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

The John K. Stoner correspondence is made up of 6 letters that Stoner wrote to his family during the summer of 1941, while he completed United States Army Air Forces training at Hickam Field, Hawaii. He commented on aspects of military life and anticipated his return home.

The John K. Stoner correspondence is made up of 6 letters that Stoner wrote to his family during the summer of 1941, while he completed United States Army Air Forces training at Hickam Field, Hawaii. In April, he focused on finishing school and promised to send his parents his graduation picture and diploma. After finishing his studies, Stoner spent much of his time socializing with other soldiers, despite a brief stay in the base hospital. He reported on some aspects of life on a military base, such as his excitement about the arrival of several new B-17 bombers (May 17, 1941). Though he looked forward to his return to the United States, Stoner admitted a fondness for Hawaii. Stoner wrote each of his letters on stationery illustrated with scenes from daily life in Hawaii, including a surfer, a girl playing the ukulele, palm trees, and fish. One colorful image shows two planes crossing the Pacific Ocean, hopping from San Francisco to Hong Kong via Honolulu, Midway Island, Wake Island, Guam, and Manila.