Letters - Family History & Genealogy Message Board

grandfather in WWII.

CHRISTYPERRY88 — 9 Jan 2007 7:26:24 GMT

Hello. My grandfather, Claude Perry, fought in WWII. I am trying to trace some family roots, and any information would be greatly appreciated.
1cperry@fuse.net

Letter written by a Jose Gancues not sure of last name spelling

mariancarey — 3 Jul 2005 4:04:59 GMT

I have a letter that was written by Jose, would love to find a family member to give it to. He says in the letter he was stationed Jefferson Barracks Missouri The letter was written 12-06-1942

Capt R. C. Ball, 1942 Hawaii marriage

hayhurstaz — 10 Apr 2007 6:47:08 GMT

This letter was in my mother-in-law's papers. Would love to pass it on to the family who wrote it .. would also like to know that they had a long happy life together. Here is the letter - if it is your family, contact me & I will give you the original

(Letter Dated ) September 2, 1942

I received your envelope last week. I think the last I heard was when you returned from New York. Lots has happened since then & I have moved several times too.
I don’t know where to start but suppose I start with my wedding. Before the war we had planned to have a big wedding with crossed sabers and everything. But what really happened - Ray came to town from the field complete with rifle, tin helmet, gas mask extra cartidges, etc. Also he was covered from head to foot with mud. He just came in Sat. A.M. & said we’re getting married. So I put on the first thing that came to hand and we went for the license. We had to get a waiver for the 3-day period and all the old grandpas we had to see had to tell us about their weddings and wasted a lot of time because we only had an hour to do all this. Then we had to go to another building to get the license. Well the doors closed at 12 noon & we got in one minute to. In the meantime it was raining and hot & the streets were steaming and I had on a crepe dress which was all goose- pimply where the rain hit it. Then we had to get the rings in the rain & everything. Everytime Ray got near me some of the mud came off on my dress (beige). The last straw was when he stepped right on the front of my white shoe with the pair of GI shoes he was wearing. He was sweating and I was sweating and we were both wet & muddy but we went on anyway. W tried to get some flowers but all we could find was poinsettas and I didn’t feel in the mood to wear those so I didn’t have any. We had to go out to the post which was quite a way, and we weren’t hardly on speaking terms when we got there. Ray found somebody’s clean uniform somewhere & put it on and grabbed a couple of soldiers for witnesses & we stalked up the aisle with our fists clenched. The Captain gave him two days off so we came back to town - still not speaking. Black out was at 5 PM then & every place closed at 4-30. So every place we went for dinner was closed. There was nothing but to go home - our apartment wasn’t blacked out so we couldn’t have a light even. I tried to find the champagne & couldn’t and of course, we had lost the flashlight. About 8 o’clock we each opened a can - I got beans & he got sausages so we fished out some crackers & had our wedding supper - in complete silence - in the dark.
By that time I was figuring how I could beat him down town to file suit for divorce and I guess he was too. Anyway, after a few other minor casaulties like partially breaking our leg on the furniture and knocking all the lamps and chairs over, the whole business got funny.
We still haven’t gotten a divorce and have no intentions - for a while anyway. In fact, we are looking forward to an addition to our family in the spring. Ray is already lining up bicycles & footballs etc, so it had better be a boy. I was working at Pearl Harbor but have resigned and am know just keeping house. Am getting disgustingly fat too. Ray was promoted to Captain in June and has been told he will get another promotion by Christmas or sooner. He is a swell fellow - I am sure you would like him. He is about 5'10'’and blonde with blue eyes.
We get along pretty well in war time Hawaii. We re only rationed on gasoline. The rest of the things we don’t have any of at all. About two months ago we got celery - 90 cents a head. We haven’t even had potatoes for two months. You get used to it though. You just eat whatever you have. I have had to drink canned milk because we can’t get fresh.
I am afraid we are in for a long seige of this but I certainly wish it was all over. I just live from day to day. We can never plan because Ray might get sent out any time. Then I suppose I would go back to the mainland.
Well, guess I have rambled enough. The letters usually reach us faster if sent to Ray -
Capt R.C. Ball
98th C.A. (AA)
c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, Calif

Will expect a letter by Christmas anyway.
Love, Rose

Joh B Gray, Huntington WV

gee174 — 1 Apr 2007 4:50:36 GMT

I have a letter from John B. Gray written to his wife Dorothy. It is addressed to Huntington WV, 1945 from an army hospital. Would like to give it to a family member.

