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

This collection is made up of letters that a United States serviceman sent to his wife while traveling to and serving in the Philippines between July and September 1945. The letters pertain to religion, leisure activities, a Japanese surrender delegation, and other subjects.

This collection is made up of 8 letters that a United States serviceman sent to his wife while traveling to and serving in the Philippines in August and September 1945. In his first two letters, "Jake" wrote about aspects of his journey across the Pacific Ocean, including weather conditions and a religious service held onboard his ship (July 2, 1945, and undated). After arriving in Manila, he described the destruction in and around the Intramuros district and discussed his life in an unfinished camp, where soldiers used their helmets to hold shaving water. He mentioned repeated thefts from soldiers' footlockers, and the prevalence of scorpions, lizards, and other animals. In his letter of August 21, 1945, Jake lightly criticized Catholic chaplains. This letter also contains an account of a 16-man Japanese surrender delegation, which Jake spotted while retrieving his mail; he noted the differences between the ornately decorated Japanese uniforms and the Americans' plain khakis.

This collection contains 5 letters from a man named George, who wrote to his mother while he served with the United States Armed Forces in Stams, Austria, during May and June 1945. He told his mother of his daily life, recounted a day trip to nearby Innsbruck, and shared news of acquaintances from the United States.

"George," a member of the United States Armed Forces, wrote 5 letters (9.5 pages) to his mother while stationed in Stams, Austria, in May and June 1945.

He often reported receiving and sending correspondence and packages, including a shipment of fudge that had spoiled (May 12, 1945), and responded to news of people he knew in the United States. Occasionally, he mentioned the draft and the possibility of acquaintances serving in the military, and in one letter commented on the death of a friend named Bert Vollmer, who had also served in Europe (May 29, 1945). George wrote about various aspects of military life, such as inspections, and remarked about the weather and daily life in Austria. He mentioned the work of local citizens, who spent most of their time farming, and in his letter of June 10, 1945, he described the haying process. On May 31, 1945, he wrote of a recent trip to nearby Innsbruck, where he went skiing and attended an opera, and reported that the military had resumed censorship of soldiers' letters.