon after. As part of a replacement battalion, he occupied much of his free time by accompanying women to dances and befriending local families. He also acted in a play put on by the army, and briefly toured with an army theatrical group in the fall of 1944, an experience he enjoyed and hoped to continue in his post-army life. Many of his letters from this time focused on the economic and physical hardships of the war, and other letters mention a visit to London (February 15, 1945), his support for Thomas E. Dewey in the 1944 presidential election (August 6, 1944), George Bernard Shaw's views on capitalism, communism, and democracy (August 8, 1944), and his efforts to obtain conscientious objector status.

After being deployed on the Continent in March 1945, Drischell shared his impressions of the devastated French and German countryside, through which he advanced as part of the 318th Infantry Regiment. After the war, he described the small Austrian town where he was stationed, in which German children born out of wedlock were being "raised for use in foreign lands" (May 16, 1945). Drischell also accounted for the gap in his letters between April and May, when he advanced deep into Germany and Austria and participated in active combat (May 31, 1945, et al.). Freed from the constraints of censorship after V-E day, he reported on some of his combat experiences, and he believed that he never directly killed an enemy soldier. Throughout his European service, Drischell continually voiced his appreciation for the United States and compared it to Europe, occasionally calling his native country a relative "utopia."

Drischell sometimes enclosed souvenirs from his European travels in his letters, including a French 50-franc note (March 25, 1945), German stamps (June 20, 1945), and clippings from the Stars and Stripes and other papers. By late August 1945, he was in Paris as a member of a traveling dramatic troupe, and he wrote less frequently. His final letter, dated December 6, 1945, reveals that he went on tour in Germany.

Additional items include 2 printed church programs from 1944, a newspaper clipping featuring an English unit's canine mascot, and a list of men from St. Peter's Church who served in the war, including Albert S. Drischell. One undated letter fragment from "Iggie" discusses his experiences as a soldier in India, and another by an anonymous writer concerns Drischell's acting and a mutual acquaintance named "Fip."

The Arthur Bruhus papers primarily contain incoming and outgoing letters and greeting cards that Sergeant Bruhus wrote and received while serving in the United States Army during World War II. Bruhus described his everyday life at military camps in Maryland and Texas between January 1943 and April 1945 and his service in France between April 1945 and September 1945.

This Arthur Bruhus papers contain over 200 incoming and outgoing letters and greeting cards that Sergeant Arthur Bruhus wrote and received while serving in the United States Army during World War II. Bruhus described his everyday life at military camps in Maryland and Texas between January 1943 and April 1945 and his service in France between April 1945 and September 1945. The collection also includes negatives for 24 photographs and 13 printed and ephemeral items.

The Correspondence series is comprised of letters, greeting cards, V-mail, and postcards. Arthur Bruhus wrote approximately 175 letters to his mother, Anna Bruhus of Palatine, Illinois, during his time in the military. Bruhus served at several domestic military bases throughout the war, and frequently described his travel between camps and during furloughs, his first impressions upon arrival, the surrounding scenery, and nearby cities (particularly in Texas). While stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, he occasionally visited Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Bruhus also discussed camp life and, to a lesser extent, his military assignments. After undergoing radio training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in June 1943, he worked with radio-controlled planes used for target practice. In November 1943, he noted Camp Barkeley's use of German prisoners of war for manual labor (November 12, 1943). Bruhus was deployed to France in April 1945 and served at Épernay until his return to the United States in 1945. While in France, he commented on the scenery and everyday activities. In one letter he recounted his experiences on V-E Day (May 25, 1945). He enclosed church programs in two letters. His final letter to his mother is dated September 4, 1915.

Bruhus also corresponded with his sisters, nieces and nephews, and acquaintances (about 25 incoming and outgoing letters). Anna Bruhus received several letters from her grandchildren.

The Photographic negatives series is made up film negatives for 24 photographs of unidentified military barracks, soldiers, camouflaged tents, and group exercises.

The 13 items in the Printed items and ephemera series include advertisements, programs, and an issue of the Camp Barkeley News (May 12, 1944).

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 contains six letters and postcards written by brothers Cornelius L. and Anthony J. Brigel to their families during their service in World War II. The brothers wrote about their life in the army, and sent greetings to their loved ones at home.