Induction Orders

genette75 — 5 Feb 2006 4:22:26 GMT

I have a copy of the enlistment papers for George H. Miller, Ralph M. Black,JR., Louis J. Bellinghausen, Thomas E. Matson, John G Gordon, Fred P Van Horn Jr., Edwin Easley, Van M. Roberts, Robert J. Stanley, Samuel G. Kneale, George A. Willett, James C. Terrill, Cecil L. Terrill, Giles T. Robinson, Morton W. Burg, James A. Poole, Frank J. Peace, Joe C. Johnson.
Effective March 8, 1943, each of the above named men of the Enlisted Reserve Corps is called to active duty and will proceed from Tulsa, Okla. to Ft. Sill, Okla. Order of Major Hatcher signed by Joh B. Page 2nd Lieutenant, AUS
Leaving Tulsa, Okla. 6:40 AM; Arr Ft. Sill Okla. 1:15PM Mar 8, 1943
The George Miller listed above was then found in India Christmas of 1943 He sent a Christmas Card to his sister Irene Miller.

LETTERS FROM VETS

Diane Hitchcock-Owens — 2 May 2000 12:00:00 GMT

In going through some old papers, records, etc. of my father who is now 82 years old and living in an assisted care facility I came across a letter he wrote to me in 1966 while stationed with the AF in Guam flying missions over Viet Nam. My father was a lifetime career officer having gone into the Army-AirCorps in 1941. He served his time during WWII in China with the Flying Tigers. I would like to share his thoughts on war which he wrote in this letter.
..."Life over here is a rat-race as all wars are. It's too bad that we now fight wars without arousing the well being of the American people. I'm sure, if the entire USA were behind this war 100%, we could get it over with much sooner and go back to a more peaceful life. But how frustrating it all is!

I think I've found what I hate about war. It's not thinking of life and death or getting out alive. I don't dare to think that deeply (after all ol'Fighter pilots are not supposed to think deeply!) It's the thought of all the TIME one has wasted ~ wast3d and is not recoverable. TIME with what you want to do the most. Every second becomes very important~ becausde it is gone, right now, and you are ages older with each second gone. The focal point on time is magnified out of proportion with all normal concepts we normally know. A moment in combat is an eternity of emotional exhaustion. I feel older than this world because of those moments. I'm drained ~ too old for the present. TIME that I wanted is irreivocably gone. I've fought and shot and killed in so many battles, hoping that my loved ones will never have to go through this. But somehow history refutes this. Is this a farcial world we live in? Hey, kiddo, I better quit this philosophical study of the crazy thing we call life in this day and age."....thoughts from an old Fighter Pilot, James West Hitchcock, Lt Col. USAFA

Thank you book for our Veterans

Kim — 3 Jul 2005 4:04:08 GMT

Letter from Mindinao P.I. 1945

jenwink2 — 17 Jun 2004 3:27:17 GMT

Enniskilling Fusiliers

pam — 6 Mar 2003 1:09:42 GMT

I have discovered a WW2 letter addressed to my late grandmother written by her newphew John O'Brien No. 6980700 A.Coy 2nd Batt. Royal Enniskilling Fusiliers M.E.F. I have contacted a local museum to find more about him and now know he died at Anzio 1942 age 21. They where able to provide a photo of his grave. I would dearly love to find a photo of him and indeed anything to do with his time in the war