Veterans History Project

Notes:: Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated February 19, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated February 24, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes from England after receiving her Valentine in the mail in addition to letters from his siblings expressing their hopes to meet her one day.
Date Created:: 1944-02-19T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

Notes:: Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated May 20, 1944. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry A.P.O.-1, c/o Postmaster New York, New York, dated May 30, 1944. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while sharing his admiration for his future wife and pride in her recent accomplishments at work. He also writes of his faith and how blessed he is to have Agnes in his life.
Date Created:: 1944-05-20T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

Notes:: Hayes Cargill was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1926, and served in the Navy during World War II. He worked primarily on craft that took men from their ships to the mainland when they were at port. He worked in both the Philippines and Japan, but he never saw combat, as they were in theses areas after the war had for the most part wound down. After the War, he worked as an umpire for minor league and women's baseball.
Date Created:: 2004-12-17T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

Notes:: James was drafted into the United States Army in 1970 and spent fourteen months in Vietnam as a medic. He was able to stay on his base and never went into the field. He returned home in November 1971.
Date Created:: 2013-03-28T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

Notes:: Steve Dumond was born in 1986 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He joined the Marine Corps immediately after high school in 2005. After boot camp and infantry training, he completed two tours in Iraq, one in 2006 and the second from September 2007 through April of 2008. In Iraq, he served in a Light Armored Reconnaissance Unit. During his first tour, his unit fought insurgents in Al Qa'im, Fallujah, Garma and Rawa. Steve served in observation posts that would catch insurgents laying IED's. After Garma, his platoon worked through many cities until finally reaching Rawa. By his second tour, the insurgents had mostly left the cities, and his unit was sent to find insurgents in the desert in what was a "wild goose chase", although at one point they lost several men to an IED.
Date Created:: 2011-06-01T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

Notes:: Katherine Powers was wife to Thomas Powers, a Navy seaman during World War II. The couple had been married for one year before Thomas was drafted to serve in Europe. While serving, Thomas worked on the USS Merrimack picking up wounded and stranded soldiers and bringing them back to a base. Katherine remembers the job market opening up for women during this time as she worked two jobs. Thomas and Katherine were able to remain in contact through letters throughout the war.
Date Created:: 2010-05-31T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

Notes:: Eric Schwaller is a very unique veteran; he served in three branches of the armed forces between 1972 and 1998. He started as a tank crewman in Germany. He joined the Navy traveled undersea in a nuclear missile-bearing nuclear submarine and returned to the army and was a member of the 101st Airborne. He then enlisted in the Air Reserve, and then transferred to the Air National Guard. He now lives in the Coit Street VA facility in Grand Rapids.
Date Created:: 2007-01-23T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

Notes:: Beth Sefton was an Army nurse during World War II. She volunteered for duty in 1942 and continued to serve until after VJ Day. She served in England, France, and the China Burma India Theatre working with surgeons and American, German, Russian and English casualties. She left the service as the Head Nurse and a 1st Lieutenant in the Army. Beth met her husband Bill while serving in the war and came home to marry him.
Date Created:: 2007-08-20T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

Notes:: Ester Warber grew up in Michigan and worked in defense plants in the Detroit area during World War II, and then enlisted in the WAVES, trained as an aircraft mechanic and served on a base in Hawaii. After the war she held a variety of jobs and became a psychologist, and then served in the Peace Corps in the 1960s. She provides detailed descriptions of her training and duties in the military, and mentions meeting Henry Ford as well as Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson.
Date Created:: 2004-02-11T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

Notes:: Robert Austin was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and grew up on a farm. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in June, 1941 and trained first for the Marine Air Corps and then for the Marine Paratroopers. He eventually was assigned to the 5th Marine Division and was in the first wave of the landing on Iwo Jima. He was wounded soon after the landing and spent the rest of the war in hospitals. He re-enlisted after the war and played on a Marine baseball team prior to being discharged.
Date Created:: 2008-12-04T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
Collection:: Veterans History Project (U.S.)

Veterans History Project 1714 items