This collection contains six letters and postcards written by brothers Cornelius L. and Anthony J. Brigel to their families during their service in World War II. Cornelius wrote the first three letters to his wife Ada, and described his arrival at Fort Thomas, Kentucky, in two postcards from December 1942. He mentioned trading in his civilian clothing and receiving a vaccination, and promised a friend: "I get to Germany, I will get Hitler's mustache and use it for a shoe brush" (December 19, 1942). In his third letter, written on stationery from Camp Roberts, California, he described a trip to Santa Barbara, California, while on 36 hours' leave (February 8, 1943).

Anthony composed two letters to his "Brother and Sister" from his post with the 758th Railway Shop Battalion, then stationed in India. He wrote about his disappointment with his St. Patrick's Day celebrations (March 17, 1944) and offered his condolences for a family member's death, via a v-mail message (May 26, 1944). A final postcard, addressed to Cornelius and postmarked Detroit, Michigan, announced the birth of a baby girl, signed by "Pink" (October 29, 1944).

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 contains 19 letters written to Margaret Cronin of Queens, New York, by her husband and brother while they served in the United States Army during the Second World War, and one letter to Mark Cronin from Private Murray R. Baxley. Ed Cronin, Margaret's husband, wrote 17 letters, in which he described his loneliness while in training at Camp Jackson, South Carolina, and his court martial and punishment for an unspecified act. The other soldiers wrote of life in England and in the Bronx Area Station Hospital.

This collection contains 19 letters written to Margaret Cronin of Queens, New York, by her husband and brother while they served in the United States Army during the Second World War, and one letter to Mark Cronin from Private Murray R. Baxley. Margaret's husband Ed wrote 17 letters to her between September 25, 1943, and February 24, 1944, while stationed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina; there, he served with a medical supply unit and, after October 1943, the 74th General Hospital. He described his life on the military base and mentioned specific books he had read, movies he had watched, and radio programs he had heard, which included a show presented by Bob Hope (September 22, 1943). More frequently, he discussed his listlessness and loneliness, and expressed his love for his wife and newborn daughter, Patricia, who lived in Long Island City, Queens. In later letters, he also voiced his concern for his mother's health, especially her recently revealed heart condition. In February 1944, two letters concern his time spent in a "stockade" for an unnamed offense, as well as the resulting court martial, punishment (a 60-day restriction and $18 fine), and repentance (February 11, 1944 and February 18, 1944). In his final letters, Ed complained of increased censorship and mentioned his unit's recent move to a classified location.

The collection also holds two letters written to Margaret by her brother Richard, who served "somewhere in England" during the late summer and early fall of 1943. On August 6, 1943, he mentioned his newly born daughter, Anne Marie (b. June 28, 1943), and described some sightseeing done in London. In his letter of September 14, 1943, Richard shared his longing to return to Astoria, Queens, as well as his reactions to recent family news, particularly to their mother's employment and to a recent proliferation of nieces and nephews. Private Murray R. Baxley wrote to "Miss Mark Cronin" on October 19, 1944, while recovering from malaria in the Bronx Area Station Hospital. He retracted his earlier declaration of love for a woman in Worcester, and requested a future meeting with Mark.

This collection is made up of letters that brothers Edward K. Burdette, Jr. ("Ken"), and Huddleston York Burdette ("York") wrote to their parents during their service in the United States military during World War II. Ken served in the army and York served in the coast guard. Each wrote primarily about their everyday experiences and upcoming assignments.

This collection is made up of letters that brothers Edward K. Burdette, Jr. ("Ken"), and Huddleston York Burdette ("York") wrote to their parents during their service in the United States military during World War II. Ken served in the army and York served in the coast guard. Each wrote primarily about their everyday experiences and upcoming assignments.

Ken Burdette wrote the first 5 letters ([June 2, 1942]-August 2, 1943), often commenting on his various instructional assignments and personal news. In his first letter, he asked his father for an opinion on his girlfriend Mary, whom he later married. After his wedding, he occasionally referred to domestic affairs, such as the couple's search for housing near Washington, D.C., and the high cost of living there (September 11, 1942). He also mentioned Mary's sightseeing in New York City (August 2, 1943). In one later letter, which encloses a memorandum with a religious joke, he discussed an upcoming cross-country train trip from San Francisco to Augusta, Georgia (January 25, 1945).

York Burdette wrote 7 letters to his parents from [September 13, 1945]-[October 29, 1945], primarily about life in the coast guard, his friends, and finances. He trained at the United States Coast Guard Training Station in St. Augustine, Florida, and served near New Orleans, Louisiana, and Pensacola, Florida. While in Louisiana, he often took leave in New Orleans, though he found it difficult to enjoy the city on a limited budget ([November 13, 1943]). In his final letter, he wrote of the various ships in port for the Navy Day celebrations.

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 contains 8 letters that Private Everleigh B. Ehrmann, Jr., wrote to his parents in Lackawanna, New York, while training with the United States Army during World War II. He described army training exercises for diffusing German bombs, preparations for combat in the Pacific theater, his health problems, and other aspects of military life. Four of his letters include illustrations.

This collection contains 8 letters that Private Everleigh B. Ehrmann, Jr., wrote to his parents in Lackawanna, New York, while training with the United States Army during the Second World War. He described the Army's training exercises for diffusing German bombs, preparations for combat in the Pacific theater, his health problems, and other aspects of military life. Four of his letters include illustrations.

Ehrmann first wrote while participating in the Army Specialized Training Program at Providence College, where he anticipated his examinations and explained a geometry problem he had encountered in one of his courses, illustrated with 3 graphs ([December 31, 1943]). His next 5 letters pertain to his training with Company I of the 328th Infantry Regiment at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, between April and May 1944, initially complicated by a recurring medical problem with his leg. Though Ehrmann received frequent treatments for his ailment, he participated in the unit's training exercises, including rifle range evaluations and mock battle scenarios. In addition to providing details about his daily routine, such as cleaning his rifle and hiking, he also described infiltration exercises and his work diffusing mines. In a letter postmarked May 29, he illustrated these exercises with a sketch of a soldier diffusing explosives and a diagram of a German mine.

After transferring to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, and joining the 82nd Portable Surgical Hospital, Ehrmann mentioned a lecture by a "Lieutenant Lipkoff," who had served overseas with a similar unit, and drew a map of the area in which Lipkoff had served in New Guinea [June 22, 1944]. In his final 2 letters, he anticipated traveling to the Pacific Theater, an inference he had drawn after studying tropical diseases and learning concealment in southern swamps. He also expressed his belief that he might soon earn a corporal's rating, and drew a picture of his Army-issued machete [June 25, 1944].

This collection contains World War II-era correspondence between Garrison ("Garry") and Jane Dover of Queens, New York, as well as letters that Garrison Dover received from other family members. Jane told Garrison, an army private, about her social activities, her work, and life on the home front; he wrote about his affection for her and his uncertainty about overseas deployment while stationed at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland and at Camp Beale, California.

This collection (96 items) contains World War II-era correspondence between Garrison ("Garry") and Jane Dover of Queens, New York, as well as letters that Garrison Dover received from other family members.

Jane Dover wrote the majority of the letters, describing her life and social activities on the home front and commenting on her work for a temp agency, finances, and, on one occasion, the effect of the Victory Tax on her paycheck (October 29, 1943); she frequently sent money to her husband. Her letters also reflect Garrison's updates about his training at the Aberdeen Proving Ground from October 1943-March 1944.

Between March 17, 1944, and April 10, 1944, Garrison Dover wrote 12 letters to his wife from Camp Beale, California, where he anticipated being sent overseas. He described his travels to Sacramento on weekend passes and various aspects of camp life. On May 23, 1944, his wife reported that a Ouija game had predicted his return home on April 2, 1945, and she sent him a birthday card in late August. Her letter of September 14, 1944, mentions a hurricane threatening Atlantic City, New Jersey. Jane also wrote about the 1944 presidential election, including her growing distaste for Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt (September 26, 1944) and a literacy test she underwent as a first-time voter (October 12, 1944). Her final letter to Garrison is dated February 7, 1945, during his recovery at Mason General Hospital in Brentwood, Long Island. The collection also contains a card that Jane wrote to her husband in June 1945, while he lived and worked in Utica, New York, and letters that Garrison Dover received from family members.